Lake Annette – Jasper, Alberta

Location: Four km from Jasper. When approaching Jasper from the east, take a left on the bridge crossing the river just before you get to Jasper, then take the immediate right after the bridge. Take the first left at the top of the hill, then pull into the roundabout parking lot. There are signs starting at the highway to direct you to the lake.

Access: The road to the lake is opened at 8 am and locked at sundown. The lake is visible from the parking lot. You can gear up in the parking lot, and get changed in the National Park bathroom. Go down to the dock, where you will usually be surrounded by scuba divers during the summer months.

What’s to see: Swim out keeping the shore on your left and you will come across a sloping area of the lake bed that has no silt covering it. There is a very large rockpile that divers have built up over the years, usually covered in 10 to 30 adult botom feeders (12-16 inches) and hundreds of freshly hatched ones. Also Open Water Diver students, freshly hatched. This slopes down to 17 metres in the deepest part of the lake. There are numerous artifacts including a platform that has been placed here by a scuba trainer, which I’m sure is illegal in a National Park, but a good place to spook divers and students! Summer temperatures can reach 18C at the surface with a not too terrible thermocline near the botom, which is covered in thick weeds below 13 metres. Visibility can be 15 metres on a good day, but will be destroyed on the weekends by the scuba trainees. Weekdays tend to have better vis. In some spots you might find water billowing up through the silt on the botom: this is the glacier fed clear spring water that feeds the lake. Jasper is one of the most beautiful places in the world, you could be diving a hot summer day with the snow-capped mountains watching over you. Enjoy!

Amenities: There is a Park bathroom on site, and Jasper is close, with a few good Cappuccino shops and restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and a local dive shop for air fills if you’re on scuba. There are also 3 campsites surrounding Jasper.

Hazards: Bears and Wapiti are abundant, and can be aggressive during rut, so use common sense. Fishing off of non-powered boats is allowed, but spearfishing for the mud-sharks is probably not a good idea…..it’s a small lake, and you will do more damage than good.

Submitted by Erik Young.