Athabasca Falls on Icefields Parkway, 30km south of Jaspser townsite, is among the most powerful and breathtaking falls in the Rocky Mountains. The waterfalls is by the highway and easily accessible within walking distance for young and old without much hiking effort at all.
At night the whole place is in complete darkness, as there isn’t any town nearby. The absence of light pollution makes it a great location for viewing Milky Way. Check the map at end of this article for exact location.
The First Annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival took place on Oct 21-24, 2011. Weather permitting, star gazing is possible at several locations in Jasper National Park, such as easily accessible Pyramid Lake / Mountain right in the town of Jasper. Jasper National Park is designated as the World’s Largest Dark Sky Preserve.
September 23, 2011: Star gazing at Athabasca Falls in Jasper National Park.
Exif Data
Camera: Canon 60D and EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS Lens
Lens: Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens for Canon
Filter: Hoya 77mm UV Multi Coated Glass Filter
Exposure: 30sec
Aperture: f2.8
Focal Length: 11mm
ISO Speed: 6400
Flash: off, did not fire
September 23, 2011: Milkway on the left side with Pleiades (Seven Sisters) in the middle.
Exif Data
Camera: Canon 60D and EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS Lens
Lens: Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens for Canon
Filter: Hoya 77mm UV Multi Coated Glass Filter
Exposure: 30sec
Aperture: f2.8
Focal Length: 11mm
ISO Speed: 6400
Flash: off, did not fire
To take the above shot, I used Coleman LED Quad Lantern to light up the foreground (ie, my face and the waterfalls). Silhouette of Mount Kerkeslin could be seen in the background.
Other star gazing locations within Jasper National Park include: Milky Way at Pyramid Lake/Island/Mountain, Milky Way in front of Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls Milky Way, and of course Milky Way Over Columbia Icefield.
Map
Exact location of Athabasca Falls (parking lot, trail head) is indicated by Green Arrow.
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