Pyramid Lake

We paddled Pyramid Lake in Jasper in late September. You can access the lake at the Pyramid Lake Lodge beach (which has a nice dock) or just past the Pyramid Island parking lot. We usually use the Pyramid Beach Park launch (it is the nicest), with a pit toilet, picnic tables, good parking, and lovely, gentle beach launch.

We went left of the beach and followed the shoreline around the lake. It's about a 90-minute to 2-hour paddle. There are creeks that come in and sometimes we've seen animals along the shore.

About half way around is this nice sandy beach where we stopped to have lunch.

We then paddled down to the outflow.

And then back towards Pyramid island. You can either paddle around the island or duck and go under the bridge.

We finished with a paddle past the lodge docks and a nice landing back at the beach.

This is a really nice, family friendly paddle unless it is windy (and then it sucks). In the past, we've combined it with a paddle on nearby Patricia Lake. You can also rent kayaks and canoes from the Lodge, which is handy.

Lac Beauvert

In late Septembe, we had a nice evening paddle on Lac Beauvert, just outside the Jasper townsite. We accessed the lake on the south side from Old Fort Point Road. There is a small parking lot, a pit toilet, and a bench (where we had some Indian takeout for dinner). Access is down a rocky slope and requires modest agility because the submerged rocks are a bit greasy.

The lake is lovely and green-blue in the daylight. We went left from the launch and paddled north to the outflow creek where were ran into a large male elk and several females.

The sun came out to give us some great lighting. There was a lot of bugling!

We then paddled up the peninsula where the Jasper Park Lodge cabins are located and past the lodge itself. There are rentals and docks here. JPL has priced itself out of our range so we don't stay here anymore.

The water is amazing clear. The rocks in the shot below are seven feet down! 

My wife also almost got pinged by an errant golf ball while watching some elk graze on the fairway.

We followed the golf course around and then saw a bear! I think this is the first time I've seen a bear from the water.

It was a black bear and was maybe 300-400lbs. It was more interested in followings some golfers than in us.

Overall, a great paddle. With lots of floating to watch the wildlife, it took us about an hour around at a very slow pace. We had the lake to ourselves and the wildlife viewing was amazing.

Horseshoe Lake

In late September, we paddled Horseshoe Lake, just south of Jasper on Highway 93. We'd originally hoped to paddle Leech Lake, but the road was closed so Horseshoe was the backup plan. 

Accessing the lake entailed about a 250m carry. The first 100 meters is down a hill. The gravel trail has roots and rocks. Then you hang left at the fork and work your way along a rocky and rooty single track to a point in the lake where you think you can get a boat in (we ended up carrying the boats one at a time down this track). Getting in can require some agility.

Once on the lake, it is spectacular: huge cliffs extending underwater, clear water, and few other paddlers (we were the only ones there this time). The lake isn't huge but there is a lot to see and it is very dramatic.

The underwater rock formations are particularly interesting and varied (and huge).

The large spit of rock that creates the horseshoe shape is also interesting and offers some hiking options.

We watched a large storm pass to the south, obscuring the mountains and then passing to reveal snow-covered tops!

Overall, this is a fun and pretty paddle if you are up for the rather tedious approach and semi-dodgy entry.

Talbot Lake

In late September, I took a trip to Jasper and paddled Talbot Lake, which is about halfway between the east gates and the townsite on the southeast side of the highway. It was a bit of a cloudy day when we were there so the sky and the pictures are a bit moody.

About half way down the lake, there is a pull off with a boat launch, small parking area, and a pit toilet. The launch is easy with cement and a nice gravel bottom. The water was crystal clear.

The western half of the lake is more alpine, with rocky shores and fur trees. 

The highway runs right beside the lake so there is a fair bit of road noise. The most interesting parts are the various sandy beaches. The first set is immediately across from the boat launch at the end of some dunes. There is also a hidden beach about half way down the lake that is right beside the highway but blocked by a small ridge. 

The eastern half of the lake is more swampy, with reeds in the middle as well as along the shore. We saw more fish in this half of the lake. There was no wind so the lake surface gave super reflections.

We paddled about two-thirds of the overall lake in three hours. I would think this is a good half day paddle if you wanted to do the full perimeter. The fall colours were glorious.