Spirit Island is a small island that sits along the lakeshore of Maligne Lake in Alberta, Canada. It’s prized for its spectacular landscape and photos of the picturesque island circle around the globe for its idealistic landscape.

The island is surrounded by emerald blue glacier waters and flanked by staggering mountains that form a box canyon referred to as the “Hall of Gods.”

Most interesting enough is the vast majority of the year it is not an island as it is connected to the lakeshore.

The island is a spiritual place for the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, who believe mountains are physical representations of their ancestors. The fact that Spirit Island is surrounded on three sides by the same mountain range is very rare and makes it particularly significant to the Stoney.

Artist and explorer Mary Schäffer was the first European to see Maligne Lake in 1908. Although she never mentioned the island, but she called the box canyon where it sits “the Hall of Gods”. In comparing it to another place she knew well, she said “If Lake Louise is a pearl, Maligne is the entire pearl necklace.”

If you are eager to find out more about Mary Schäffer please look at: www.ipernity.com/doc/buelipix/52131404

Danke Alex!

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