A summer trip to Jasper National Park
What you need to know when planning a trip to Jasper National Park
At over 11 000 square kilometres, Jasper National Park is the largest of the UNESCO recognized Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks. Jasper remains a peaceful, unpretentious, and quiet tourist town with inspiring scenery and abundant wildlife. Elk can be spotted around the townsite almost any day of the year, bighorn sheep and mountain goats seek the mineral-rich road cuts and bears roam the roads in a desperate search for food. In a world where everything moves fast and attention is short, Jasper seems to live by its own clock. With no cell service or cellular data a few minutes out of town, Jasper is the perfect getaway to leave the worries of everyday life behind and spend a few days reconnecting with nature and loved ones.
The last few years have brought to the attention of many the value and precarious nature of small local businesses. If you want to spend your money wisely and support locally owned and community focused businesses on your trip to Jasper National Park, read on… This article has voluntarily omitted from the lists big corporations and products that do not fit with what we see as a sustainable future for Jasper National Park. You’ll readily find those businesses online.
Where to stay?
Log cabins style accomodation by the Athasbasca river rapids a few kilometres out of town on the Icefield parkway.
Up the Pyramid lake road a few kilometres above Jasper. Beautiful cabins on a cool, quiet emerald lake.
Beautiful log cabin by the Athabasca river 5 minute from town.
Nice cabins on a high embankment overlooking the merging of the Miette and Athabasca river. Live music on site a few nights a week in the summer.
Cabin-style accommodation 2 minutes out of town with a good restaurant on site.
Cabin style accommodation conveniently located a few blocks away from the downtown core
Where to have coffee?
The latest kid on the block. Nice open space with mountain views and a menu focused on fresh produce from independent suppliers. Friendly service!
A lot of locals say they have the best coffee in town. Test the theory.
Lynn makes great coffee, treats, and incredibly well-crafted cakes. A long-time locals favourite!
Sit down venue, great coffee, and an appealing menu for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Another long time local favourite serving a variety of lunch items, snacks and treats from sandwiches to the infamous white chocolate raspberry scone and ice cream.
Conveniently located on your way out of town towards the Icefield parkway. No lineups here, prompt service, great food and drinks.
Where to eat?
Let Estelle, our local food expert, take you on a culinary tour of some of Jasper’s best bites and drinks.
Diverse menu, hearty portions, and great service. Second-floor patio. Fishpot anybody?
Selection of sharing plates and eclectic entrées using fresh ingredients from local farms. Patio. Live music and entertainment a few nights a week.
Mediterranean fusion fare with local flair. Patio. Lunch and happy hour specials. Quality food and great service.
On Trip Advisor’s top 10 restaurants in Canada, Syrahs is the most refined dining in Jasper. Beautifully crafted appetizers, entrees, and desserts paired with an inspiring drink menu all at a reasonable price.
What to do?
People keep coming back to Jasper National Park for our incredible mountain vistas and our abundant wildlife, both of which can’t be truly experienced from town. Make sure you pack your outdoor gear on your visit to Jasper National Park because it is one of the biggest playgrounds in the world.
Hiking and running
A pair of shoes and a little stamina is all you need to experience some of Jasper National Park's wonders. From short easy stroll close to town (Discovery trail, Old Fort Point, Pyramid Belvedere, Maligne Canyon, Lake Annette, Valley of the five lakes) to full day alpine frolics (Sulphur Skyline, Bald Hills, Opal Hills, Whistlers summit, Edith Cavell meadows, Wilcox pass, Parker Ridge), to multi-day backpacking hiking trips (Skyline Trail, Fryatt Valley, Tonquin Valley), Jasper has incredible hiking options for everyone. Read our blog posts on day hiking in Jasper National Park and backcountry hiking in Jasper National Park for more information.
High Sights Guiding (specializes in lodge and hut-based backcountry hiking trips, day trips and custom adventures for fit and advanced hikers)
Biking
Jasper National Park encourages BYOB (Bring your own bike) to explore and discover our trails. Some classic road biking rides include: Pyramid lake road, Edith Cavell before the road opens to vehicles, Marmot basin road, Jasper Skytram road, Maligne lake road, Miette Hot Springs road, 93/93a loop, and the Icefield parkway. Some classic mountain biking rides include: Watertower, Ganges, Magic Ridge, Razorback, Ho Chi Mini, Three Humped Beast, Upper trail 7, Andretti’s/Maligne canyon 7h/Athasbasca river trail, Overlander, Old Fort Point to valley of the five lakes, and five mile bridge to valley of the five lakes.
