Lake Annette

In May, we popped onto Lake Annette one evening during our trip to Jasper. Annette was significantly affected by the 2024 fire. We put in at the beach and picnic area in the northeast corner, which was not affected by the fire. The pit toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings are all intact and the beach was clean.

We went right off the beach and paddled the lake counter clockwise. The water was clear and as blue as ever. And most of the trees were intact for the first part of the paddle.

As you get around to the south shore, the burn starts and the trees were burned right down to the waterline.

You could see an amazing distance into the forest. Note the deer in the picture below.

The burned trees were pretty upsetting to see and continue for the full east side of the lake. The lakeshore walking trail was open all the way around.

Eventually, we paddle out of the burn and passed the main beach.

 

We usually do two laps of Annette since it only takes a half hour to go around but we were too bummed by the burn and instead went for ice cream in town. I imagine things will green up as summer goes on. Lake Beavers, which we could not access, had a similar vibe when we stopped at the Jasper Park Lodge for a quick walk.

Lake Annette

Rounding out our September trip to Jasper was a lovely evening paddle on Lake Annette. This is a short paddle (we did it twice in an hour without really trying hard at all) and can be easily combined with a paddle on nearby Lake Edith. There are two parking lots, with the left hand lot (at the intersection) being much closer to the water.

There is a nice beach and a lovely beach launch, picnic tables, pit toilets, and a playground here.

There is a paved walking trail all around the lake as well as quicksand!

The lake has a lovely blue-green colour, nice trees, and we swim in it in the summer.

We were the only ones on the lake and it was dead calm so the reflections were amazing. Below I have a bunch of shots, some of which I have flipped 180 degrees (so the sky is the water) to show off how amazing the reflections were. 

As usual, this was a lovely paddle and is great family lake. You can also wade way out into the lake from the west side of the lake.

Annette Lake, Jasper

Annette Lake is my favourite paddle in Jasper. Located just north of Lac Beauvert and south of Edith Lake, it takes about 45 minutes to paddle around the lake.



The colour of the water is spectacular on a sunny day and the beach is a nice diversion for cranky kids.


The small size of the lake mean that it is often glassy calm and you can see the undulating bottom. You'll often find scuba divers in the NW corner of the lake.

The easiest place to put in is off the main beach. There are three parking lots and you want the right-most one when you come into the park. This requires about a 40-foot carry to the water. There is also a picnic area here with washrooms visible across the field.

The beach is quite lovely and can be busy on a nice day. The brave can even swim in the lake. I've only been in once (one day when it was 34 degrees outside) and it was a good break. The water is quite shallow so you can wade out quite a ways.

Annette is very picturesque due to the colour of the lake. Here a shot (alas, not mine) of Annette on a stormy day. There is a paved path around the lake (about 2.5km) that is wheelchair accessible.

A nice day is a morning paddling at Edith Lake, lunch and the afternoon on the beach at Annette, dinner at the Jasper Park Lodge and an evening paddle on Lake Beauvert.