Jasper is one of my ‘soul’ towns. Actually, any place in the mountains will remain in my mind as a place of peace, comfort, happiness and simplicity. Although I haven’t been to Banff and I can’t compare (some people say Banff is way more developed), Jasper is still very much a tourist town with lots of restaurants, souvenir shops and tourist attractions.

The town of Jasper is located inside of the National Park bearing the same name, which means that we had to pay a fee for entering and staying overnight ($9.80 per adult, per day). From the BC entry point, we still about 45 min. drive to the town itself, just to give you an idea of how big the park actually is.

On the way to Jasper, we saw cars pulled over, which usually means that people have spotted an animal. We stopped too, and immediately spotted an elk that was happily eating by the side of the road. I immediately wanted to get out of the car to take better photos, but my better half quickly pointed out the potentially dangerous situation I could get myself into. I wasn’t too happy but I knew he was right. Later on, on our way up the mountain by cable car, I overheard a woman saying that she and her husband had a similar incident, where he wanted to get out of the car to take photos of a wolf…haha.

Once we got into town, we spotted the Information Centre, right across from the train station. it’s a really cute building where on one side they have information agents, and the other a souvenir shop. In the hallway, they have a small display of stuffed wild animals.

Afterwards, we checked into our hotel.  The hotels/ inns in Jasper are overpriced, although it is expected for a tourist town. Rates per night begin at around $180, so staying a few nights can really put a dent in your wallet. We were a bit worried that it was located at the north end of the town, but getting around ended up being really easy, either by walking or driving (you will always find a parking space). 

The restaurants are decently priced compared to Toronto prices. We mostly did our own grocery shopping and ate in our room, except for one night when we tried a Greek restaurant close to the train station, called L&W. The food was really good, and they offered a variety of meal options, not just Greek food. the town offers a variety of other restaurant options, including steakhouses, Japanese, Italian and pub food. Since Alberta is ‘steak’ country, I would suggest you try the steak wherever you go in town.

Anyone who has spent some time in the mountains knows that the weather can be fairly unpredictable. One of the days we were there it was raining on and off. There were periods of time where the clouds were so low that you could barely see the mountains anymore.

During one of the clear periods, we took a chance and embarked on the Tram (cable car) which takes you up the mountain to the Whistlers ($30.95 per adult). The view from up there was spectacular! There is a souvenir shop and a little café at the top where you can sit down and enjoy the view -although be warned that the whole place shakes as the cable cars come and go.

Even though it was the beginning of June, it was snowing up there. Take this as a word of caution to take a jacket when you decide to go up that high, regardless of the time of year.

Next we decided to go to the Hot (Thermal) Springs. this is perhaps one of the best activities to do when it is raining. If you’re going to get wet being outside, might as well make the best of it. We drove about 45 min. to get there from Jasper. Follow the highway towards Edmonton for about 20 min. and then the rest of the way you are climbing up the mountain on a narrow road.

For us, getting there was quite the adventure. The rain and melting snow was coming down quickly off the mountains, and we got to certain parts of the road that were starting to flood and others where stones were falling on the road from the side of the mountain. The whole time I was thinking ‘ well at the least the end point will make this all worth it’. Well, no luck for us! When we got there, the Springs were closed because the power had shut down.

So we made our way back into town, rushing through the mountain passes hoping that rocks would not fall on our car. We decided to visit the Fairmont hotel’s grounds (Fairmont Park Lodge). It is not located in town, but about 10 minutes away by car. It’s quite far to walk into town, although I saw some people biking there from the hotel. The layout of the grounds is quite interesting. Aside from the main building, there are little cottages scattered throughout the resort. They are a little rustic, although most people find this to be a charming factor. Guests have access to boats, bikes, horseback riding, swimming pool, golfing and more (extra cost of course).

The lake behind the hotel is just breathtaking when the sun shines. Since the bottom is rocky and there is no sand, the water is clear, albeit very cold as well since it comes straight from the mountain.I could go on and on, about the things to see and do in Jasper.

We also went to the Pyramid and Patricia Lakes which are close to town and where you can take some really beautiful photos while walking along the lake with the mountains in the background.

We also saw the Athabasca Falls, a short trip from Jasper where we spent about an hour. Although the Falls are not necessarily impressive if we were to judge it by the height of its fall, the power of the rushing water squeezing through a narrow gorge does the trick. Several walls and potholes were created for years by the sheer force of the water. Really interesting.

Overall, Jasper was a really nice, calm place to visit. If you have a bit more time than we had (we only stayed 3 days), I recommend that you do the drive between Jasper and Banff for some of the most amazing views. There are also several places where you can stop and enjoy the scenery so plan on driving for more than the 4 hours that Google gives you.

Next time, we also plan on doing the Glacier Adventure. Located 60 min. south of Jasper on the way to Banff, the Columbia Icefield Centre offers tours that take you up all the way up the mountain, offering adventures like us a chance to walk on a real glacier 🙂

Gallery:  https://cris2travel.wordpress.com/canada/alberta/jasper/