Mount Robson Provincial Park lies about 100 km west of Jasper and is located in British Columbia. Mount Robson is often confused as the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies but it is actually second to Mount Logan in the Yukon. Mount Robson's eco-system is quite different from the systems in Jasper, Banff and Yoho. The mountain is so high that it provides its own weather system, as does Mount Assiniboine. There is a great deal of precipitation in the area, which is reflected in the undergrowth, which resembles a rain forest.
While the mountain appears close to the road, the Mount Robson trail to Berg Lake is some 20+ kilometres. Strong hikers can make it in a day up to Berg Lake and is well worth a visit. I went up to Berg Lake twenty-one years ago with my wife and children. According to the Rangers, they had never seen such young children at Berg Lake-our youngest was three. We took three days to hike up to Berg Lake. Once we reached this destination we stayed for an additional seven days. The trail is one of the best maintained and most traveled in the Rockies.
The glacier at Berg Lake is advancing in contrast to the retreating glacier at the Columbia Icefields. Huge pieces of the glacier calve off and tumble into the lake which sounds like a sonic boom. Hence the name, Berg Lake. Photographs of the Vaux family on the glacier are displayed at the Whyte Museum in Banff. Further information at the museum details work the Vaux family have done in relationship to glaciers throughout the Rocky Mountains and is worthwhile checking out.
Mike Montana
