JASPER NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 346

company serves a comprehensive afternoon tea (2pm-4:30pm daily July-Aug., $32), with
the most sought after tables enjoying lake views.
The Maligne Valley Shuttle runs from the Maligne Tours office and from various ho-
tels out to the lake 3-4 times daily mid-May-late September. The first shuttle leaves for the
lake each morning at 8:30am; $40 round-trip.
East Along Highway 16
From Jasper, it's 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the park's eastern boundary along Highway
16, following the Athabasca River the entire way. Beyond the turnoff to Maligne Lake,
Highway 16 enters a wide valley flanked to the west by The Palisade and to the east by
the Colin Range. The valley is a classic montane environment, with open meadows and
forests of Douglas fir and lodgepole pine. After crossing the Athabasca River, 20 kilomet-
ers (12.4 miles) from Jasper, the highway parallels Jasper Lake, which is lined by sand
dunes along its southern edge. At the highway, a plaque marks the site of Jasper House
(the actual site is on the opposite side of the river). The next worthwhile stop is Disaster
Point, four kilometers (2.5 miles) farther north. This is a great spot for viewing bighorn
sheep, which gather at a mineral lick, an area of exposed mineral salts. Disaster Point is on
the lower slopes of Roche Miette, a distinctive 2,316-meter-high (7,600-foot-high) peak
that juts out into the Athabasca River Valley. Across the highway, the braided Athabasca
River is flanked by wetlands alive with migrating birds in the spring and fall.