Edna Lake

Every time I go to the mountains, I try to paddle at least one lake that is new to me. Last May, it was Edna Lake in Jasper. Edna is located on the south-eastern side of Highway 16, about halfway between the eastern park gate and the Jasper townsite. It is just a little southwest of Talbot Lake.

Access is DIY. We approached from the west and parked on the shoulder at the green arrow in the photo above. I'm not sure this kind of parking is permissible. The east-bound land is twinned here, the shoulder is wide, and there was a narrow gravel apron off the shoulder so we could get pretty clear of traffic without blocking anyone's sight lines. There was a drop from the road down to the ditch (four feet, moderate slope).

Then there was another two- or three-foot drop down to the water, which was a little swampy. There was a deeper channel (you can see in the photo below on the right) that might have easier access a bit further east. 

We just bum-scooted until we floated. This wasn't any big deal if you have full mobility and are reasonably confident getting in and out of a boat.

The lake is shallow in this end and we had beautiful sunshine. There was some traffic noise (the highway is right there).

The shoreline is spruce with the mountains not far back.

We saw a lot of birds, including this loon sitting on a nest, hoping we would go away.

As you go up the lake, the rock gets closer and the shore gets steeper. The rock is cool with lots of lichen and moss.

Eventually, the rock starts to recede and you get a forested shore again with deeper water. There is an island maybe two thirds of the way down that pinches the lake some. It also offers some shelter from any wind.

The northern basin is a lot of trees. We saw a guy catch something big (he was hooting about it).

The other access point is likely at the northeast end of the lake (red arrow in the photo at the top of the post). You could park at the pull out for west-bound traffic and carry across the highway. There were several places you could get a boat in but it would be good walk (maybe 50m--perhaps more). I would think the tiny beach on the right side of this beaver dam (that blocks a creek) is your best bet. The entrance we used looked easier--kind of depends on your comfort with the parking situation, really.

You could also walk out onto the spit of land and try one of the low spots (e.g., by the fir tree below) but the water was very low here so you'd be poling or bumscooting.

It took us about an hour to go around (maybe it is 4km). The weather changed when we got to the far end and we could see snow coming down the valley. The paddle back into the wind was a bit of a grind but we got out and loaded before the rain fell.

My wife stopped to collect some junk people had dropped.

We pulled out slightly before the place we got in, thinking the footing would be better. It was but there were a lot of rose bushes. Live and learn!

Overall, I'm happy we did it. Talbot is nicer, bigger, and easier and I don't think we'd go back here. The fishing looked good, though!