Hiking the Bald Hills above Maligne Lake

Marilyn's brother, Ted collected me early for a hike in the higher ground. It was a dull morning but we were hoping it would clear to provide us with some spectacular views. The route to Maligne Lake took us past Medicine Lake where I couldn't resist stopping and taking in the view despite the low cloud.

Arrived at the Maligne Lake parking lot which was not very busy and I had my first glimpse of this beautiful Lake




Disappointingly the cloud covered the mountain tops  but Ted thought it might still clear before we reached the top.


It was a steep walk up with no respite from the incline. I was surprised to see pockets of snow from early on in the walk.

The walk was through the forest and little gems appeared such as this white growth

Every now and then the clouds would part to reveal partial views

Once at the top there was considerably more snow which was a bit of a novelty for me in the Summer months.

We tried following the path further up in the hope of getting a good view of the lake but it wasn't to be as the rain started to fall quite heavily. We found a spot to shelter beneath the fir trees and had some lunch, still hoping that the clouds might clear.

It wasn't to be and we both began to feel the cold so decided it was time to descend.

I was more than happy with the few glimpses we had of the lake as the clouds drifted.

Back at the lake we had a drink in the cafe and wandered over to look at the boathouse.

'Curly' Phillips a well known guide of the 1920s and 30s built this boathouse in 1928. In the winter it was used to house the boats that he had built. It is still used today and is the last remaining structure of the Maligne Lake Camp

Lots more spectacular views on our way back to Jasper

Beautiful reflections in Medicine Lake.

On the way back there was a crowd gathered on the road who were watching a black bear with her cub. They were some distance away and although I took some photos they weren't very good. But a little further along the road there was another group of people and this time the bear was much closer to the road. It was a mother with two cubs and this time I did get some good shots.

Whilst Mum was having a play with this cub, her other one had started to move closer to the road.

Mum's ears pricked up and her eyes were looking at us. Time to move quickly away!


Sharing with James at Weekend Reflections