[Vikram Arya]

I had not taken any vacation in 2020 except for a short trip to India in February. As the pandemic hit across the globe, it became quite apparent that my family and I wouldn’t be taking any long vacations this year. By September I was done with the home office arrangement and wanted to take a quick camping break in Wapiti, Jasper – which remains my all-time favorite camping area owing to an immense amount of natural beauty, the raw and untouched splendor of nature in all its glory.

I spoke to my wife and daughter suggesting that we take 3 days camping trip to break the monotony but both of them refused citing cold temperatures that Jasper had already started hitting. I checked the weather and realized that the night time temperatures had already started dipping to -3°C. In an open campground, inside a tent, it can be a bit chilly in these temperatures. While the ladies stay home, I decided to proceed with my trip but not before I promised my beautiful wife that I will take her to Okanagan valley immediately after my trip.

I went to my garage and checked my camping kit to ensure that I have everything in order. My camping kit includes the following:

1. Marmot Tungsten 3P tent (I have a 9 person and a 2 person backpacking tent as well)
2. Mattress pad
3. Mummy sleeping bag rated to -20C
4. Fleece blanket for those chilly nights
5. A good pair of Mechanic’s Gloves
6. Camping chairs
7. Toque for those cold mornings
8. LED Lantern
9. LED Headlamp
10. Hunting knife
11. Propane stove
12. 3 bottles of Propane
13. 2 regular pans along with basic cutlery and paper plates
14. One cast Iron pan
15. Axe (to split wood and ward off an angry bear)
16. Kettle for making tea or coffee
17. A cooler lined with 3 to 4 kgs of ice packs
18. Bear spray (most campsites in Jasper/Banff are frequented by black bears)
19. First Aid kit
20. Bluetooth speaker
21. Extra batteries for the LED lantern
22. A 20,000 mAh Lithium polymer battery pack for charging my phone
23. Tire repair kit & jumper cable (standard safety kit in all of my vehicles)
24. Extra jug of Windscreen washer fluid

For food I would be carrying: Eggs, Butter, Bread, Tea, sugar, dry Creamer, chopped Vegetables, frozen Hashbrowns & some marinated Chicken. I wanted to keep it simple so that I don’t spend too much time cooking. Although I must admit cooking on a real wood fire under the open sky is a unique experience altogether.

With everything arranged I filled up the 72-liter tank of my Kia Sorento the previous night and loaded her up so that I could start early in the morning. The distance is about 450 km that would require a driving time of about 5 hours. I wanted to take it easy and take in the serene environs on the way to marvel at the picturesque views to click a few pictures for posterity. My family and I have camped at Wapiti campground in Jasper for the last 7 years and I somehow can never get enough of the place.



Jasper is one of the biggest National Parks in Canada located in Alberta’s Rocky Mountain range and spread over an area of 11,000 sq km. It is adjacent to Banff National Park.

Jasper National Park has a huge variety of animals: Elk, Caribou, Moose, Red Fox, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, Porcupine, Lynx, Beaver, Marten, River Otter, Mink, Grizzly Bear, Coyote, Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep, Black Bear, Timber Wolf, Hoary Marmot, Cougar, and Wolverine. The most common birds that fly around this park include Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Spruce Grouses, White-tailed Ptarmigans, Bohemian Waxwings, and Evening Grosbeaks.

Major river systems originating in the park include the Athabasca and Smoky River (part of the Arctic Ocean basin).



Jasper National Park was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1984.

Jasper National Park receives 2.3 million visitors every year.

In the last week of September, on a cold Friday morning after downing a cup of piping hot Kangra Chai (grown in Palampur region in Himachal Pradesh), I started from my house located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Calgary.



By 9’oclock I had reached Canmore; a sleepy little town located just outside of Banff National Park, about 140km from Calgary. I grabbed some breakfast and hit the road again.



The highway from Lake Louise to Jasper is called Columbia Icefield Parkway. It is one of the most scenic stretches of asphalt anywhere in the world with multiple Lakes and Glaciers along the way. A Canadian national parks permit is required to travel on the Icefields Parkway; stations near Lake Louise and Jasper issue the permit to the travelers and the speed limit is 90 km/h throughout. In winter, chains or winter-rated radial tires are required by law as road closures may occur without warning. There is no cell coverage throughout this stretch of highway and I switched off my cellphone and put it away. There is no gas station along the 280 km stretch but I still had ¾ tank of gas.



