Where to watch wildlife in winter

Alberta has many great places to get a closer look at amazing animals: Here are just a few

Winter is an exciting time of year for wildlife watching and as my husband and I drove up Maligne Lake Road in Jasper National Park, we were carefully watching for any signs of wildlife.

One of the bellmen at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge told us eight moose were on the road two days earlier and we were hoping to break his record.

We had the camera sitting on the seat between us — just in case. As we rounded a corner, we spotted four moose on the road in front of us. Two females and two males were licking salt off the road and munching on twigs near its edge.

The fluffy white snow made a perfect photo backdrop and we both reached for the camera at the same time.

In many ways, the monochromatic landscape of winter makes wildlife easier to see. Even though you won’t see bears on a winter wildlife safari, other species like elk, deer, moose, bison, coyotes and wolves are very active in winter. It’s fun to get outdoors and go exploring. Here are some of the best places in Alberta to enjoy a winter wildlife safari.

JASPER NATIONAL PARK

Winter wildlife viewing is fantastic in Jasper and Maligne Lake Road is one of the best drives for that. Moose, deer and bighorn sheep are commonly seen along this roadway. Maligne Canyon, Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake are great spots to get out of the car and we stopped to explore each — looking for animal tracks and making a few tracks of our own in the frozen landscape. We spotted elk just outside the Jasper townsite and on the road to Lac Beauvert and the Jasper Park Lodge. The road to Pyramid Lake is also a good place to look for wildlife and you can go skating on the lake or enjoy a sleigh ride around it. It’s common to see bighorn sheep on the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff. If you prefer a guided experience, Sundog Tours offers winter wildlife watching tours in small motor coaches.

BANFF & CANMORE

Look for elk and deer in and around the Banff townsite. Lake Minnewanka Road is a great winter wildlife drive and you might see elk, mule deer, white tail deer, foxes, wolves or coyotes. Bring your skates and you can enjoy a skate on the lake — when the conditions are right. You might also see wildlife on the road leading to Cave and Basin National Historic Site. In the Canmore area, Spray Lakes Road is the No. 1 winter wildlife drive. Look for bighorn sheep, elk, moose, coyotes and cougars. The Canmore Nordic Centre makes a great stop — especially if you enjoy cross-country skiing. The Bow Valley Trail is another great wildlife drive near Canmore and it’s common to see bighorn sheep from the road in winter. Discover Banff Tours offers guided winter

wildlife watching tours in Banff.

ELK ISLAND NATIONAL PARK

About 40 minutes west of Edmonton, Elk Island National Park is home to the densest population of hoofed mammals in Canada. Plains bison, wood bison, elk, moose, mule deer and white-tailed deer are commonly seen in the park in winter. You might also spot coyotes, wolves, lynxes, great horned owls, snowy owls, pileated woodpeckers and other birds. “Winter is a wonderful time for wildlife viewing in Elk Island National Park,” says Brennan

ELK ISLAND NATIONAL PARK Elk Island National Park is home to a dense population of hoofed mammals, including plains bison, wood bison, elk, moose, mule deer and white-tailed deer.

PHOTOS: DEBBIE OLSEN If you’re fortunate, you may see predators on a winter wildlife tour — like this coyote.

Bighorn sheep, above left, can be easier to see in winter than in summer as they move from higher elevations to lower ones. You really have to watch carefully when you’re driving along the Maligne Lake Road. We almost missed this moose and her juvenile, above, crossing a river below the road.