JASPER NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 338

but you may get clobbered by a wayward Hacky Sack. Connaught Drive, the town's main
street, parallels the rail line as it curves through town. Also along this road you'll find the
bus depot, rail terminal, restaurants, motels, and a parking lot. Behind Connaught Drive is
Patricia Street (one-way eastbound), which has more restaurants and services and leads to
a string of hotels on Geikie Street. Behind this main core are rows of neat houses—much
less pretentious than those in Banff—and all the facilities of a regular town, including a
library, school, civic center, post office, museum, swimming pool, and hospital.
SIGHTS AND DRIVES
Downtown
At the back of town is the excellent Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives (400
Bonhomme St., 780/852-3013, 10am-5pm daily mid-June-Sept., 10am-5pm Thurs.-Sun.
the rest of the year, adult $6, senior and child $5), as unstuffy as any museum could pos-
sibly be and well worth a visit even for nonmuseum types. The main gallery features color-
ful, modern picture boards with exhibits that take visitors along a timeline of Jasper's hu-
man history through the fur trade, the coming of the railway, and the creation of the park.
Documentaries are shown on demand in a small television room. The museum also fea-
tures extensive archives, including hundreds of historical photos, manuscripts, documents,
maps, and videos.
The Den (corner of Connaught Dr. and Miette Ave., 780/852-3361, 9am-10pm daily),
in the darkened bowels of the Whistlers Inn, is a throwback to a bygone era, when displays
of stuffed animals were considered the best way to extol the wonders of nature. “See anim-
als in their natural setting” cries museum advertising, but the shrubbery looks suspiciously
like fake Christmas trees, and the bull elk seems to be screaming, “Get me out of here!”
Yep, they even charge you for it—exchange $4 for a token at the Whistlers's reception
desk.
Patricia and Pyramid Lakes
A winding road heads through the hills at the back of town to these two picturesque lakes,
formed when glacial moraines dammed shallow valleys. The first, to the left, is Patri-
cia; the second, farther along the road, is Pyramid, backed by Pyramid Mountain (2,765
meters/9,072 feet). Both lakes are popular spots for picnicking, fishing, and boating. Boat
rentals are available at Pyramid Lake Boat Rentals (780/852-4900), across the road from
the lake in the Coast Pyramid Lake Resort. Canoes, rowboats, paddleboats, and kayaks are
$35 for the first hour and $25 for each additional hour. The resort also rents motorboats for