I had affixed my GoPro out on the windshield to shoot some scenic footage. Often when I drive long distances I like to enjoy my music but on this stretch of the road, I was so taken in by the beauty that I did not feel the need to accompany the scenery with anything else. The sheer expanse of the landscape is breathtakingly beautiful and although I have driven on this stretch more than 7 times in the past, one is awestruck every time one passes through.



By 3 PM I had reached Wapiti campground. After checking in at the small little rustic welcome station (that goes perfectly with the surroundings), I purchased the camp permit and the fire permit for 3 nights from the Park Ranger and drove to my designated campsite.





All the campsites within the campground are unpaved and the speed limit is 15kmph. All the campsites are provided with a wooden picnic bench and a fire pit. Every cluster of campsites has a structure with washrooms, 24-hour running hot water, and a sink to wash your utensils. The washrooms are cleaned twice a day by the Park staff and are regularly sanitized. There is a centralized building that has provisions for taking a hot shower, but it was closed at the time on account of COVID-19.





I proceeded to pitch my tent and unloaded and placed my supplies inside the tent as I had to get the firewood from a location that was about a kilometer away from the campsite. I placed a tarp in the trunk (I am quite strict regarding maintaining the cleanliness of my cars). I looked around to see how many neighbors I had and was pleasantly surprised that in the 6 adjoining campsites there was just 1 camper parked. COVID-19 had surely put a dampener on people’s spirits but given the fact it was also approaching the end of the camping season, I wasn’t all that surprised. The campsite officially closes by mid-October every year as Jasper starts to get snow in late September/early October.



As soon as I was back I started the fire to make some Chai and unfolded my camping chair to sit by the fire sipping freshly brewed tea and soaked in the sound of the nearby Athabasca River. Even after driving for over 450 km I was not feeling tired even a wee bit. I unfolded my mattress pad, sleeping bag, and took out my LED lantern as I wanted to complete the tent set up before the Sun dipped below the horizon.





It was almost 5PM and time to prepare some dinner (we usually have our dinner by 6PM at home). I set up my propane stove, hooked a propane bottle to fire it up. I had all the time in the world, which meant I could enjoy cooking my chicken on a slow fire, ensuring maximum flavor in the meat, and I was finished cooking in half-hour. Being officially 6PM, I could finally drink my poison of choice. I put on some music on my Bluetooth speaker at a very low volume. After savoring the delicious dinner, I headed out into the woods to do some exploration. The washroom was about 300 meters from my campsite surrounded by thick foliage and most of the campsites were vacant and that made me happy as this meant no rush for the morning ablutions. It was getting dark and so I got back to my campsite to enjoy the last of the fire with some music. I was carrying a book but it was too dark at the time to start, so decided to skip that. By 7:30 PM it was quite dark; I switched off the speaker and decided to enjoy the night sky—the thickest blanket of stars beyond one’s imagination.





Jasper has got one of the darkest night skies in the Northern hemisphere and you can actually see Milky Way with your naked eyes. Due to its limited light pollution that creates ideal conditions for dark sky viewing, Jasper was designated as a Dark Sky Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society in Canada. Jasper National Park is one of 17 designated Dark Sky Preserves in Canada and is also the second-largest Dark Sky Preserve in the world. Jasper also hosts the “Jasper Dark Sky Festival” every year in late October where amateur astronomers from around the world gather to observe the stars.



To be continued...

[Vikram Arya]

I was lucky enough to see about 9 shooting starts in 15 minutes; something quite unthinkable. It was about 9:30 PM and I decided to call it a day. It was a chilly night and the temperature had gone down to -4°C. I was up at 6 AM, the next morning and I put on my shoes and peeked out of my tent— it was chillingly quiet. I quickly lit up a fire to get some much-needed warmth and put the kettle on the stove for my morning cuppa. As the sweet smoke from birch logs rose into the sky, I sat there taking in the pristine crisp morning air and was instantly awake. After having 3 cups of piping hot tea I was ready for the day! Breakfast that morning would be scrambled eggs and some hash browns with bacon. After finishing up the morning routine I loaded the box containing the edible items in my SUV before I headed out. It is prohibited to keep any edible items unattended as the campsites are frequented by black bears.



