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.

Talbot Lake, Jasper

Talbot Lake is located on the southeast side of Highway 16 just inside the Jasper Park gates.

Talbot is a fairly large lake and offers a fairly good day of paddling with very clear water. It has good pike fishing. And the 5km length of the lake means there are some interesting parts to explore.

On the other side of the highway is Jasper Lake and towards Jasper is Edna Lake. Together, these three paddle can make for a nice day.

The easiest access point is the boat launch (above), located halfway down the lake. You can also simply pull off the highway onto the grass and access it almost anywhere but that involves getting a bit wetter than at the boat launch.

There is also some good birdwatching to be had. We stopped one day to watching a bald eagle and there are plenty of waterfowl. Friends report seeing osprey.