Photographing the Tonquin Valley

The Ramparts reflected in Amethyst Lake at dawn.

The Tonquin Valley is considered the jewel of Jasper National Park by many.  Located deep in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, the valley is famous for its dramatic scene of The Ramparts towering high above Amethyst Lakes, and casting their beautiful reflection into the lake’s calm waters at sunrise.  It is truly a sight to behold.

Of course, I must qualify the above description as being season dependent.  The Tonquin Valley is best visited in late season.  By late August, the bugs are gone and most of the “swampy” areas have dried up.  Visit in July and you will be swarmed by mosquitoes and horse flies beyond belief, likely requiring a head net and full clothing as you negotiate through bug hell.  Amethysts lakes can be difficult to approach in early season due to wetlands.  Trails can also be extremely muddy.

The Ramparts reflected in Amethyst Lake at sun

The valley is known for its abundance of wildlife, including caribou, cougars, wolves and grizzly bears.  During my visit, caribou were not present, while a new pack of wolves was.  It was widely believed that the wolves had migrated over from another valley, chasing the caribou away.  Fatal grizzly bear attacks have occurred in the Tonquin Valley in recent years.  While most hikers will not see a bear during their visit (I didn’t), it is very important to be prepared and aware while on the trail.

There are two approaches to the Tonquin Valley – the Astoria River trail and McCarib Pass trail.  Both are long.  While the Portal Creek Trail is longer (14.2 miles) and gains about 1,000’ more elevation as it climbs over McCarib Pass, it is much more scenic.  McCarib Pass is high, open country with views in all directions.  It should not be missed, even if it means a day hike from the lake to experience.  The Astoria River Trail is shorter (12.7 miles) and the quickest way into Amethyst Lakes.  I can’t compare the two trails because at the time of my visit, a massive slide off Mount Edith Cavell had closed the road to the trailhead, as well as the trail itself.

There are two prime campgrounds in the valley, Surprise Point Campground and Amethyst Campground.  Both are very scenic and offer excellent views of The Ramparts above Amethyst Lakes.  Amethyst Campground is more popular, and in my opinion, offering the better view and composition.  Nonetheless, I have seen beautiful images from Surprise Point as well.  Maybe you will need to visit both!

The Ramparts reflected in Amethyst Lake.

Morning is the time to photograph The Ramparts and their reflection in the lake.  Sunrise turns the rock bright pink, then gold as the morning progresses.  As long as the weather is stable, the water will be calm for the first few hours of the morning.

Getting to the lake from the Amethyst Campground can be tricky, outside the obvious trail from the campground.  This is because the rolling meadows are comprised mostly of wetlands.  For the most interesting foreground, I recommend hiking the main trail south for about ¼ mile, then aiming for the obvious rocks along the lakeshore.  This is a prime sunrise location to shoot from.

The Ramparts reflected in a tarn in Tonquin Valley.

By mid-morning the sunlight will begin to hit the meadows of the valley.  I recommend following the obvious trail from the campground to the lake as it passes several interesting rocks and tarns.

If staying at Sunrise Point, the area near the bridge entering the campground offers excellent foreground as rocks abound along the shore and in the shallow water.

The Tonquin Valley is best suited for wide-angle lenses.  My 17-40mm was my most used lens, with my 24-70mm coming in second.  I also hauled in my 70—200mm for wildlife, hoping to catch a grizzly bear or caribou.  My only grizzly encounter was at the trailhead parking lot the night before while I was sleeping.  As mentioned above, with the new presence of a wolf pack in the valley, the caribou are believed to have mostly left.  I probably would leave the large glass at home next time in consideration of the weight.

The Ramparts above Tonquin Valley.

You will want both a 2-stop and 3-stop GND filter.  I would also recommend a polarizer.  If you are into star photography, the Tonquin Valley is an excellent place for star shots as well as the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).  You might even have a wolf follow you back to your tent as I did!

If you are determined to carry heavy camera gear for your visit, there are pack guide services available that will haul your equipment for you for a fee.

I highly recommend spending a few days in the valley, with a full day on both sides for hiking in and hiking out.  Every morning offered different lighting and was a unique experience for me.  This also gives you time to further explore the area.
Enjoy your visit to this fantastic slice of heaven.  Life slows down here.  It’s okay to slow down with it.

To view more images of the area, visit my Canadian Rockies Gallery.

As always thanks for reading!

Back from the Canadian Rockies

Grizzly print on vehicle window.