I headed out into the town to tank up. Jasper is a quaint little town surrounded by the snow-capped Rocky Mountains with a population of roughly 4,000 people. I drove out to Maligne Lake that is about 55kms inside the Jasper National Park. The drive is quite picturesque and I reached the Lake in about 2 hours after stopping at multiple locations to have a look at some of the beautiful views and also to click a few snaps. The view of the Lake is breathtaking and has to be seen to be believed. I spent a good 2 hours there, walking around the Lake admiring the heavenly beauty. It was noon and I was feeling hungry; I took a sandwich out and washed it down with some Orange juice. At about 3 PM I headed back to my campsite and by 5 PM I was back. I lit the fire and relaxed with a cup of tea. I also read about 50 pages of a book that I was carrying.



The book was “We will be Free” written by Graeme Robert Bell. The book is about the Bell family, who set off in their Land Rover on an Overlanding trip around Africa and South America. The book had me thinking; can I ever get myself to chuck my job and go on an Overlanding trip across countries for 6 months. Interesting position indeed, however, I must admit that after reading this book I have started researching the possibilities and would be doing a multi-week road trip to the North (maybe Alaska or Yukon). Having given it more thought, that would require a serious 4X4. We have 3 SUVs in the family and two of the SUVs have 4 wheel drives but are basically cross overs. Time to negotiate with my better half to get something serious like a Jeep Wrangler or a Toyota 4 Runner or better yet the new Ford Bronco (we Petrolheads need an excuse to get their next toy, no?). I have recently watched Mahindra launch the new generation Thar and I have a Gypsy back in India but nothing on those lines in my Canadian garage (this will be a topic possibly for a new thread in the future).



After my dinner, I called it a day a bit early as I was feeling a bit tired after all that hiking during the day (another action item – for a long Overlanding trip one needs to be physically fit).





The next morning, I was up again at 6 AM and as soon as I got out of the tent I heard the rustling of leaves and sure enough, I could see a gang of Elks a few feet away from me. I kept observing them and they were merrily feasting on grass and soft leaves of shrubs ignoring any human presence and probably resenting humans being on their turf, yet they certainly did not show that emotion.



As I was preparing my breakfast I saw 2 beautiful young women approaching my campsite. Turned out one was from Peru, the other from Costa Rica, and their Lexus RX 450 H was not firing up. I thought this could be interesting. I always carry a jumper cable in my vehicles (it is a necessity as continuous exposure to -35C can quickly kill your battery) but I had no experience in jump-starting a hybrid. We shall see; I thought to myself. Upon approaching their campsite I saw a gleaming black Lexus RX 450H, not a usual vehicle that most people would drive to a campsite. I opened the door, sat inside the plush cabin, pressed the start button, and noticed that the fuel gauge needle is sitting at E. Well, this is a hybrid so I surmised that in their enthusiasm they probably forgot to fill up and ran the tank dry subsequently exhausted the juice in the secondary battery. Upon speaking to them they confirmed the story. I asked them to accompany me to the gas station in town which was about 5 km away. Upon reaching there, we bought a small jerry can, filled up 5 liters of gas and drove back. I poured the gas into the gas tank, hooked up the dead battery(located in the trunk) to my live one, started my vehicle, and waited for about 10 minutes to allow the dead battery to get some much-needed juice. After 10 minutes I pushed the start button again and she fired up instantly. These girls were mighty happy and thanked me profusely. I advised them to go back to the gas station and fill up before starting their onward journey which they promised to do.



I decided to stay at the camp for the day which incidentally was also my last day. I spent the day reading my travelogue, walking around the woods and sitting by the fire. I had an early dinner and went to bed early as I wanted to start by 9 AM the next day.



