From town to the backcountry! Solo overnight backpack to Minnow Lake, Jasper Nat. Park June-10, 2024

Another season of backcountry adventures!
It was a late spring this year, cold and wet. The snowpack was still hanging around in the mountains so I started off the season down in the valley. There are two backcountry campgrounds in Jasper that you can access right from the townsite, no vehicle needed for this one.
The two campgrounds are located on a loop trail up in the Pyramid benchlands just behind the townsite. The loop is Called the Saturday Night Lake Loop. The entire loop is 24km in total.
There are two access points to this hike, the best one to start at if you are headed to Minnow Lake would be the Cabin Creek trail head. it is located off of Bonhomme St. just as it turns into Cabin Creek Drive. From here the trail leaves town and heads into the wild. Many connecting trails around, just follow the signs.
Minnow Lake is a nice, forested campsite right on the lake with firepits, bear lockers and 4 tent sites. the hike in is gradual but steady uphill for 10km, passing Marjorie and Caledonia Lake along the way.
This makes for a good early/late season backpack and can be combined with a night at Saturday Night Lake if you do the whole loop. It is a multi-use trail, mountain biking and hiking. Many people bike it, day hike it or trail run, probably not as many camp. It is a nice nature hike, home to many beaver lodges and dams. Lots of wildlife, from Beaver to Moose to Bears.
It may not boast the jaw dropping mountain scenery that other areas of Jasper do, but it is very peaceful and has a haunting beauty of its own. A great trip for folks new to backpacking or for folks who are staying in Jasper, want a backcountry experience with no access to a vehicle. Just put your pack on and walk out the front door, down the street and into the wild ya go!
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PRAY & HOPE
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Transcript

[@ervinslens]

Lovely episode my friend! Shots are great!

[@backpackboat1]

Thinking about you and your home, I hope your keeping safe

[@TroyOfTheWild]

Thank you. Doing fine, holding out in kamloops. Devastating to see my town and park in flames. So much loss. as of now, my home and work seem to still be intact, but we are not out of danger yet. Many friends have lost everything and it breaks my heart. The support though has been overwhelming and we Jasperites are supporting each other as well. Stuff is just stuff in the end, but we all made it out alive. We may be scattered throughout bc and alberta, but we are all together in heart and soul more than ever.

[@austinporter6701]

I was going to spend a night camping in jasper thankfully i kept driving the next day they started the evacuation. Hopefully you guys get some good rain its not looking good

[@TroyOfTheWild]

I almost went into the backcountry on monday, my intuition told me different. Thank God I listened to it. The evacuation was insane. Over 20 000 locals, and visitors trying to get out of one exit and with only one way out, west to bc. Took almost 5 hours just to get out of town to the highway. Smoke filled air, ash raining down. It was surreal. The aftermath has been devastating to say the least. However, we all got out alive and that’s what truly matters. So much love and support by so many, it’s been a truly humbling experience. Waiting to go back and rebuild out of the ashes, just like the new growth that will bring life back to our valley and beloved town.