Lake Edith

In late May, we paddled Lake Edith in Jasper. Edith was right on the edge of the 2024 fire and we were keen to see whether it was affected or not. The evening started off a bit cloudy but the sun eventually came out.

The parking area had some burned trees but the facilities were all intact and the paddle board rental trailer was here. We parked and carried about 50m to the main beach for an easy launch.

The water was as clean and clear and (you'll see later) as colourful as ever.

For the most part, the trees around the edge of the lake were intact, although the fire came right to the eastern edge of the lake. There were a few spots (right behind my wife's head in the picture below) where the fire did take a few trees at the water's edge.

What's more noticeable is the eastern edge of the valley is burned right up the side to the tree line. You can sort of see the scale of the burn in background of the pictures below.

As the sun started to come out, the water started to show more colour.

 

One of the islands in the southern end had these lovely purple flowers growing on it.

Lots of snow on the mountains still!

Overall, this was a great paddle. There was no one on the lake and only one other family in the picnic area. 

Lake Edith, Jasper

In September, we had a chance to paddle Lake Edith in Jasper. Access is off Lake Annette Road and Lake Annette (also a lovely paddle) is just a few hundred meters further up the road. 

Edith offers a lovely beach launch, with picnic tables, toilets, SUP rentals, and a short carry (150 feet?). This is a great place to bring kids.

To the west is Pyramid Mountain. The lake tied 75- to 90-minutes to paddle around and can, occasionally, be a bit windy.

The water clarity is amazing and the colours short with depth and light and whatever is on the bottom (mostly sandy and silt).

There are privately owned cabins around the lake and a bike path that follows the eastern shore before cutting into the woods.

There is an island out in the middle where we sometimes see elk lounging. At the north end, there is also an interesting lagoon.

Overall, an amazing paddle and great way to spend an afternoon. Lake Annette offer a similar experience but is smaller and has no private cabins. Together, they make for a fun few hours of paddling.

Lake Edith, Jasper

In mid-September, we took a trip to Jasper for my 50th birthday. Our first stop was Lake Edith. The water was lovely at the end of summer.

Access is on the south end with a short (150 feet?) carry from the parking lot. There were pit toilets and a trailer renting paddle boards.

We could not have asked for a nicer day and look a leisurely hour or so to paddle around the lake.

There are a few small islands on the west side of the lake. We were surprised to find them occupied by elk.

Always a good paddle here and nice enough I wish I had brought my swim suit.

Lake Edith, Jasper

Nestled beside Lake Annette is Lake Edith. The two of them make a nice day of paddling with a swim (in Annette, which is slightly warmer) and lunch interspersed.


If you had dinner at the Jasper Park Lodge, you could add in a paddle on Lac Beauvert in the evening.

Edith runs basically north-south, with a longer reach on the east side of the lake. There are private cabins at the north end of the lake and your best access is from the parking lot on the south end. There is a short carry (150-feet?) and then you launch off of the beach.

The is a small creek to the west of the beach as well as an island in the north-western reach of the lake. In the north-eastern reach there are interesting sandbars (I think you can walk across the lake at one point) and a sunken kayak to spot.

Edith has (at a guess) about 4km of shoreline. There is also a series of roads and bike paths that allow you to circle the lake. This yields some very nice views of Pyramid Mountain.

Like most lakes in Jasper, the waters is very clear and has a lovely green tinge. This is as easy paddle for novice canoeists and I don't recall ever seeing the lake particularly rough.