The next morning I was again up by 6 AM and by 9:30 AM I was ready to head out of the camp. The drive back was rather uneventful. On the way, I stopped at Athabasca falls. It is located about 30 km from Jasper on the Columbia Icefield Parkway. The height of the falls is about 80 feet and over the last few thousand years, the flowing water has carved the rocks in a very interesting way. I spent a good hour walking around the site and then spent about 20 minutes looking at the gushing water throwing up the mist. Within a few minutes, my clothes were soaked from the mist and I had to sit in the Sun to dry up before heading back to the car.



On my way back I decided against stopping at Canmore and drove on straight to Calgary.



It was a good 3-day break that was very much needed by my frayed nerves.



Now it was time to fulfill my promise to take my wife up to Okanagan Valley for a quick 5-day trip…..Oh well! This is one promise that I don’t mind keeping (this will be the subject of another travelogue soon).

[Aditya]

Fantastic thread. You've given a great account of the entire trip including the preparations and the camping experience. Brilliant pictures to compliment the write-up as well. Many of the sights are mesmerizing. Makes me feel like packing up and hitting the road immediately. What's great to see is that these places have been kept wild and not been developed in an unplanned manner. Helps in keeping them clean and inviting.

Camping is a lot of fun if you know what you are doing. It's been a while since I had an adventure trip like this one. Miss those days. Don't know when and if I'll be able to do one again.

[vb-saan]

Fantastic travelogue, and great pictures. Thank you for sharing. Canada is in my bucket list, and I have bookmarked this thread for future reference.

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

Now it was time to fulfill my promise to take my wife up to Okanagan Valley for a quick 5-day trip…

Looking forward to this one!

[ampere]

Beautiful! The colour of water is just exquisite!
So many places to see and and so little a time to live!

[Ride_4_Fortune]

Fantastic pictures.

Icefield Parkway ! A very scenic route to drive in the Canadian Rockies.

Sorry to hijack your thread, this was during my drive there few years ago.

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Fantastic thread. You've given a great account of the entire trip including the preparations and the camping experience. Brilliant pictures to compliment the write-up as well. Many of the sights are mesmerizing. Makes me feel like packing up and hitting the road immediately. What's great to see is that these places have been kept wild and not been developed in an unplanned manner. Helps in keeping them clean and inviting./]

Camping is a lot of fun if you know what you are doing. It's been a while since I had an adventure trip like this one. Miss those days. Don't know when and if I'll be able to do one again.

Thank you Aditya.

Both provincial & federal governments are fairly strict in regards to what can & cannot be done even in the vicinity of National Parks. Canmore, a small town located just outside of Banff National Park about 150 clicks from where I live regulates its population strictly and doesn't allow even purchase of property unless approved by the local city government. Of course, any development within the National Park boundaries is strictly prohibited.

The fact that Jasper National Park receives more than 2 million visitors a year and the pristine condition that it is in tells you a lot about both the Park management & the mindset of visitors. I was speaking to a young couple from Austria who was camping in the campsite next to mine and they were all praises about both the upkeep of the National Park and the sheer natural/raw beauty that it presents the visitors with.

Every time I visit these places I just can not help but think about the mess that we have created in most of the so-called "tourist" spots (I belong to Shimla which is a pale shadow of what was once a sleepy little, neat hill town).

Originally Posted by vb-san

Fantastic travelogue, and great pictures. Thank you for sharing. Canada is in my bucket list, and I have bookmarked this thread for future reference.

Looking forward to this one!

Thank you vb-san. Please let me know if I can help in any way in regards to your trip.

Originally Posted by ampere

Beautiful! The colour of water is just exquisite!
So many places to see and and so little a time to live!

You're right sir!

The same thought does cross my mind as well. I believe what's important is to make the most of our time and sometimes just make what we love to do a priority over some of the seemingly important stuff. Live is passing us by.

[UP!!!!]

Amazing pictures mate. The pictures speak for itself that you had a wonderful time.

Camping in western countries is much safer and convenient than in India. I just hope that some day I'll be able to camp on any exotic location (and less driven) in India without worrying about safety.

[shaheenazk]

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

Now it was time to fulfill my promise to take my wife up to Okanagan Valley for a quick 5-day trip…..Oh well! This is one promise that I don’t mind keeping (this will be the subject of another travelogue soon).

