During my recent road trip to Jasper National Park, I had some free time to drive the scenic highway to Maligne Lake.  All the visitor amenities at the lake were closed but the views along the drive were worth the trek anyway.

I came across a beautiful mule deer in the middle of the highway.  It was licking the snow/salt mixture on the road surface.  I pulled over to watch.  It did not move until it was ready to.  Eventually it made its way to the embankment on the west side of the road.  The snow was so deep that the deer sank up to its underbelly as it made its way to the forest.

There were a number of spots that had avalanche warning signs posted.  That did not deter visitors from heading out on the trails with skis and snowshoes.  There were a number of vehicles in the parking lots along the way.

The evergreen branches held up a layer of snow.  The mountain tops in the distance were covered in white.  The scene was as beautiful as a Christmas card.

I pulled into the parking lot at Medicine Lake.  In the distance I could see three park visitors on snowshoes trekking across the lake.  Without the use of binoculars, they looked like little ants on a white blanket.

The drive to Maligne Lake and back took almost 1.5 hours.  It was a great way to enjoy the winter scenes and the majestic Rocky Mountains.