After writing that we weren't seeing much of Jasper we took a trip to Maligne Canyon yesterday evening.  The park guide said the first 4 km of the trail were paved and fully accessible but cautioned the trail was "very steep in places." The guide wasn't lying. I wasn't all that comfortable I have to admit and thought about turning around a few times. And at the end I had to go across a bridge that I wasn't all that eager to cross. But the effort was worth it as this was the view I got.

Jasper National Park is one of 5 of the "Rocky Mountain National Parks." Four of these parks are actually physically connected and in effect create one giant national park that straddles the border of Alberta and British Columbia. Banff and Jasper are in Alberta and Yoho and Kootney National Parks are on the BC side. Jasper is the most northern of these parks. The 5th park is Waterton Lakes National Park located off by itself in Southern Alberta where also creates a large contiguous area physically bordering with Glacier National Park in Montana. I have visited all these parks and it is hard to say which one is the most beautiful as they all have unique features and are so different. But this view had me thinking that, at least for today, Jasper is my favorite. Taken on the road to Maligne Canyon.