Maligne Lake

Sept 9, 2013 – Monday

The clouds parted today and we had very nice weather.  It was still cool enough in the morning to need a light jacket but it warmed up nicely.   We were even able to see the mountains which have been blanketed in clouds every day so far. 

After we drove out of the campground there were a lot of cars and people alongside the road.  That can mean only one thing – animals!  There was a cow and bull Elk dining alongside the road.  The bull had a 12 point rack on him (or is it 6, I don't know if you count each antler or only one).  There was another cow on the other side of the road and in the creek but I didn’t get a picture of her. 

Our destination today was to visit Maligne Canyon and lake.  Our first stop was at the canyon.  Because of confusing signage we didn’t take the short 20 minute walk to the tea house but wandered down the steep trail for a bit.  I was just about to turn around when some ladies who were passing us said there was a waterfall “just around the corner”. 

Going down wasn’t a problem but coming back up was a pain.  There were a lot of steps and some steep inclines.  The waterfall was nice but the one on the trail to the teahouse was nicer.  Yes, we took that trail when we got back to the spot where we took the wrong turn.  I really got my exercise in today! 

The next thing we came across was Medicine Lake.  The lake has a mystery surrounding it.  Every October the lake completely empties!  It refills each spring with the snow melt.  The lake is pretty big so this is surprising.  Turns out that there is an underground system that drains the lake when the water coming in is slower than the water going out. 

 

Our last stop was at Maligne Lake.  It is a very large lake.  There is a 90 minute boat ride offered but it is $62.75 CAD per person.  We decided not to do that.  We did walk around and take some pictures. 

 

On our way back to town we took advantage of a roadside picnic area to have our lunch.  The only animals around were a couple of chipmunks. 

We made our daily stop at Tim Horton’s for a doughnut and hot chocolate and to use the internet.  We always feel like we have to buy something if we are going to use their internet.  It was pretty crowded today so we tried to work quickly. 

Before we left this morning I put a beef stew in the crockpot so dinner was ready when we got back.  I turned the crockpot down to the keep warm setting and we both took a short nap.  We didn’t eat until around 6:00 PM as our afternoon snack made us full. 

Tomorrow we head out of the Rockies and start making our way back to the states.  We plan on being in Washington on Thursday.  We will be staying at Fort Lewis just south of Tacoma for a few days.   Our time out this trip is drawing to a close.  We just have to figure out exactly when we plan on getting back to OC. 

Enjoy the pictures.