The largest park in
Canada’s Rockies, Jasper National Park is sprawled across the eastern slopes of the mountains, a place of valleys, glaciers, forests, alpine meadows and rivers. Jasper looks and feels far wilder and less commercial than Banff, and the town at its heart, also Jasper, is more relaxed and less resort-y than Banff too. Home of some of North America’s healthiest populations of bears, moose and elk, if you want to get lost in the wilderness, some of Jasper’s thousands of miles of trails are the place to do it.
Established in 1907, the national park protects abundant wildlife, colossal icefields and towering mountains, sparkling blue lakes and tracts of evergreen forest. Big name sights include Miette Hot Springs, Maligne Canyon, Maligne Lake and Spirit Island. It is also the world’s second largest dark sky reserve. As well as sky-filled night skies, which you can explore at the Jasper Planetarium, you may be lucky enough to spot the northern lights. For those who like vertiginous views, hop on the Jasper SkyTram (March to late October), which soars over 1,000 metres above Jasper Town and Athabasca Valley and is Canada’s longest and highest cable car, or step out onto the thrilling Columbia Icefield Skywalk over the Sunwapta Valley. Glorious in any season, it is winter that Jasper National Park turns into a wonderland, with snowy canyon walks, ice skating and snowshoeing.
