WE WATCH THE WILDLIFE AND THEY WATCH US: The Miette Hot Springs are Jasper Park’s contribution to relaxation in the Rockies. They are located about an hour’s drive east of the Jasper townsite via Highway 16 and the Miette Road. This drive is a must for anyone interested in “watchable wildlife.” Both roads abound with bighorn sheep and the more elusive mountain goats. The goats are pure white and can be spotted clinging to impossibly steep cliffs. Their white coats stand out startlingly against green grass, but they’re often too far away to photograph well unless you have a very fine camera. The sheep aren’t shy at all and congregate near the road. Watch also for a moose or two, ospreys, and all kinds of waterfowl as well as deer and elk.

The Miette Road leads through a steep-walled valley about 12 miles to the site of the springs. Watch carefully and take advantage of every stopping place. The views are wonderful, and there’s still more wildlife to glimpse.

The area near the springs includes a motel and restaurant, numerous interesting hiking trails, and the springs themselves. Miette doesn’t provide spa services, but a 20 minute soak in the springs is reason enough to make the trip. You can rent towel, suit, and locker for a small fee. There are three outdoor pools: One warm, one very warm, and one “ambient temperature,” which in September meant “really cold.” The pools are large with deeper and shallower areas, and the entire complex is accessible to the disabled.

After our soak, we dressed and enjoyed supper in the full-service snack bar attached to the buildings. They were barbecuing burgers to order on a grill out back, and they also had delicious homemade hot soup and homemade muffins. We were pleasantly tired, relaxed and lazy as we made our way through the resident herd of sheep to get back to our car.

HOW TO PLAN THIS VISIT: If you don’t plan to hike, you can plan this trip around suppertime. Leave Jasper in the late afternoon or early evening, and you’ll be making the drive in prime critter-watching time. Enjoy a blissful soak followed by a simple but good dinner in the snack bar or a more elaborate meal (and perhaps a drink) in the restaurant at the motel next door.