June 1st: Jasper Park Lodge Hole #12

Jasper Park Lodge Hole #12 "Tete Juane" 181-yard Par3 Handicap 14

Jasper Park Lodge is one of only 9 resorts in the world to earn Golf Magazine's Gold Medal.

It also ranks as the #24 Golf Resort in the World by Conde Nast Traveler.

It is well worth driving the beautiful Icefields Parkway to reach Banff Spring's sister hotel, the Jasper Park Lodge. While less visually dramatic, many think this is actually Thompson's best course. The bunkers all have ridges shaped to mirror the mountain peaks behind them, a feature so astonishing it must be seen to be appreciated.

(View from Icefield Parkway looking South)

Stops Along the Way - Sulphur Skyline Trail:

(View of Ashlar Ridge from Sulfur Summit)

Trip Advisor Review:
This is one of those hikes that I make sure to do every season. It Is a bit strenuous, with lots of elevation gain and you must bring plenty of water, as there is no water along the way (assuming you have a pump or water filter - you should not drink untreated water even from pristine-looking streams). It takes about two hours up and one hour down. I almost always see mule deer in the "pass" below the final ascent to the top of the ridge, and have seen ptarmigan a few times too. An interesting note about the large and very bright white boulder before the final ascent - it is a glacial erratic, dropped there during the last ice age. It can be very windy at the top, so be prepared with extra layers, as you will want to linger to enjoy the view!

(Glacial boulder below)

May 31st: Jasper Park Lodge Hole #11

Jasper Park Lodge Hole #11 "Pyramid" 403-yard Par4 Handicap 12

The towering Pyramid Mountain in the far distance is the target for the tee shot. This undulating green is the most difficult on the course and is beautifully framed by six more of Thompson's bunkers which are meants to replicate the mountain peaks in the background. It is worth noting that these artistic greenside bunkers weren't part of the original design but were added during one of Thompson's numerous return visits.

(Tee Shot on #11)

From here, the 11th, the course winds round the back of the woods.

(Back greenside bunkers at #11)

Jasper Park Lodge:

"I've been to Alaska, been to the American Rockies, but there's something about the Canadian Rockies that sets them apart, you can't put your camera down" - Anonymous (me 3 months from now)

(The caption on this was: "Course in the Himalayas" ... Only those mtns can humble the Canadian Rockies)

Stops Along the Way - Maligne Canyon Bridges:

Maligne Canyon is one of my favorite hikes in Jasper. Its 3.7 km trail is alongside Maligne River with plenty of ups and downs. There are 6 bridges along the trail, numbered 1 through 6. You can enter the trail from either 1st, 2nd, 5th, or 6th bridge.The deepest canyon view is at 1st and 2nd bridges (the 2nd is my favorite, truly breathtaking). Around 3rd and 4th, you'll see interesting waterfalls and underground rivers. The 5th and 6th bridges are much closer to the water level where Maligne River has widened.

May 30th: Jasper Park Lodge Hole #10

Jasper Park Lodge Hole #10 "The Maze" 492-yard Par5 Handicap 6

A distinctively named hole with the placement of the 11 bunkers and their configuration works of the art of manual labor. The hole is aptly named 'The Maze' with the bunkers separating the flat 10th fairway from that of the flat 6th fairway. Though completely artificial and man-made, Thompson's unique bunkers give both holes their distinctive character. Though Jasper enjoys much more consistently rolling topography than Banff, Thompson enthused the holes over the flatter portions of the property (i.e. the 5th, 6th, 10th and 11th holes) with the most bunkers.

At the 10th, a pond in front of the tee reflects the imposing mass of the mountains in the distance. Though not a threat for the competent golfer, father on a host of bunkers on the right narrows the fairway at the length of a good drive.

Jasper Park Lodge:

Thompson's courses rank 1-2-3 in the 2002 rankings of Canada's Top 100 Courses by SCORE Magazine....Japser is #5. Sounds like this Stan Thompson guy aint too shabby at throwing together a course or two.

