The town of Jasper sits at the apex of a giant letter Y, with valleys stretching out to the northwest and northeast (Highway 16) and to the south (the Icefields Parkway, Highway 93). Forming a rocky centerpiece for the entire area, Pyramid Mountain rises above the town of Jasper, filling in the top of the Y with a distinctive peak. From town, if you drive north, towards the pyramid, you’ll find two small mountain lakes: Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake.
I drove up to the lakes as Day 8 was drawing to a close. The sun was already low in the sky to the west, which meant it wasn’t the best time of the day for photographs — but it was still worth the trip up the hill.
Pyramid Lake Road comes to Patricia Lake first, but it just skirts the northeastern edge, and there’s not a lot to see here. Continue on, and Pyramid Lake is just a short distance away.
When you reach Pyramid Lake, you’ll drive past Coast Pyramid Lake Resort. The resort has rooms starting at around $160 a night (check the resort’s website for current prices), as well as a restaurant.
Best of all, the resort offers canoe and kayak rentals, so you can spend some time on the water…
… or just relaxing on the dock, admiring Pyramid Mountain.
I should have gone back up to Pyramid Lake after sunrise on Day 9, when the lighting would have been better. But, I had a lot of driving to do, and a lot to see as I headed down the Icefields Parkway, so I skipped the return trip.
Drivelapse Video
Here’s the time-lapse dash-cam video of the drive up the hill to Pyramid Lake, then back to town:
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