Medicine Lake
| Medicine Lake | ||
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| Medicine Lake | ||
| Geographical location | Alberta (Canada) | |
| Tributaries | Maligne River | |
| Drain | Maligne River → Athabasca River | |
| Location close to the shore | Jasper | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 52 ° 51 '28 " N , 117 ° 45' 37" W | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 1436 m | |
| length | 7 km | |
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| The lake at low tide | ||
The Medicine Lake is a lake in Jasper National Park in the Canadian province of Alberta , 20 km south-east of the city of Jasper . It lies at an altitude of 1,436 m above sea level , is seven kilometers long and lies in the Maligne Valley - watershed .
The lake is part of the Maligne River , which is naturally dammed between Maligne Lake and Athabasca River at the end of Medicine Lake and drains into one of the largest underground river systems on earth. In the 1970s, researchers used a biodegradable dye to determine the extent of the underground runoff. The dye reappeared in many places in the region. This revealed that the underground system was one of the largest in the world.
The water level of the lake, which is mainly fed by glaciers , fluctuates significantly with the seasons. In summer, when the meltwater inflow exceeds the possible flow rate, it reaches its highest water level.
Since the lake has no visible drainage and its level fluctuates considerably despite the occasional considerable inflow, the First Nation described the lake as "bad medicine", from which its current name was derived.
Along with Maligne Lake , Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake , the lake is one of the region's tourist attractions.
