This 22km long lake is the second largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies.

The blue waters can be too cold for swimming, so it’s not recommended. But there are plenty of different activates to do at the lake such as biking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing and boat tours to Spirit Island. There are many trails along the lake to hike including the Bald and Opal Hills.

The 44km Skyline Trail also begins at Maligne Lake and finishes right near the town of Jasper.

Photo: Sergey Pesterev / Wikimedia Commons

In 2011, Jasper was designated as one of the 17 Dark Sky Preserves in Canada by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Because the light pollution is so limited in Jasper, the area has ideal conditions for dark sky viewing.

Further, because there is a town within the limits of the preserve, Jasper National Park is the largest accessible Dark Sky Preserve in Canada.

October is the ideal time to celebrate the skies and so the annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival was created. This festival has become Canada’s largest celebration of the night sky and regularly draws thousands of spectators to take in all of the night views and knowledge from the stacked list of guest speakers that have included NASA astronauts and Hollywood celebrities.

Photo: https://www.travelalberta.com/