The definitive above-treeline backpacking trip in Jasper National Park - nearly two-thirds of the 45 km is above the trees. We took 3 days starting in the south near Maligne Lake and finishing at the northern trailhead near Maligne Canyon, covering roughly 12, 18 and 15 km on each day, camping at Snowbowl (at 12 km) and Tekarra (at 30 km) campgrounds.
The trail is easy to follow, though muddy in places given recent rain and (now melted) snow. The Notch was snow-free but every bit as steep as I expected. I can see how this would be tricky with snow on the ground. The fire-road descent is a drag but better than I feared. That stretch took us about 2.5 hours.
The flowers are mostly past it, but some of the more sheltered and north-facing meadows still have rich displays. I expect these will die off quickly as the nights get colder. Temperatures were a little below freezing at night - just low enough to coat everything in frost. We had rain for most of the first day, which tailed off to showers but clear skies for the rest of the trip. Bugs were not an issue - I may have swatted half-a-dozen total.
While part of me felt this trail wasn't what I expected, I have to say that it really is a spectacular way to spend three days. I found myself wanting to begin the trail again so I could hike the first part in sunshine, rather than in the rain as we did. I would definitely repeat this trail, probably in August when the flowers are at their peak (though the mosquitoes are probably fierce at that time). I might even take 4 days next time to allow more exploration (although the Copelands strongly dislike Curator campground, the obvious mid-way spot).
Day 1 was a gentle climb through open forest past a couple of lakes, clearing the trees after 8 km and cresting at Little Shovel Pass before dropping down towards Snowbowl campground. Day 2 was entirely above the treeline - all 18 km of it - beginning in vast meadows, crossing Big Shovel Pass into barren terrain (with a quick detour up to the Watchtower Basin col - well worth it) before grinding our way up to the Notch and emerging onto the spine of Amber Mountain and views in all directions. Beware the endless switchbacks on the descent to Tekarra campground - while you can see the campground at the start of the descent, the trail takes you all the way to the *opposite* end of the valley (!) before following the creek back towards the campground. Day 3 was a gentle rise towards the flanks of Signal Mountain with a detour to the site of the old fire lookout tower for lunch (great views over Jasper) before the boring fire-road descent.
A pair of hikers encountered a grizzy at the creek just north of Little Shovel Pass - we saw diggings there but no bear. (We did see a grizzly feeding on berries as we drove to the southern trailhead - awesome.) The only wildlife we saw consisted of numerous marmots (truly fat, lazy bastards of the alpine), a few pikas and some birds of prey hunting them. We saw plenty of anmical tracks, though, including wolf, moose, elk and mountain goat and/or bighorn sheep.
Both Snowbowl and Tekarra campgrounds have only 8 camp sites at each location. Snowbowl might be nice when it's dry but in the wet the sites and connecting trails were muddy. There is no shelter at either campground - rig a tarp among the trees if you need to stay out of the rain. Both locations also lose the sun quickly in the evening, especially Tekarra (thanks to, err, Mt Tekarra). The outhouses at both campgrounds are open-air replaceable giant-bucket types. There is a list of detailed instructions (introduced by our friend "Lumpy"...) on how to change buckets when the levels get to within 15 cm of the top. Yes, Parks Canada really expects you to try and shift a ton of other people's shit so they can helicopter it out. No thanks.
Logistical notes:
- You must book the backcountry campgrounds ahead of time.
- The drive between the trailheads is 45 km (duh). Shuttling with two cars takes time - we opted for the Jasper Shuttle instead ($25 per person), along with half-a-dozen other hikers. The bus driver was very knowledgable and answered all our questions about the trail (having hiked it himself several times).
- You will need sunscreen and a hat if it's sunny - good raingear, waterproof gloves and boots if it's raining.