The picture of the elk was taken seconds before he charged the truck. My window was down. We were trying to get past the line of tourists parked outside of Jasper, AB. It was rutting season. As we tried to sneak past, this bull was not having it. He started to charged, kicked up a bunch of gravel, but luckily stopped before he rammed the truck. My takeaway – don’t mess with a bull elk when he’s trying to get some.
In general though, Alberta and the National Parks around Jasper and Banff are well worth the visit. When I think about Canada, I tend to focus on the coasts (BC, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes). I was honestly blown away with what Alberta has to offer in terms of outdoors activities. Keep your distance from the animals though.