I'm back from the Canadian Rockies with many stories and experiences to share!  I visited Berg Lake, Mumm Basin and Snowbird Pass in Robson Provincial Park, Tonquin Valley and Macarrib Pass in Jasper National Park, Floe Lake, Numa Pass and Numa Peak in Kootenay National Park, and Lake O'Hara and Opabin Plateau in Yoho National Park.

I logged over 100 miles of hiking, and just over 19,000' elevation gain during my visit.  I met lots of great people, including Mike from Beacon Hill in Seattle, Mike Vincent of Canmore - a professional guide for Chateau Lake Louise, Don & Wendy from Virginia, Scott Forsyth - a professional photographer from Calgary, and more.

I had hoped to see a lot of wildlife (on my terms, of course), but this didn't really happen.  A grizzly bear had recently been spotted near Berg Lake before my visit, but there were no further sightings.  A sow grizzly and her two cubs had been hanging around Macarrib Pass, but I only saw old scat both times I hiked through this area.  A lone caribou was spotted at Amethyst Lake during my visit, but I missed it.  Wolves were present throughout the Tonquin Valley, but I did not actually see them.

Oh, but I do have some wildlife stories to share!

I'll start with my overnight stay at the Portal Creek trailhead in preparation for my hike into the Tonquin Valley.  As I pulled into the parking lot in early evening I saw two porcupines wandering about.  Later that night I could hear them (and likely rodents) beneath my vehicle.  At ~ 1:30 am I was awakened with a loud thud against my vehicle.  I sat straight up, startled.  Was someone trying to break into my vehicle?  The noise was much too loud to have been caused by the porcupines.  I listened further, expecting to hear someone test my door handles.  Nothing.  No cars had pulled into the parking lot.  I eventually used my key remote to turn all lights on my vehicle on - interior and exterior.  Nothing further was heard.

I couldn't fall back asleep right away because I had to pee.  So I got out of my vehicle and walked only a couple of steps to do so.  I returned to to my vehicle and, eventually, was able to go back to sleep - though the mystery of the sound continued to baffle me.

I rolled over at 7:30 in the morning and looked out the window to see how light it was outside.  It was then that the source of the thud was answered.  Just above my head on the rear side window was a distinct paw print from a grizzly bear, with other smudged prints and scratches below!

Soon a couple of guys showed up, including one from Fire and Rescue.  Neither had seen or heard of such a thing.  Both encouraged me to report the incident to Bear Management.  The gentlemen from Fire and Rescue then asked my permission to report the incident himself, since he had a buddy working for Bear Management.

I began getting my pack ready for my trek.  As I walked around to the other side of my vehicle, I noticed a huge wet spot in the parking lot.  It became clear that the bear had been on this side of my vehicle relieving itself at the same time I was doing so on the other side!

I returned from my trip to find a note on my windshield, asking me to stop by the Information Centre in Jasper to discuss my bear encounter, and did so.

Wolf print near tent at Amethyst Lake in Tonquin Valley.

While camped at Amethyst Lake in the Tonquin Valley, I spent time both nights photographing the stars.  On my second night, I awoke at 1:30 am and ventured a short distance from the tent.  As I photographed, I occasionally could hear something in the trees behind me.  Every now and then I would shine my headlamp over in that direction, but never saw anything. 

At 3:15 I finally packed it in and returned to my tent.  I no sooner got settled into my sleeping bag when I heard something outside my tent.  It broke branches on the back side of my tent, then circled the tent.  It returned to the back side and pawed or bumped my tent.

I sat up, cleared my voice rather loudly, and turned my headlamp on to illuminate my tent.  I soon heard twigs breaking in the distance as whatever animal had been visiting me retreated off into the night.  The next morning I awoke to wolf prints around my tent!

Also while photographing stars my second night, a large bird dove down upon me, pulling up only several feet above my head.  Its wing span was huge and I realized instantly that it must have been an owl.  Its angle suggested it was actually interested in my camera and tripod, which I was obviously standing close to.  Needless to say, it startled me!  I never heard it.  I only saw it out of the corner of my eye as it was only feet above my head.  Those poor rodents at Amethyst don't stand a chance with such a stealth predator in the air!

So, those are my wildlife stories.  The griz experience was pretty scary at the time, mostly due to the mystery.  The wolf experience was scary due to the fact that I assumed it was a cat.  It wasn't until the next day while sharing the story that it was pointed out to me that cats walk with their claws retracted, leaving only pad marks.  The tracks around my tent had distinct claw marks, making them canine.  I assumed they were cat mostly due to their size - they were huge.  I had no idea wolves had such large feet.  Knowing I had a curious wolf follow me back to camp was more comforting to me than to think I had a cat stalking me in the night!

I hope to begin editing images from my trip soon.  Stay tuned!