Stops Along the Way - Tangle Falls:

This is a picturesque waterfall located 96kms south of Jasper on the Icefields Parkway. Stop in for a look if you are visiting the Icefields Visitor Centre, it is nearby.You can also hike here from Wilcox Pass Camp Ground, that's an 11km hike.

May 29th: Jasper Park Lodge Hole #9

Jasper Park Lodge Hole #9 "Cleopatra" 231-yard Par3 Handicap 13


There may be no other nine in golf that possesses two 230-plus yarders as superlative as the two found on the front of Jasper Park. Regardless of the distance on the scorecard, the 9th plays considerably shorter as there is a 70 foot drop from tee to green. Thompson built a raised green complex on the valley floor surrounded by seven bunkers. As the green slopes predominately from front to back (i.e. in keeping with the slope of the surrounding land), the play is often to land the ball short of the putting surface and watch it chase onto the green.


According to Alan Carter, Jasper's Director of Golf, Thompson puckishly designed the par-3 ninth, Cleopatra, as a voluptuous woman with strategically placed mounds and bunkers. When the railroad president saw it, he demanded that Thompson alter it. But in the distance behind hte hole is a mountain formation called the Pyramids, so it still has the Egyptian touch. From the tee, the view beyond the green over the coniferous forests to the towering peaks is magnificent.


Upon closer inspection, the golfer finds that the fronting bunker is actually fifteen paces shy of the green. Thompson built up the green pad twleve feet off the valley floor, which means that a) a difficult recovery shot awaits any tee ball that is missed left, right or long and b) as the green is entirely manufactured and elevated from its surrounds, reading putts is tough.


Jasper Park Lodge:
I'm told it's not unusual for certain holes on the course to be "temporarily closed" at intervals during the summer because of casual four-legged visitors making appearances, such as bears, mountains lions, cougars, wolves and porcupines.


Stops Along the Way - Mount Edith Cavell:

Without a doubt Mount Edith Cavell (3363 m.) was the highlight of our trip to Jasper. The north face of this impressive peak towers over the town of Jasper and is definitely a must-see. Between Jasper townsite and the Athabasca Falls further south, the main road (hwy 93) is parallelled by the old road (hwy 93A). Somewhere halfway this hwy 93A, the Edith Cavell road leads towards the Mount Edith Cavell parking lot. Be prepared that the quality of this 15 km. tarmac road is extremely poor. So be careful and take your time.



Once you've arrived, you can either choose to do a nice alpine meadows walk. Or take the main hiking trail to the base of Mount Edith Cavell. It is a short hike (1/2 hour max.), but what a scenery! Towering in front of you is the impressive north face of Mount Edith Cavell. To the right "hangs" the spectacular Angel Glacier and at your feet lies Edith Cavell Basin, filled with ice floes and yet another small glacier. Don't mix up this Edith Cavell Basin with Cavell Lake, which is located close by but lies closer to the main road in the valley.

May 28th: Jasper Park Lodge Hole #8

Jasper Park Lodge Hole #8 "Tekarra's Cut" 427-yard Par4 Handicap 1

A brute of a hole, despite being bunkerless. The flag is invisible on any approach other than from a drive that finishes long and left down the fairway. Benching this fairway into the hillside was no mean feat and yet, once again, Thompson's end result looks both natural and is blessed with very good golfing qualities.

(Tee ball from #8 ... aim slice left of mountain, play dog leg perfectly)

The 8th is one of the toughest holes on the course, a neat dogleg right with the drive being directed towards a fairway with a pronounced right-to-left slope. The tee shot should be hit through a saddle straightaway from the tee, and if a fade is in your bag, playing it off the mound in the distance is perfect. Even after a good landing, the approach is uphill and blind to a bunkerless, though well defended green with its sharp drop-off to the left. It is easy enough to work out where the green is from the trees lining the fairway.

(8th Green with a nice treed backdrop)

Jasper Park Lodge:

Highly acclaimed for its challenging layout and spectacular beauty, the Jasper Park Lodge G.C. is rated by SCORE Golf Magazine as the #1 Best Golf Resort in Canada. It has also received the Gold Tee Award from Meetings and Incentive Magazine sever years in a row (suggest to your respective companies), and the Successful Meetings Magazine Pinnacle Award six years running.

