Jasper I

Our accommodation for the next two nights was in the Ice House at Palisades Centre just 12 km east of Jasper and is part of the national park. The Centre is for high school educational programs offered by Parks Canada and during the summer they rent out the buildings on the property. On first sight we wondered if this would work out because there was not a soul around and we were in the middle of a heavily forested area. The isolation was concerning. We later found out that there had been a bear around our cabin just hours earlier. Although it was an historic cabin it had been recently remodelled and was ideal for our stay. We had a gorgeous view of the mountains from our dining area. It was a bit pricey but much less than hotels in Jasper townsite and we were able to make our own meals.

Jasper is a designated dark zone region so I had hoped to do some star gazing and possibly view the Aurora Borealis. It was disappointing to hear that because of the bear sighting I was advised it would be safer to remain in the cabin. It was a beautiful clear night but the mosquitoes were hungry so I wouldn’t have survived being outdoors for long anyway.Read more