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Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park

Access

By road

Yellowhead Highway 16, Prince George-Jasper-Edmonton; Icefields Parkway.

By rail

"The Canadian" (VIA Rail: Toronto-Edmonton-Jasper-Vancouver); "The Rocky Mountaineer" (Vancouver-Jasper)

By bus

Brewster Transportation & Tours, from Calgary via Banff and the Icefields Parkway to Jasper

Location

Jasper National Park, with an area of 10,878 sq.

Must-see attractions nearby:
km (4,199 sq. mi.), is the biggest National Park in Canada's Rocky Mountains, a continuation of magnificent mountain scenery, with majestic mountains, glaciers, crystal-clear lakes, waterfalls and narrow gorges, pine woods and, in summer, lovely mountain meadows covered with flowers. Here on the border of British Columbia the snowcapped pyramid of Mount Columbia peaks at 3747 m (12,298 ft) on the edge of the Columbia Icefield (see Icefields Parkway). Some tourist roads to particularly lovely areas also give the motorist easy access to the most spectacular scenery. However large sections of the National Park are being kept in their original state, and can only be reached on foot, by canoe or on horseback.

History

The town of Jasper dates from 1911 when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was built along the Athabasca River to the Yellowhead Pass, although David Thompson had already established a modest little settlement here a hundred years earlier for the North West Company when he was looking for a northern route over the Rocky Mountains in 1811. For fifty years the fur trappers' main route was to lead over the Athabasca Pass. A little monument near Beauvert Lake commemorates "Henry House" (Old Fort Point), a refuge for trappers and the place where they got their supplies.

Jasper House, named after Jasper Hawes who lived here for a long time, was built in what is now the eastern section of Jasper Park in 1813. In the second half of the 19th c. the number of travelers here dwindled until Jasper was visited only by a few adventurers and gold-prospectors, explorers and particular enthusiasts such as the painter Paul Kane or the extraordinary Mary Schäffer, who followed old Indian trails and in 1908 reached Maligne Lake, hitherto unknown.

By 1907 several thousand square miles of wilderness had been designated the Jasper National Park.
Address
Jasper National Park
Box 10
Jasper, AB T0E1E0
Canada
Phone 1 (780) 852-6176
Fax 1 (780) 852-6152
Cost
Family$ 18.00
Adult$ 9.00
Senior$ 7.75
Students$ 4.50
All values are in Canada Dollars
Tips
Camping fees vary.

Related Attractions

Cottonwood Creek
Moose, deer and beaver can be seen in the Cottonwood Creek area, in the early morning or in the evening.
There are some day hikes in the Cottonwood Creek area. Get information from the park office for the latest conditions.
Jasper Tramway
Jasper Tramway is Canada's longest and highest aerial tramway tour into Jasper National Park. It rises 973 m / 3,191ft. Views from the Tramway include the Canadian Rockies and the town of Jasper.

The Jasper Tramway brings passengers up Whistler's Mountain where they are free to walk around at an elevation of 2277 m / 7472 ft. Visitors will find a gift shop and restaurant at the upper station. Plaques offer information on the surroundings and there are also hiking trails at the top.
Address
Jasper Tramway
Box 418
Jasper, AB T0E1E0
Canada
Phone 1 (780) 852-3093
Fax 1 (780) 852-5779
Hours
April 16 to May 28
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Open10:0010:0010:0010:0010:0010:0010:00
Close17:0017:0017:0017:0017:0017:0017:00
May 29 to June 23
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Open9:309:309:309:309:309:309:30
Close18:3018:3018:3018:3018:3018:3018:30
June 24 to August 21
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Open9:009:009:009:009:009:009:00
Close20:0020:0020:0020:0020:0020:0020:00
August 22 to October 11
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Open10:0010:0010:0010:0010:0010:0010:00
Close17:0017:0017:0017:0017:0017:0017:00
Cost
Adult$ 29.00
Child 14 & under$ 15.00
Child 5 & underFREE
All values are in Canada Dollars
Maligne River - Rafting
From June to September, visitors can join in white-water rafting for 11 km (7 mi.) downriver on Maligne River.
Marmot Basin Ski Area
Marmot Basin Ski Resort in Jasper National park is located approximately 20 km (13 mi.) south Jasper on the other side of Whistler's Mountain. Marmot Basin offers some of the best skiing in the vicinity and provides a variety of options for all levels of skiing ability. Views from the hill are spectacular. Unlike the ski hills around Lake Louise and Banff, Marmot Basin Ski Resort sees far fewer tourists and is more of a local's hill. Consequently there are generally fewer line ups.
Address
Ski Marmot Basin
Box 1300
Jasper, AB T0E1E0
Canada
Phone 1 (780) 852-3816
Fax 1 (780) 852-3533
Cost
Adult$ 72.00
Students$ 58.00
Senior$ 58.00
Child 13-17$ 58.00
Child 6-12$ 26.00
All values are in Canada Dollars
Tips
Children aged 5 and under do not pay for lift tickets. Prices refer to lift ticket costs.
Medicine Lake
Medicine Lake, is 6 km (31/2 mi.) long, and appears to have no outflow to speak of at its northern end, yet the water level varies greatly during the course of the year. In late autumn the lake is almost empty, with only a trickle of water meandering between the mud banks on the lake bed, to seep away at the north-east side of the basin. This phenomenon was a mystery to the local Indians, and their medicine men took advantage of it, hence the name Medicine Lake.
Punchbowl Falls
The Punchbowl Falls is a dramatic falls, cascading down a narrow crevasse. The parking area is sign posted along Highway 16, west of Jasper.
Whistlers Mountain
The Jasper Tramway station is about 7 km (41/2 mi.) south of the town of Jasper, near a large campsite on Whistlers Mountain. This mountain tramway goes up Whistlers Mountain, named after the whistling of the marmots which run around here in the summer. There is a good view of Jasper from the mountain station (restaurant) at 2277 m (7473 ft), but it is also well worth walking all the way up to the summit (2464 m (8087 ft)) to take in the magnificent panoramic view.
Hours
April 1 to October 31
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Open8:008:008:008:008:008:008:00
Close18:0018:0018:0018:0018:0018:0018:00
Lake view in Jasper National Park.
Pyramid Lake in Jasper National Park.
Low cloud over the calm waters of Pyramid Lake in Jasper National Park.
An inukshuk in Jasper National Park.
Dome Glacier in Japser National Park.
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