National Parks of Canada: Jasper

[Music] thank you [Music] in the Alberta Rockies land of a thousand mountain peaks here is Jasper National Park four thousand square miles of mountain Wonderland largest of all of Canada's playgrounds train whistles now Echo along the route of the early Berber Games the historic Valley of the Athabasca Hill rails linked the best park with Vancouver and Prince Rupert on the Pacific coast and with Edmonton and the cities of the East Railway and Highway have opened Jasper to the world [Music] set aside as a national park in 1907 this vast region is today administered from a little town in the heart of the mountains [Music] thank you foreign Jasper is like many other Canadian towns with its stores and Bank its churches homes and schools Park a handful of Rangers a few-mounted police a small stamp of experts manage this two and a half million acre Heritage of the Canadian people men of 100 jobs they enforce game laws for Jasper is one of the great game preserves of the continent they fight forest fires they maintain roads and trails they cover the entire terrain from valley floor to Mountaintop so Jasper retains the natural charm and beauty of a Mountain Wilderness but it is a Wilderness under order and control [Music] there are experts for example who see to it that lakes and streams of the big Park are kept stocked with fish if it weren't for the work of the parks Administration the accessible Waters of Jasper might have been fished out long ago [Music] but millions of fingerlings have come from the park Hatchery to stock the 22 Lakes within a few miles of Jasper town there are a lot of potential Thrills for anglers in a setting of trout role in no time at all the eggs develop heads and tails and are called yolk Sac fries after the yolk sacks fall off the Hatchery men feed the little fellows every day until they are fingerlings and ready for the Lakes if you're a nurse made to 50 000 baby trouts you feed them their formula and rear them according to the charts rainbow trout are ready for planting when they're a year old and measure about 5 inches all the planting follows a careful schedule some trouts spawn in the spring others in the fall the planting program is arranged accordingly tanks of fingerlings are taken to the Lakes by truck [Music] more than a quarter of a million fingerlings are planted in the waters of Jasper from the park Hatchery every year foreign Jasper is among the world's great Beauty regions places like this are easily reached by 770 miles of Highways and trails all properly maintained there are free campsites too supervised and guarded against fire Park authorities do the job it wasn't so long ago that you had to travel by Pac train to the Columbia icefield now there's a modern Highway and the ice Fields may be reached by bus service linking Jasper with Banff National Park to the South both parks are game preserved so animals wander freely and unafraid by the roadside [Music] the Columbia icefield is the biggest glacier below the Arctic Circle it covers an area of 150 square miles and because it straddles eastern and western slopes of the Rockies it is the source of rivers that flow to three oceans the Columbia and Fraser to the Pacific the at the basket to the Arctic and the Saskatchewan to Hudson Bay and the Atlantic so the ice fields of Jasper are where the rivers are born [Music] living accommodation in the park ranges all the way from The Humble 10th to Jasper Park Lodge where visitors enjoy the Comforts of Modern Hotel service in a mountain setting [Music] all this and gulping too if you can take your eyes off the scenery long enough to keep your eye on the ball headline feature of a Jasper holiday is the trail ride on Long rides the first part of the journey is sometimes made by car but you can go out for a day or you can join an expedition covering several weeks and going far into the interior [Music] everyone takes a very keen interest in what goes on [Music] [Music] the parks authorities say to it that trails are maintained for safe riding their Maps show 600 miles of trails through the mountain Parkland and these are being extended every year only experienced guides are allowed to take parties out while the trail is full of surprises [Music] foreign Trail broken horses are available horses that don't mind an audience many of the trails lead up Beyond Timberline to Alpine Meadows where scenery is literally out of this world those who want to relax and forget the cares and worries of everyday life pretty soon find that they have lost their troubles somewhere along the trail thank you in winter this is the land of the big snows in summer it is a Wonderland of sunshine and Trail Riders are not alone in their Wonderland in the summer months the Alpine slopes are mountain flower gardens walking among the Heather and the fox grass one may stumble on the home of the Marmot he's a funny little fellow actually a species of woodchuck a mountain groundhog [Music] [Music] the experienced men who guide the Trail Riders are employed by private Outfitters who operate under license from the park Administration trail riding parties make their own arrangements with these Outfitters in securing guides and Equipment which will make their trip safe and enjoyable [Music] lured by pleasant memories many riders return year after year to experience the thrill of exploring new trails and while you can enjoy mountaineering on Horseback or even by car there are always people who want to do their climbing the hard way mountain climbers come from all parts of the world to take up the challenge of Jasper's Mighty peace many of these mountains have never been scaled many haven't even been named a pine Club of Canada holds annual camps at Jasper there is nothing haphazard about this sport the technique follows rigid rules climbs are made by groups of three or four Big Time mountain climbing Demands a strong physique steady nerves and a clear head it's tough on knees and elbows too but to the veteran mountain climber this is the king of sports the famous saying about plenty of room on top doesn't apply here but it's worthwhile when you get there from the rooftop of the world you see the distant valleys the vast forests the glimmering lakes of a Canadian Wonderland birthplace of rivers Empire of the Peaks this is Jasper foreign