Disappearing Lake, Maligne Valley, Jasper Natl Park, Alberta, Canada
N 52° 52.393 W 117° 48.309
11U E 445808 N 5858470
The Maligne Lake is billed by Parks Canada as one of the top tourist attractions in Canada. This location, called the Disappearing Lake, is touted in their tourist brochures, advertisements & website.
Waymark Code: WMCFHE
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 09/01/2011
Views: 13
The beauty of this location will knock your socks off! The gorgeous lake reflects some of the most rugged and scenic mountains in the world, the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It is a top tourist location, both for independent vacationers and those who vacation by tour bus. This is a highly photographed location, featured in calendars, coffee books galore, travel books and magazines.
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Here is the text from the signs at this roadside attraction, enroute to Maligne Lake.
The Mystery of Medicine Lake
In summer, Medicine looks like any other lake in Jasper National Park. But by October, the lake vanishes, replaced until spring by a shallow stream winding sluggishly across mudflats to a few small pools.
The water's depth varies as much as 20 m through the year. Much of the time, the lake has no visible outlet.
Indians believed the disappearance of the lake was by "big medicine" or magic, and they feared it.
The Mystery Solved
The bedrock in thi part of the Maligne Valley fractured severly during uplift. Rain-water and snowmelt entered cracks and slowly dissolved a network of underground passages. The upper Maligne River sinks into these passages through many openings in the valley floor. In summer, meltwater from snow and glaciers swells the river, exceeding what the underground system can carry. The surplus water, dammed by a massive rock slide to the north, floods the basin and forms Medicine Lake. At the onset of cooler weather in late August, the inflow is less than the drainage into the caves. The lake level drops, exposing the lake bottom unti the cycle begins again the following summer.
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www.canadacool.com/COOLFACTS/ALBERTA/JasperMedicineLake.html
www.jaspertours.net/?event=offer.detail&offerId=6556
www.activitybookers.com/jasper/jasper-sightseeing-tour-maligne-lake-cruise-p-211.html
The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
The attraction’s own URL: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
Daylight
Year around, but in winter the lake is covered with snow.
Admission Prices:
10.00
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Less than 15 minutes
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle or Public Transportation
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