We Spent a Weekend in the Mountains

We took a last-minute overnight trip to Jasper, Alberta for Thanksgiving weekend. Here’s what we got up to.

On Thanksgiving weekend, my husband, our miniature dachshund, and I took a last-minute road trip through the Rockies to Jasper, Alberta. It was my fifth time to Jasper, my husband’s first, and our dog’s first vacation. We lucked out with the road conditions as it had just begun snowing in the Rockies. The snow wasn’t sticking yet, so it was more like a rainy slush. But once we got to Jasper we were treated to a beautiful, light-grey overcast which set a cozy fall tone to the trip. Here are five things we did in Jasper, on our weekend in the mountains:

Our puppy loved all of the walking adventures we took him on, but especially at Annette and Edith Lake. He had so much fun digging in the sand, and he kept wanting to stand on this old tree stump that’s parked next to the beach. Both lakes were quite accessible and had colourful, leafy walking trails. Being that it was October and Thanksgiving weekend, we also didn’t have to experience any large crowds of tourists. It was serene.

There is plenty of wildlife to spot in Jasper. They are everywhere: on the sides of the highway, in the town, and at the various attractions in the park. These were some bighorn sheep that we caught hanging out on the side of the road just near the park gate entrance on the eastern side of Jasper. We also spotted some elk and mule deer that day. We watched them from our car, as per national park guidelines.

We were famished after walking around in the chilly weather all day, so we decided to grab some grub from a local restaurant. We opted for takeout (as many do during these Covid times) and decided on pizza from Famoso Neopolitan Pizzeria, as they had several plant-based options. This was the Plant-Based Primavera pizza, which had roasted red peppers, roasted mushrooms, artichokes, kalamata olives, red onions, and basil leaves. My husband and I agreed it was some of the best vegan pizza we’d ever had!

Now, you can drive or hike, and as we had a lot of walking and exploring to fit into our day, we opted to drive to the top and walk around from there. But, we both agreed we’d love to hike the next time as it appeared to be a relatively easy climb on a well-trudged path. Patricia Lake was stunning. I’ve visited before when it’s been frozen-over, but last week it was so still that it reflected a mirror image of the mountains behind it. This lake is definitely worth a visit!

My husband is a photographer, but we both had our iPhones out for the weekend so we could take plenty of selfies and family photos. I snapped this cute picture of our puppy, Tarkleigh, frolicking in the leaves at Annette Lake. If you’re looking for a gorgeous backdrop for some family (or couple) photographs, Jasper is definitely a picturesque location.

All in all, Jasper was the perfect weekend getaway for Thanksgiving. Since we live three times the distance from our families than we do Jasper, we decided to take the weekend for ourselves rather than stay put at home, and it was the best decision ever. Jasper is wonderful, and we’ll definitely be back again soon. I keep telling my husband we need to go back in December when all of the Christmas lights are up, as that was my favourite time I’ve ever been in Alberta’s national parks. It’s like something out of a Hallmark movie, and there’s a completely different atmosphere to it. Jasper, you’re an incredible escape, and we can’t wait to visit again!

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