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Maligne Lake + Maligne Canyon + Maligne Lake Canoeing
Jasper, Alberta is a beautiful as the name suggests. I spent some time tromping around here with my travel buddy and friend, Anya. We saw Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon, and even got to do a little canoeing. Here’s what we did and how you can do it, too!
Maligne Lake Hike
Maligne Lake is a lovely body of water with lots of activities to do. A lot of people like to do the cruise to Spirit Island, which I guess is pretty cool, from what I’ve heard. Still, we opted out. Instead, we decided to take a short walk around the loop. I think we saw more, and I know we enjoyed it more. It was a nice trail—moose sightings are pretty common, although we didn’t see any. You might be luckier! The views were gorgeous, and it wasn’t strenuous at all. We weren’t up for a big hike that day, so it was perfect. We went to the mini island and then turned around and took our time coming back.
Maligne Lake Canoeing
After our leisurely walk, we decided to go canoeing. The cost was actually surprisingly reasonable, especially compared to some of the other lakes I visited in Alberta, like Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, both of which are smaller than Maligne Lake. The rental cost here was only $40 per hour for two people. The maximum they’ll charge you for a boat is $120, which is the price for three hours (check me out, with my mad math skills!). So basically you could take a canoe for ten hours and still pay just the same as a three-hour rental. I’m not sure who would be up for a ten-hour canoe paddle, but hey, anything’s possible.
At first, Anya and I thought it would be fun to take our own trip to Spirit Island, but it was just too far and we wouldn’t have made it. It wasn’t the paddle that stopped us, just our time constraints. So if you want to paddle to Spirit Island, just be sure to start early enough!
Maligne Canyon
We finished out our day with a trip to Maligne Canyon. We did a great hike—a pretty easy trek around some waterfalls. Getting to do this hike made it a hundred percent worth is to cut our canoe trip short and skip Spirit Island. If I could do it all again, I’d plan a lot more time for the Maligne Canyon hike. There are tons of trails you can try out, from easy hikes like the one we did to day-long hikes. There’s even a two to four day hike called Skyline Trail, which would be an amazing vacation in and of itself! Put that on your bucket list.
The Jasper area of the Canadian Rockies is sort of hidden away and not too famous, but it’s totally worth seeing on your trip through Alberta. The best places are the ones that are a few steps off the beaten trail. My recommendation is to plan more time here than you think you’ll need—you won’t want to go home, I guarantee it!
Wow Karla, when I grow Up I wanna travel allover the world like you 🙂 . Seriously exploring maligne Lake jasper sounds like a heck of a lot of fun. I love that you are doing all this trecking as well. its keeping you super fit I ma sure. Thanks for sharing at the SBH =)
Oh wow.. your photography is gorgeous. That picture of you in the canoe is so beautiful. I planning on doing a really long Canadian road trip next year. I’ll definitely have to keep Lake Jasper in mind when we’re planning our route. BTW I just followed you on IG. Great pictures.
Ugh, I want to get up to Jasper so badly. Is it even possible to take a bad photograph there?? I’m not sure I’d want to have a moose sighting while hiking. I hear they can be very territorial and aggressive!
I’m such a big fan of lakes as I also visited many lakes in the Philippines. I always love how calm the lake is which always remind me to be calmed whenever my world is not in peace. This lake is really beautiful and would love to visit it when I get the chance.
LaiAriel
Wow that seems to be an amazing ride. Canoeing in the middle of the thick green belt with clear blue sky is a sure shot pleasure.
The Canadian lakes and scenery look really stunning. I love that shot of you in the canoe 🙂
Looks so beautiful. Would definitely love to visit here.
Ahhh I’ve heard many good things about Alberta! This is super amazing… Such beautiful scenery. Hope I can visit someday!
When I visited Maligne Lake, I had a very limited amount of time and didn’t do any canoeing or boat tours. I wish I had though! It looks beautiful and I’m sure the 360 degree views from the water are worth the price tag. We opted out of the Spirit Island boat cruise too, though I wish we had just splurged and gone in retrospect.
I really loved the canoeing experience, perhaps, something for you to go back for.
I’ve been wanting to visit the Canadian Rockies and Alberta for some time! I love canoeing and it looks like there are so many pretty lakes to paddle on. Your pictures are surreal. It looks like you are entering into a fairytale.
That’s how I felt while witnessing it live.
Very cool! Will have to plan for a 10 hour canoe trip Would love to catch a glimpse of moose running in the wild. This place will definitely be added to our “places to visit” list
What a scenic route you’ve taken on the kayak! I would love to try and do that on Maligne Lake, the world must seem so calm and peaceful at once
I would definitely opt for canoeing. In such a breathtaking scenery it must have been something. The picture with you sitting in a canoe is fantastic!
The Maligne lake sounds and appears so ethereal. It borders on the surreal. You must have had a magical experience canoeing on the serene waters of this enchanting lake. Surely a memory that you will cherish.
Gorgeous photos! I missed seeing Lake Maligne during my trip to Jasper, but I’m going to include it whenever we visit again. Thanks for sharing.
Canoeing sounds like a lot of fun here. With the gorgeous scenery around, why won’t it be? Serene, beautiful and fun is how I would describe your trip
I live in Alberta, several hours drive away from Jasper – 5 maybe – and I have never done this. Bucket list! 🙂
Maligne Canyon looks beautiful. We love waterfalls and being around nature. These photos catch the real beauty.
[ Smiles ] Now, that is one really cool outdoor activity to engage oneself in!