It has been two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began and traveling abroad is still very challenging for working people (though technically possible). The scenic train from Prince Rupert to Jasper seemed to be a reasonable option to celebrate this holiday season.
Dec 28, 2021
Prince Rupert
Air Canada is the only airline serving Prince Rupert from Vancouver. At this time of the year, there is only one flight per day in the morning. Prince Rupert Airport is on an island and free shuttle to downtown Prince Rupert is included in the air ticket.
Prince Rupert has a beautiful harbour and in summer there are many hiking options. In winter, an easy walk along the Rushbrook Trail near downtown is a good way to spend a couple of hours. As for food, the Ulta-delious seafood at Dolly's Fish Market shouldn't be missed. A cheaper but still good option is West End Restaurant - they have reasonably priced Chinese and Canadian food - the daily special is a good value.
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| Cow Bay, Prince Rupert |
Dec 29, 2021
Prince Rupert - Prince George
The Prince Rupert to Jasper train only runs once a week at this time. It takes two days with an overnight stay in Prince George (accommodation not included in the train ticket).
There are two major stops on the first day of the train journey. About two and half hours after Prince Rupert is the town of Terrace, a major transport hub in northwestern BC. The train stopped here for 5 minutes. The area around Terrace is the most scenic part of the entire journey, with Skeena River besides the rail track and magnificent mountain views around. About one hour after Terrace, Seven Sisters Mountain can be seen from the right side of the train. Most of the stops are flag stops and the train only stops on request or traveler is seen by train staff. For most of these flag stops, the train just passes with stopping. We stopped at a tiny station (without building) called New Hazelton, with both passengers getting off and getting on. Shortly after New Hazelton, the train enters Bulkley Canyon with a 630 meter long tunnel. The train then passes several trestle bridges before reaching the second major stop Smithers. The train stopped here for 10 minutes, good enough to get off the train to get some fresh air (tough cold) and take a photo of the historical train station. After Smithers, there is a small station called Houston - a point of interest is the giant fly-fishing rod in front of the station. The next reasonably sized station is Burns Lake. When our train arrived it there, it was already dark.
The train was supposed to take 12 hours and a half to arrive in Prince George but was more than 3 hours late. Unlike train stations in Europe and Asia, there are no hotels very close to the train station. Most hotels downtown are about 1 km from the train station. While it can be nice to walk to the hotel in the summer, at -25°C with heavy snow on the road, it's better to take a taxi. Train staff was helpful in arranging for taxis in advance.
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| Smithers is a major stop along the Prince Rupert - Prince George train route |
Dec 30, 2021
Prince George - Jasper
On the second day of the train journey, it became sunny which was good to take photos of the mountains along the way.
Shortly after leaving Prince George, the train enters an area where many dead trees could be seen. The trees were killed by mountain pine beetles. About two hours after Prince George, the train passes a flag stop called Penny, a tiny village with only 20 summer residents. Shortly after the official "stop" (no building) of Penny, the smallest post office building in Canada can be seen from the right side of the train. In the early afternoon, the train arrived at the only main stop of the second day (in fact the only stop for our train) McBride. The train stopped here for 10 minutes. It would be a regret not to get off the train to have a closer look at the 1919 train station. About an hour later, the train arrived at Harvey where another rail track leads to Kamloops and Vancouver. Perhaps weather was so good, the train staff opened the Dome Car so passengers could have a 360 degree view of the mountains around, including the Mount Robson peak. According to train staff, the peak can only be seen once in every ten train rides.
The train was supposed to take about 8 hours for the second day of the journey. It was one hour late, mostly caused by the delay when approaching Jasper. Not too bad in Canadian standard.
Dec 31, 2021
Abraham Lake
One winter wonder near the Canadian Rockies is the ice bubbles on Abraham Lake, a man-made lake technically outside the national parks on Highway 11, about half way between Jasper and Banff. In winter, all facilities are closed so it's essential to bring enough food and water and have a full tank in the car. Snow tire is also required to drive inside the national parks. Between Jasper and Saskatchewan River Crossing where Highway 11 begins, several spots can be checked out along the way, even in winter (with different scenery from summer), including several frozen waterfalls (Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, Tangle Creek Falls, etc.) and several viewpoints (Goats & Glacier Lookout, Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint, Howse Pass Viewpoint - a little bit past Saskatchewan River Crossing, etc.).
Since there had been more than normal snowfalls this winter, most of Abraham Lake was covered by snow, making it difficult to see the ice bubbles. Luckily, there were still several small ice bubble areas that could be seen in the Belly of Abraham.
Overnight in the town of Hinton can save over 50% of the accommodation cost in Jasper which is not a bad idea.
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| Abraham Lake Ice Bubbles |
Jan 1, 2022
Maligne Canyon
Another winter specific winter activity for non-skiers is joining a Maligne Canyon icewalk tour - they provide waterproof boots and ice cleats. The tour took over 3 hours and was very interesting - definitely different experience from hiking the Maligne Canyon in the summer.
The New Year's Day was celebrated at the reasonably priced L&W Restaurant with some AAA grade Alberta beef, that also marked the end of this short holiday season break.
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| The Maligne Canyon Icewalk Tour is limited to 10 people due to COVID-19 restrictions |
Overview
Traveling in winter in Canada is not easy. The scenic train ride from Prince Rupert to Jasper (better than the opposite direction as you get more daylight time on the train, according to current schedule) is a good option. There are some winter specific sightseeing and tours around Jasper that can further enhance the experience.
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