Rent a bike from…
Climbing/Ice walks/Mountaineering
For those looking for a dose of adrenalin, Jasper has the right stuff for your fix. Rockaboo Mountain Adventures offers daily rock climbing clinics, private rock and mountaineering objectives and daily ice walks on the Athabasca glacier.
Rafting
With rising temperatures in the Spring, the Winter snowpack quickly melts off mountains slopes and rivers swell. The increase in volume and speed of our waterways make for great rafting runs. Hop on a river float of the Athabasca River or paddle your way down different sections of the Athabasca river or Sunwapta river. Surprisingly, rafting is a great all-weather activity as you’re going to be focused on paddling and you’re going to get wet anyway!
Go rafting with…
Water sports (Canoeing/Kayaking/Paddle boarding/Swimming)
Just look at a map, if it’s blue, it’s in! You can put water crafts and swim on most of our lakes and rivers. Mountain lakes and rivers are cold and swift, use necessary precautions before heading out. Here’s a few ideas to get you started.
Canoe down the Athabasca river from Old Fort Point to 12 mile bridge or continue on an overnight trip to Athabasca Island (reservation required). Book a canoe/kayak camping trip to Maligne lake staying at Hidden Cove, Fisherman’s Bay or Coronet Creek (reservation required). Consider renting a voyageur canoe for your group, it is lots of fun!
Kayak down the Athabasca river from Athabasca falls down. Paddle board at lake Edith, lake Annette, Patricia Lake, Pyramid Lake or horseshoe lake.
Combine hiking/running/biking and swimming and create a self-powered route to swim in as many lakes as possible in a day. Why not?
Rent paddle boards from Translucid Adventures at Lake Edith.
Rent different water crafts from Pure OutdoorsThey also offer delivery and pick ups.
Join a guided voyageur canoe trip or rent boats from Wild Current Outfitters.
Sightseeing
If you want to take it slow, you can still have a great time in Jasper travelling around the park and taking in the scenery. Here are a few areas worth checking out: Miette Hot Springs, Maligne lake, Jasper Skytram, Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, the Icefield Centre, the Icefield Parkway.
Wildlife
One of the biggest attractions of Jasper National Park is our diverse and abundant wildlife. As the saying goes: life belongs to those who wake up early and go to bed late. Wildlife is too most often spotted in the early and late quiet hours of the day. The Jasper townsite is the best place to see elk and deer, Maligne lake area is the best place to see moose, Highway 16 East near the transfer station and the Palisades is the best place to see coyotes, continuing to 12 mile bridge is the best place to see bighorn sheep, goat lick on the icefield parkway is the best place to see mountain goats, black bears and grizzly bears roam the ditches along most roads and frequently hang out near the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge golf course, and eagles and ospreys soar over Medicine and Maligne lakes. Cougars, wolves and caribou are elusive and hard to spot. With a plan, a car and two feet, one can be very successful at spotting wildlife in Jasper National Park.
Go on a wildlife tour with…
Photography
Visitors to Jasper National Park all wish to go home with amazing shots of their trip. Why not take advantage of your time here to step up your photography game whether using a cell phone or a full DSLR camera with all the bells and whistles. Learn everything you need to create incredible landscape photography or dive into the incredible world of Mike’s night photography.
Take a photography workshop with…
What about winter?
Several hotels and restaurants close after the October long weekend. The pace slows down to a crawl in Jasper in the late fall and winter and the main attraction is Marmot Basin, our local ski resort and a few events happening throughout the winter such as Jasper in January. If you like the slower pace of winter and can handle shorter days and colder temperatures, Jasper has lots to offer year around.
More resources to help you plan your Jasper National Park vacation
Jasper National Park official website
All Trails (hiking in Jasper National Park)
Trail forks (biking in Jasper National Park)
Gaia GPS (Navigation app with visible public tracks, requires membership to download maps for offline use, )
FatMap (Navigation app with amazing satellite imagery and visible public tracks for specific activities, requires membership to download maps for offline use)