Such lovely pictures. Felt as if I was there in person. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more of such trips and pictures. Canada is a huge and beautiful country. Enjoy it.

[VijayAnand1]

Such soothing vistas. I've always been a mountains guy, pictures and travelogues like these have a touch that resonates so deeply and what a glory mother nature is. Tenting at extreme dip temperatures are a woe and bliss of its own. A clean and wonderful log, keep it coming.

Cheers!
VJ

[vibbs]

Great Travelogue and fantastic Pictures.

You mentioned the park has a good population of Bears. Is it not scary to sleep in a tent when you know there is a possibility of Bear to come?

Great to see how beautifully the place is maintained despite lot of people camping.

[benbsb29]

Such a beautiful spot, and amazing pics! While I have basic camping gear, I cannot fathom camping in such cold weather.

During the Covid restrictions phase my daughter asked if we could camp in our backyard, and sure enough we did including parking the car out there with awning setup beside our tent. As it got cold, went into the house and brought out more blankets. LOL!

[sandeepmohan]

Beautiful. Never been to Canada. Seeing these pictures, the outback sure sounds like the way to go when you need to cut off from everything else.

Are you required to take a fire permit for these camp sites?

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by UP!!!!

Amazing pictures mate. The pictures speak for itself that you had a wonderful time.

Camping in western countries is much safer and convenient than in India. I just hope that someday I'll be able to camp on any exotic location (and less driven) in India without worrying about safety.

Thank you. There are places in India as well where you can camp safely. Unfortunately, when it comes to providing amenities at the campsites I don't think those are yet available or the concerned authorities (Department of Environment & Forests) have even a clue about the potential that camping can offer in terms of tourism. Over the years during camping, I have frequently bumped into people who are traveling from Europe, South America & Australia.

Parks Canada manages all the camping sites on Crown land in Canada and earns more than $100 million a year from camping.

Originally Posted by shaheenazk

Such lovely pictures. Felt as if I was there in person. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more of such trips and pictures. Canada is a huge and beautiful country. Enjoy it.

Thank you. Canada is a vast country (second in the world in terms of the geographical area) & there's so much more to explore. I will be putting together another travelogue about a trip that I undertook in October last year.

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Such soothing vistas. I've always been a mountains guy, pictures and travelogues like these have a touch that resonates so deeply and what a glory mother nature is. Tenting at extreme dip temperatures are a woe and bliss of its own. A clean and wonderful log, keep it coming.

Cheers!
VJ

Thank you VijayAnand. You're right. Every time I take a trip into this mountainous region; it reminds me of Himachal (my home state). The type of trees (Fur, Spruce & Pine), the topography (Rockies & Himalayas are fairly similar) however large tracts of land here is uninhabited wilderness something which is diminishing in India on account of population explosion.

Originally Posted by vibbs

Great Travelogue and fantastic Pictures.

You mentioned the park has a good population of Bears. Is it not scary to sleep in a tent when you know there is a possibility of Bear to come?

Great to see how beautifully the place is maintained despite lot of people camping.

Thank you Vibbs. It was a bit of concern many years ago when I was out camping the very first time however over the years I have grown accustomed to it. Bears by nature are shy and normally wouldn't approach areas with human presence but sometimes campers leave out foodstuff and that attracts the animals which is why Park authorities strictly enforce the camping bylaws.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Such a beautiful spot, and amazing pics! While I have basic camping gear, I cannot fathom camping in such cold weather.

During the Covid restrictions phase my daughter asked if we could camp in our backyard, and sure enough we did including parking the car out there with awning setup beside our tent. As it got cold, went into the house and brought out more blankets. LOL!

Attachment 2103339

Thank you. Camping with your kids in your backyard is awesome indeed.

As for the cold weather; the temperature in Calgary sometimes dips down to -35C in the winter so I have gotten used to it. This trip though was okay as the temperature was dipping below 0C only during the night. Usually, I take these trips in late July/early August when the temearture is around 16 to 22C.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Beautiful. Never been to Canada. Seeing these pictures, the outback sure sounds like the way to go when you need to cut off from everything else.

Are you required to take a fire permit for these camp sites?

Thank you Sandeepmohan. Yes, fire permits are mandatory at all campsites managed by Parks Canada.