Mount Robson Provincial Park

Today, 6/6/17, we ventured out of Valemount to see nearby Mount Robson. On the way, we stopped at Rearguard Falls Provincial Park. These falls along the Fraser River mark the end of an 800 mile journey by Chinook Salmon from the Pacific. Largest of the Salmon, these fish have survived several years at sea to return to the river of their birth. Studies show that some Salmon are successful battling over these falls to reach the gravel above, but for most, Rearguard Falls marks the end of their journey.

The Fraser River doesn't look very menacing above the 20 foot high falls, nor do the flowers on the bank of the river.

And then:

The falls are reminiscent of Niagara in sound as thousands of gallons of pristine glacier water pour over.

Years and years of rushing water have eroded nearby rocks.

And the obligatory "we were here photo"!

Our next stop was the entrance to Mount Robson Provincial Park, with the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies in the background.

At the Visitors Center (spelled "Centre" hereabouts), we were amazed at the dominating size of the over 12,000 foot high peak.

Established in 1913, the park is the second oldest park in the Canadian park system. It is also the headwaters of the Fraser River, drawing water from glaciers high on the mountainside. The source is a dripping spring just west of a pond on Fraser Pass, with no trails to it, and best accessed by helicopter from Valemount.

Two Rainbow Trout are on display at the Visitors Centre among other local specimens. This female (7.5 lbs) and male (6.8 lbs) were caught in 1981, and are most likely the dream of any fisherman!

A short walk around the meadow adjacent to the Visitors Centre yields another spectacular view of the mountain.

Most of Mount Robson Park is only accessible by walking trail. In fact, we met two guys from San Francisco who were preparing to scale Mount Robson, a feat first completed in 1913 by Conrad Kain.

Having a bit of time left in our day, we drove west on Highway 16 to the town of McBride, BC. McBride is an agricultural hub in the Robson Valley, located 130 miles southeast of Prince George, BC, and 103 miles west of Jasper, Alberta. On the way to McBride, we passed huge fields of hay with horses and cattle grazing in the shade. This abandoned log home caught our eye as we drove west.

Just east of McBride we noticed a local park, and decided to stop for a picnic lunch. BAD IDEA! There are no photos of this apparently nice and well groomed park because the mosquitos attacked the instant we opened the car doors! We lasted just about a minute before we abandoned our plan and drove on into town! There are two nice parks in McBride, but, given our recent experience, we elected to check into the Beanery, in the old train station, for a veggie sandwich and a cup of vegetable beef soup. Safely contented, we ordered a cappuccino and a mocha to go, and exited the town as quickly as we could!