The Beaver Creek valley is the only forested passage through a 100 km mountain wall stretching between the Athabasca and Brazeau Rivers, making it an important wildlife corridor in southeastern Jasper National Park.
Hikers venturing forth to Beaver Lake (1.6 km) or Summit Lakes (4.6 km) should make plenty of noise to alert bears of their approach. The trail between Summit Lakes and Jacques Lake (13 km) is a particularly active wildlife corridor and hikers would be wise to travel of groups of four or more and make plenty of noise. Hikers travelling during the moose rutting season (mid-September through October) should choose a different trail.
All this wildlife traffic presents adventurers with an opportunity to take home a custom souvenir – if you carry a plaster track casting kit with you/
Track casting kit
- plaster of paris
- water
- mixing container (I use an old milk carton)
- mixing stick
- strips of cereal box cardboard to make custom sized rings
- tape or paperclips to seal the ring
- a plastic bag to put all the dirty stuff in afterwards
How to make a cast.
- find a nice animal track, preferably on level ground in sandy or moist soil
- clear out any sticks or leaf litter from the track
- build your ring to place around the track, pressing it gently in to the ground
- mix plaster and water
- gently pour plaster in track
- wait
- gently remove track cast and brush off loose dirt
Voila a custom souvenir.
In accordance with Parks Canada’s geocaching regulations no trading items or trackables may be left in this cache.