In Jasper, mountains are all around us, but on April 17, at the Jasper Legion, they will take centre stage. A four-feature summer film festival, Mountains On Stage , presented by the local francophone association ( ACFA Jasper ), will inspire and entertain, according to organizers.  “At the end of t...

“Mai, tuktumia’tuit!” That means “Wow, look at all those caribou!” (I think… my Inuktitut has not improved after 30 years of inactivity). It was a cold but sunny morning in late winter, somewhere along the treeline about 100 km west of Arviat, Nunavut. Peter, Joe and I were travelling by snowmobile ...

Knob Quad Chair opens to the public Hoots, hollers and even the occasional “cowabunga!” were reverberating on the upper mountain at Marmot Basin on Wednesday, January 24. The reason? The long-awaited, newly constructed, $7 million Knob Quad Chairlift made its official public debut, whisking skiers a...

Campers, get ready to be happy. Starting next week, Parks Canada’s reservation system opens up and campers looking to enjoy the natural beauty of Jasper National Park, among other national parks and historic sites, will be able to book their trips. The reservation system for Jasper National Park fro...

I was driving on a snowy Maligne Road a number of years ago—one of those crisp winter days that make you glad you live in Jasper—when I spied a set of wolf tracks crossing the road. I stopped for a better look, and I had just crouched down to look at the tracks when I heard howling nearby. In my min...

August 31. A blue moon tonight, the second full moon of the month. The weather is not looking good. As I trudge up the summit slope cloud sweeps in as if sucked by a vacuum cleaner. One moment I have a view, the next I'm in a whiteout and flakes of snow splatter on the rocks. I don't know why the he...

A number of years ago I happened to be driving through Hay River, NWT . It was noon, so I grabbed a sandwich at a local coffee shop and sat myself down on a park bench to enjoy a leisurely lunch. Within minutes, five or six Common Ravens had gathered around me in a perfect semicircle and fixed me wi...

Moose are huge! With a dark-brown body, super long legs, large head with an elongated nose, generous lips and big ears...there is just no mistaking a moose.   Males (or bulls) can weigh up to 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) and grow a heavy set of antlers every year which are shed after the mating seas...

Recently I’ve been watching Alone , a reality TV show where 10 people have to survive in the wilderness, by themselves, with no food or water and minimal gear. The last person standing is the winner. To give himself the best chance of winning, one of the participants (a Canadian) adopted an unusual ...

Parks Canada is reminding the picnicking public to remain vigilant in bear country. On Monday, July 24, a family of grizzly bears approached a family of visitors who had just laid out their lunch on a picnic table at Lake Annette. When the bears got close, the people bolted, leaving their food and e...