Jasper National Park.

I know I likely already said this, but Jasper National Park is one of the most magical places on earth. The mountains, the pines, the glacier water, and the wildlife—the most beautiful combination I've ever seen. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we'll for sure be making our way back up there again while we're in Alberta. Hopefully with family and friends alongside us!

We decided to make this trip without the dogs so we could do longer hikes and actually take some time in the town of Jasper to eat out and shop a bit. The dogs have been going to Sleep Rover, here in Calgary, for daycare, but this was their first time overnight. I'm so thankful we found Sleep Rover. Their staff is incredible, and we received journal entries each day with updates (from the perspective of the dogs—it's so adorable) so we could see how they were doing.

On Wednesday we drove about three hours to our first campsite—Rampart Creek—in the Icefields Parkway of Banff National Park. This campground was gorgeous! It was pretty rustic with just a vault toilet, but we were a quick walk to the river which opened up to a beautiful mountain landscape. After getting the van all set up, and grabbing a couple of drinks from the cooler, we headed down to the river to hang out for a bit. It was SO peaceful! There was no one around and only the sound of the river and the view of the mountains. It was the BEST way to kick off our mini mountain vacay.

The next morning, we got up around 8 am (didn't set an alarm) and drove to the first trailhead. Wilcox Pass was about a 30 ish minute drive from the campsite, and when we arrived, there were only a couple of cars in the lot. We had the trail all to ourselves on the way up. I really enjoyed this hike, because the terrain varied along the way. It was a little steep at first in the woods, but when it opened up, there were mountains on either side and an amazing view of the Columbia Icefield Glacier. As we continued, the terrain became more of rolling green hills through the pass. It was breathtaking, and it felt like we were in the clouds! About 6 miles and 1700' elevation gain.

After leaving the first trail, we stopped at Honeymoon Lake for lunch. The lake was clear and the mountains reflected perfectly off the water. It was truly a hidden gem because you can't see it from the road. The lake is on a first-come, first-served campground too so we noted that for next time.

Honeymoon Lake

From there, we headed to our next hike—Edith Cavell. Mount Edith Cavell stands over 11,000', and at the base (5,700') is a lake that a glacier is flowing into. We hiked up through the meadows until we reached the viewpoint at about 7,500' and were able to get a 360 view of the mountains around us. Apparently, there was a mama bear and her cub passing through the meadows earlier that morning! I didn't know about this until two days later when people posted it to All Trails, but I'm thankful we didn't encounter her and could complete the hike. The flowers were blooming and the meadows were so green! 5.3 miles hiked and 1,800' elevation gain.

After our second hike, we went into the town of Jasper for a beer and some food at Jasper Brewing Company. It was a nice little spot! I was also pleasantly surprised to see so many people wearing their masks, especially walking down the main street. After beer, we grabbed ice for the cooler and headed to the next campground—Wapiti.

When we got to Wapiti, we were told there was some bear activity in the campground and to not approach the elk if they come through. We figured they were just telling us that as a precaution, but about an hour after we got settled into our site, James goes "Stef, look!" and coming up the road were three elk—a cow, calf, and a bull. We stood up and moved closer to the van as they all literally walked right through our campsite to the wooded area behind us. We sat at our picnic table watching them for at least 30 minutes, just eating and hanging out. It was so cool! And then they went on their way.

The downside to van life, and camping in general, is that you have to be strategic about how often and how late you drink liquids. We both woke up in the middle of the night and had to walk to the bathroom, and it was terrifying. James had the bear spray and flashlight, while I was walking closely behind him. I will say, the good part of waking up in the middle of the night in Jasper on a clear night is getting to see the stars. Now, I've been in some remote places and have seen stars many times but this was different. The sky was so clear you could see EVERY star in the sky!! It was amazing!

When we woke up around 7 am, it was 32 degrees Fahrenheit. THIRTY-TWO DEGREES. We could see our breath it was so cold, but we wanted to get to the trailhead at an early time to beat the crowds since it was at Maligne Lake—a popular destination in Jasper. The drive out to Maligne Lake is long but so worth it. The road winds through mountains and past lakes, and if you're lucky, you'll see wildlife! We passed a coyote, and when we were close to the lake we saw a moose! Unfortunately, it was only for a quick second as we had cars behind us and had to keep driving.

At the trailhead, we geared up and packed our lunch. This hike was going to be at least 8 miles (2300' elevation gain) so we wanted to take a lunch break at the summit. The hike began as a steady incline on a gravel fire road. It was really quiet, and we were the only ones on the trail. Honestly, it was a little eerie being the only ones in the woods like that, but we talked loudly and had our bear spray handy. After about a mile and a half, you can continue on the fire road or take a "short cut" up through the woods. We took the short cut which was pretty steep but nothing crazy. It took us through beautiful pine trees and opened up to amazing views along the way. This trail has a couple of different loop options, so you can kind of choose your own adventure to the summit.

Summit of Bald Hills Mountain

At the top, it was pretty windy and a little overcast but had gorgeous views of the lake to one side and a valley and mountains to the other. We also had the pleasure of being joined by a very aggressive chipmunk who REALLY wanted my sandwich. I swear to you, if I didn't shoo him away, he would have climbed up on me to steal my food. We made our way down the other side of the mountain and back down the trail. The weather was wild on this hike. We started in jackets, long sleeves, gloves, and a hat, but as we climbed, the sun came out so I was in a t-shirt. Then the wind picked up, and the sun went behind the clouds at the top so I put my jacket back on. When we descended, the sun came out again, and I was back in a t-shirt. Back at the lake, I was in a tank top and shorts! We couldn't believe it was 32 degrees that same morning....good ole' mountain life.

Summit life with my love

After changing and taking a wet ones bath (LOL), we headed down to the lake before driving back to town for food. We got down to the lake for not even 30 seconds, and I look over to see a moose and her baby come up by the dock and go into the water. I couldn't believe we got another chance to see moose!! We just sat there watching them eat and drink in the water for like 15 minutes before the bugs got so bad we had to head out.

For our late lunch/early dinner we ate at D'ed Dog Bar & Grill. They had seating outside and WiFi so we could FaceTime my sister and wish her a happy birthday. After we ate and stocked up on essentials (booze and ice) we went to our final destination—Wabasso Campground. We were also told at this campsite that the night before there was bear activity so I was preparing for more furry friends to come through. Luckily, the only fur babes we saw were dogs. James had to perform "surgery" on my poor feet, because I had a couple of blisters, but then we enjoyed the sunshine, the bonfire, and the white claws for one final night of vacation.

Last year when we came out to Banff & Jasper for a vacation (before the job opportunity), it rained the entire time we were there. Luckily, the weather held out for us on this trip, and it was sunny and warm until the day we left! It rained basically our entire drive out of Jasper, which was a bummer because we wanted to be able to see the mountains as we drove out. We also had hoped to stop in Banff on our way back and maybe do the gondola, but it was pretty overcast, so we just drove back home. We picked up the dogs, and they've been passed out since we got home. They had a little too much fun at Sleep Rover!

Overall, our trip was amazing and a getaway we both needed. Jasper National Park is about a 4-hour drive from Calgary, so a place we won't visit often, but we will for sure be going back! I still pinch myself sometimes, because I can't believe we live so close to such beautiful places. The mountains have stolen my heart, and our wildlife encounters in Jasper made this experience even more special! Until next time…

xo, Stef