Maligne Lake

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Malign Lake, Alberta
Maligne Lake
Coordinates	52°38′N 117°30′W
Lake type	Oligotrophic
Basin countries	Canada
Max-length	22.5 km
Max-width	1.5 km
Surface area	19.71km²
Average depth	100 m
Shore length¹	45 km
Surface elevation	1,670 m
Settlements	Jasper
¹ Shore length is an imprecise measure which may not be standardized for this article.

Maligne Lake is a popular destination in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The lake is located approximately 50 km (30 miles) south of Jasper townsite, accessible by motor vehicle. Boat trips run to Spirit Island, one of the most famous sights of Jasper National Park.

The lake is fed entirely by glacial water, and is claimed locally as the second-largest such lake in the world, after Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia.

Maligne Lake is approximately 22.5 km long and between 100 and 120 m in depth. It sits at approximately 1,670 m asl. It boasts a resident self sustaining population of rainbow trout and brook trout. The largest rainbow trout in Alberta was caught in this lake (20 lbs, 4 oz.) by means of sportfishing. The record fish was mounted and is currently owned by Currie's Guiding and Tackle, Jasper, Alberta, Canada^[1]. The third largest brook trout in the world was also sportfished from this lake as well and is owned by David Robson of Hinton, Alberta, Canada.

Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park July 2004

The lake was discovered by Mary Schaffer^[2], a female explorer of the region and local icon, after Samson Beaver, a local native, sketched a rough map for her.

Wildlife is surprisingly abundant along this high altitude oligotrophic lake. Grizzly bear, black bear, mule deer, caribou, wolves, moose, and mountain sheep are some of the larger mammals that frequent the lake area during the summer season. Bald eagles and osprey also frequent the area and live off the fish populations.