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James E. McCormick James E. McCormick
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Leanne Standing
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Albert Normandin
Stone Sheep, Alaska Highway, B.C. Canada
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Wolf - Grouse Mountain
By Kevin Gedling
Jasper National Park is one of Alberta’s classic places to experience nature for the first time. Big mountains, incredible rushing rivers and wildlife at every turn. It really couldn’t get much better! There are a few good tips that beginner nature buffs might want to think about when they come to visit a park for the first nature watching excursion. Here are a couple tips and recommended places to visit to help you get set for that first trip out!
1) Bring binoculars and a camera
Nature observation begins with having a good set of eyes to extend the reach of the naked eye. Rocky Mountain landscapes are craggy, brushy, detailed and intricate. You need a great eyesight booster like this to sift through the details and pick out your prize wildlife scene.
Place to Go: Try visiting Talbot Lake on Highway 16 to practice. Especially waterfowl, muskrats and beavers: you’ll find them all here!
2) Go High! Go Low.
Different species like to use different places. Some like it high where it’s cold and pristine. Some like it low, where it’s warm and there are lots of sources for food. When visiting a park as big as Jasper, be sure to round out your visit by going to different samples of places that offer different kinds of habitat for a varied experience. And remember, even the smaller stuff counts for some great nature viewing opportunities!
Place to go: Cavell Lake or Cavell Meadows. In summer, this is the easiest way to get into the subalpine. A special interface between life in the valley and life on the summits, the drive up often includes deer and elk, but also sometimes bears and lynx. Cavell Lake offers a charming place to view birds. The trail to the meadows is a good place to see Pikas!
3) Keep It Easy- it’s all in the Name!
For a first time out, it’s good to take it easy and explore simple places that are easy to get to. Sometimes the trail’s name says it all. Try the Woodpecker Trail to find....woodpeckers. Bighorn Alley to find....Bighorns. And in some cases, nature’s best can be found right in your own campground! Pick up a trails map from the website or the visitor information centre and pick out some fun places based on their names. It’s a bit like judging a book by its cover; except in this case, it works!
Place to go: Jasper’s Easy Trail system is simple and easy to connect with. Camp at Whistlers and go for a walk on the Whistlers Campground Trail for close up at nature in your own temporary backyard.
4) Keep Your Distance
When you’re looking for wildlife, the best views are often unexpected, sudden and right under your nose. Whatever you do- keep your distance and give wildlife space. Wildlife are a little bit like people. They have a personal comfort zone and will display behavioral “clues” if you get too close. We recommend 3 bus lengths from anything like an elk or a deer and at least ten bus lengths from a bear or a wolf.
Place to go: Close-up roadside views can often be had from most of Jasper’s highways and parkways. Stay in your car, take a good look and do your best to keep on going. Keep it safe for other drivers around you and wildlife as well.
5) Preparation and Patience
Be sure to invest in a very simple and affordable kit of outdoor gear. A jacket, some bug spray, a first aid kit, nature guidebook, food, water and bear deterrent. Get into the habit of bringing it along. Weather conditions in the mountains are often changeable with almost no notice. Make it so you can stay outdoors in almost any weather condition. And remember- the secret to seeing more wildlife out on the trail- is to spend more time on the trail (in any kind of weather!).
Place to go: Try the Flower Loop (in Jasper it’s trail 10 and 10a) for a 2km walk by riversides, marshlands, grasslands and wildlife corridors aplenty. And an incredible array of flowers late May- August!
For more info about Jasper National Park and preparing your visit, go to:
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@Jasper NP