NATURE’S DOORSTEP: JASPER, ALBERTA
by Michelle Bienias
I’ve always been a city girl but the prospect of six days in Jasper, northern Alberta, surrounded by lakes, mountains, the odd wild animal and the promise of good company -- notwithstanding a 5-star resort replete with golf course, several restaurants and many stores, a large pool, horseback riding, canoeing and other activities -- was enough to lure me away from my usual diet of big-city destinations. In my opinion, this is the only way of “roughing it”; and besides, there was a family wedding to attend, meaning a couple pairs of high-heels wouldn’t be out of place in my suitcase.
We decided to fly into Calgary from Toronto, rather than Edmonton, as this 4.5-hour drive north to Jasper is more scenic, taking us through the Rocky Mountains and allowing stops in Banff and Lake Louise along the way.
The drive through the Rocky Mountains is stunning: past the foothills, as we ascended higher, I could feel the temperature dropping as we reached Athabasca glacier, which was visible from the road and accessible by foot or ice-bus. I was keen to see a bear, yet while I didn’t spot one, I did see many mountain sheep and goats, along with deer and elk. It was easy to divine when wild animals were nearby, as half a dozen cars would be parked alongside the road. We stopped briefly at Lake Louise, an otherworldly place with indescribable still, turquoise water and a magnificent setting amidst snow-capped mountains: nature at its most pristine and awe-inspiring.
Our main destination -- Jasper Park Lodge -- is a sprawling, woodsy affair of 442 Alpine-like village accommodations in cedar chalets and authentic log cabins nestled at the edge of Lac Beauvert. JPL’s 1,000 acres are located in Jasper National Park, at 4,200 square miles it’s one of North America’s largest wilderness areas, and the Lodge is just three miles from the town of Jasper and near Marmot Basin Ski Resort. The grounds are so large that complementary golf-cart shuttles are available to chauffeur guests from point-to-point, although most guests prefer to stroll around the beautiful grounds on foot. We used the shuttle occasionally, when late for dinner (or wearing high-heels).
The resort began as a tent city in 1915 and then, in the 1920s, Canadian National Railways obtained the site and built the main building, a log dining room, dance hall and some guest bungalows. The main building was destroyed in a fire in the 1950s and the current lodge was built on the same site. The lodge is now part of the Fairmont properties and is opened year-round. Lodgings are a hodgepodge of cabins, lodge rooms, chalets and cottages, all built in different eras set in elk-inhabited, wooded grounds along Lac Beauvert. From the shore of the lake one has a clear site of Canada’s longest and highest aerial tramway, which transports riders to an elevation gain of over 7,000 feet (2100 m).
One of the resort’s main attractions is the award winning 18-hole golf course designed by Canada’s legendary golf architect Stanley Thompson, mentor and partner of Robert Trent Jones. Built in 1925, the course measures 6,663 yards at par 71. David R. Holland of TravelGolf.com describes it as “a treat for the senses. Celebrities such as Bing Crosby, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum, James Stewart, Rita Hayworth and Dinah Shore visited here as well as Queen Elizabeth. Crosby came here often for the golf and wildlife viewing opportunities. Alister MacKenzie, who designed such American classics as Augusta National and Cypress Point, said: ‘Jasper Park is the best I’ve ever seen.’”
The first morning we set off on a 3 km walk around the lake, a brisk pace took us through the woods along the shoreline, passing a group of scuba divers doing their mandatory course dive, through parts of the golf course and wending our way back to the main lodge. It was so invigorating I immediately vowed to do it early each morning. (The sun rose long before I ever awakened and didn’t set until close to 11 p.m.)
The main lodge has a lofty great room, simple yet grand and full of comfortable couches, huge fireplaces and cosy nooks where one can curl up with a book for a few hours with a view over the veranda of the lake and mountains. Downstairs there is an arcade of stores, one great art gallery featuring local artists, more restaurants and a health club with sauna, whirlpool, steam room and exercise facilities that lead to the outdoor pool
The hotel boasts a guest to staff ratio of 3:1 and it shows in the always friendly and attentive service by the many young students, from all across Canada, working here for their summer vacations or break year. The hotel offers four restaurants, from the classic Edith Cavell dining room to the more casual Moose’s Nook, and three lounges offer lighter meals and cocktails. Unfortunately the food didn’t stand up to the stellar service and more than one meal had to be sent back and taken off the bill. The prices were surprisingly high, much more like prices found in higher-end big-city restaurants but somehow the eagerness of the staff to please (one time sending a complementary bottle of wine to the room) didn’t make up for the disappointing food. Although the town of Jasper (pop 5,000) is a 5-minute drive away, we only ate there once. What we did do was stock up our in-room fridge with fruits, juices and cereal for our morning breakfast and snacks.
Our rooms were small but contained all the usual amenities, aside from air-conditioning, but the overhead fan worked well enough at keeping the room comfortable enough to sleep in. The rooms would benefit from a revamping, or at least a little fixing up -- holes in the screens and doors that wouldn’t easily stay shut – however the overall charm of the setting made these only minor annoyances.
While checking in at the main lodge, I overhead some European guests gasp in alarm as a squirrel scampered across their path and through the lobby. I smiled to myself at their quaint naiveté. Later, I myself was astonished at the audacity of the squirrels on the deck outside my room when one of the determined creatures, hot on the scent of fresh muffins, crept right up to the foot of the squeamish yet happily oblivious woman holding the warm snack outside my door. Alerted to the situation, she quickly sought refuge inside my cabin where we became temporarily imprisoned as we watched the squirrel raise itself on its hind legs, cup its forepaws around its head and peer through the screen door at us, to our growing shock and horror. Another time, my neighbor was enjoying a late morning al fresco breakfast when a trio of screeching squirrels bounded onto his deck and one brazenly ran up his leg and onto his lap. His wife, attracted by the commotion outside, opened the door and the remaining duo ran into their room.
Of course this is precisely part of the appeal in visiting Jasper: to view and experience nature at close hand. Many notices are scattered throughout the hotel warning guests not to approach the animals and, especially, to stay clear of the bears. I could hardly believe this bared mentioning (pun intended), but apparently some visitors are overly enthusiastic and stories abound of tourists sidling up to moose and yes, in some extreme instances even bears, to get that memorable travel photo (“…and this pic was taken just seconds before poor John was savagely attacked and mauled by the mother bear with cubs…”).
I had my own minor run in with nature-gone-wild one night while reading in bed when I found a particularly spindly Daddy-long-leg making its way across the sleeve of my pajamas. With no one nearby to help out, I had to face my spider phobia head on. After shaking it off and jumping out of bed I lost sight of the darn thing. This would normally be something that would keep me awake until the offending arachnid was caught and disposed of, yet the fresh air had taken its toll; I was asleep minutes later.
The wedding itself was a lovely intimate affair held on a dock overlooking the water on the hotel grounds. The day, and in fact every one of the six days I was there, was perfect: sunny and warm (around 30 C) with cloudless blue skies.
Awards: Score Golf Magazine: Best Golf Resort in Canada. Condé Nast Traveler: 50 Best Golf Resorts. Golf Digest: Four and a half Stars.
Green Fees: Early season, includes cart, $69 Canadian. May 19-June 8, $89.
June 9-September 30, $119. Juniors $49.
Rooms: C$159-C$499 (US$103-US$324) double; C$299-C$749 (US$194-US$487) suite; from C$1,850 (US$1,203) cabin
Email: jasperparklodge@fairmont.com
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