Thing Along the Way - Maligne Lake:
Maligne Lake (pronounced "Ma-leen") is one of those standard postcard picture locations of the Rockies. It is hard to find a nature calendar without a picture of Maligne Lake with Spirit Island in the front. However, the road to Maligne Lake is a 48 km. dead end road that ends at the lakeshore. Although the views here are nice, I have seen many places in this area that are at least as picturesque. If you want to have the spectacular calendar views close to spirit island, you have to book a 1 1/2 hour boat trip to reach this point. There is no other way to reach this far end of the lake. If you are not planning to take this boattrip, you should ask yourself if you really think the roadtrip to Maligne Lake is worthwhile. Especially when you have little time of course.

(Despite its beauty, i doubt we have the time to spend to take the boat trip to where you need to be...next time)

May 27th: Jasper Park Lodge Hole #7

Jasper Park Lodge Hole #7 "Colin's Clout" 178-yard Par3 Handicap 17

Jasper Park Lodge:

Located in the middle of a wildlife corridor, JPL provides a setting hard to dream of: a course hugging snow-capped peaks, meandering past glacial-fed lakes with unimaginably clear waters, all while having to mind the other foursomes on the course.

(Roscher...I don't care if they're chicks, let them play through --- photo taken at Jasper Park Lodge G.C.)

Great golf courses contain a sense of adventure. Late one September, the author (of a book which doesn't matter) was out on the peninsula that holds the 14th-16th holes. In the middle of the fairway was a family of elk. The young ones were away from their rather large mother. Considering it to be imprudent to come between the mother elk and her babies, we took our shoes off, walked into the edge of the lake, and circled quietly past. Such opportunities to be so closely intertwined with nature are rare and make a game at Jasper Park an absolute must. Its world ranking of #36 according to the 1939 article found by Tom MacWood is justified to this day, thanks to its setting which has never been tainted and the superb work of Thompson which has been lovingly preserved and restored.

Things Along the Way - Maligne Lake:

"The Longest Glacier-fed Lake in the Canadian Rockies"

This is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Rockies. Once named "Sore Foot Lake" by a railway engineer who was looking for a route for the Canadian Pacific Railway. An explorer named Mary Shaffer found it after him & marveled at its great beauty. The Island is called "Spirit Island" named by someone who won a kodak competion!! I think my fellow tourist was just in awe of its great beauty - no competion required.

May 26th: Jasper Park Lodge Hole #6

Jasper Park Lodge Hole #6 "Whistlers" 393-yard Par4 Handicap 15

Jasper Park Lodge:

Constructed in 1924-5, Jasper Park was a massive undertaking. More than 50 teams of horses and 200 men were needed (for over one year) simply to clear the site of boulders, rocks and trees. Thompson's design was bold too, routing three holes (the 14th, 15th and 16th) around a peninsula jutting out into Lac Beauvert, a crystal-clear glacial lake. The course is set in a wide valley, surrounded by the high, snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, and Thompson took a good deal of inspiration for his design from them. Several of the fairways are aligned to distant peaks. Bunkers and moundwork often replicate or complement the skyline, and the freely available topsoil allowed him to scale these design features to the magnitude of the surroundings.

(Hole 6 must be terrible, no pics, no description ... it'll probably just have some boring giant mountain as a backdrop -- this is not #6)

One of the joys of golf at JPL is its tranquility, each fairway progressing along its own private path.

Jasper National Park:

With more wilderness terrain—10,878 sq km (4,200 sq mi)—and less visitors than Banff, the park contains an extensive system of backcountry trails and healthy populations of some of our rarest wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves and caribou. Visit the Jasper Lake Dunes, the only sand dune ecosystem in any of the Rocky Mountain national parks. And if you’re looking for a road less traveled, try Highway 93A—a meandering backroad that was part of the original Banff/Jasper Highway. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find along the way.

(Highway 93A ... The road less traveled)