Jasper to Clearwater 03/09/2025
The drive from Jasper to Whistler was about 750km a third of all the driving for the two week holiday.
We left Jasper and it was cold and gloomy. The sun hadn’t broken through, and we knew there were mountains but could not see them, they were just vague outlines.
We had planned to stop at Mount Stanley, but couldn’t see the visitor centre let alone the mountain. There was a couple of other places we had considered stopping but the smoke was too bad.
The photo was taken when we stopped looking directly at the sun.
After a couple of hours the smoke was finally thinning and we started to see more of the surroundings. We decided to head straight for Clearwater with only a toilet break.
Wells Grey
The attraction of staying at Clearwater was Wells Grey and it did not disappoint.
We first stopped at Spahats Falls, then drove the 47km to the end of the sealed roads, stopping at Dawson Falls and then Helmcken Falls.nt.
We first stopped at Spahats Falls, then drove the 47km to the end of the sealed roads, stopping at Dawson Falls and then Helmcken Falls.
We had considered going to Moul Falls, but the temperature when the sun got out was in the mid 30s,and it was a two hour round trip to walk to the falls.
Spahat Falls
The first falls were the Spahats Falls. Walking through the trees from the car park, the view opens up.
The path leads around the rim of the canyon to a viewing platform. The falls may not look that impressive, but the site was immense. The drop of the falls is around 65m, and the cliff face well over 100m high.
From the car park we also went for a walk around the Old Growth Cedar Grove. This was a fabulous short walk among trees, some of which were several hundred years old.
Dawson Falls
We then drove upto Dawson Falls. After another short walk from the car park through the woods we came to the falls. The falls were not particularly high, only around 10m, they are about 100m wide.
Helmcken Falls.
It was only a short drive to Helmcken Falls. These falls are colossal, the drop is over 140m, and the flow of water is staggering. The falls are downstream of Dawson Falls.
There was a sign to the view for the confluence of the two rivers in the park. So it was a nice day for a walk.
The walk was along the rim of the canyon and was very close to the 150m drop in places, but there were great views over the park.
It was a great walk along the edge of the cliff but unfortunately, the confluence was obscured by trees.
Clearwater to Whistler 04/09/2025
While 460km may not be a long drive to Canadians, it is a fair old drive in an unfamiliar car on the wrong side of the road.
The smoke had followed us down from Jasper, so we started out in a haze.
Our first stop for the day was at the Chasm Ecological Reserve. This was a wonderful place for a leg stretch, overlooking the canyon. Unfortunately,the smoke was evident. We spent a peaceful 30 minutes or so wandering around the rim, and only saw three or four other cars.
After stopping to get a coffee (I do wish there was a bit more notice that we were approaching stores, cafes, garages etc).
We passed close to the Fraser River where there was a very different landscape, with far fewer trees and more grassland.
We headed down to Seton Lake where we stopped for something to eat.
Then we followed the Duffey Lake Road. I had heard it was a scenic – and it was.
We stopped at Duffey Lake and it was another glorious spot.
The log jam was impressive I have never seen one that large before
And the water was so clear, so that the submerged logs and stones were perfectly visible.
And eventually we reached Whistler about 16:00 and the car went straight into the car park to be undisturbed for a day.
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