top five in Jasper
 

Hello,

I was wondering what everyones top five things they did when they stayed in Jasper. (or in the area) we will be staying for four full days.

I am doing research for our trip this summer and just thought I would throw this out there.. when I searched this site I found one post that went back to 2006. Please advise if any activities need to be reserved in advance for August.

thank you for your help.
Vivian

My list of top five things to do in Jasper:

1. Drive south on the Icefield Parkway to the Columbia Icefield. You can take the Snocoach for a tour of the glacier, and/or you can walk from the Interpretive Centre to the toe of the glacier (which gets further and further each year as the glacier melts away).

2. Take the gondola (Jasper Tramway) to the top of Whistler's Mountain (not to be confused with Whistlers near Vancouver). At the upper terminal at 7500 feet above sea level there's a gorgeous view to the north and west. You may even see Mount Robson (an hour's drive west of Jasper town). You can also walk to the very top of Whistler Mountain for an even better view.

3. Drive to Maligne Lake and take the cruise to Spirit Island. The drive itself can be interesting because there usually is a lot of wildlife along the road, especially near Medicine Lake, where you may see bears and moose, and will definitely see bighorn sheep.

4. Mount Edith Cavell and Angel Glacier - take the rocky walk to the lake being formed by the melting glacier, see many ground squirrels and Clark's nutcrackers, even walk up the switchback to the meadow which in July is teeming with brighly coloured alpine flowers.

5. Go white water rafting on the Athabasca River. There are several outfits that run "rafts" along the river (May to September) where you can get splashed with icy mountain water while enjoying a exciting ride!!

I'm not sure that you really have to book anything too much in advance, although I would check before getting to Jasper for the Maligne Lake cruise, the white water rafting, and the Snocoach on the glacier (check whether they are busy and how much in advance booking is needed; in our experience we've never booked anything in advance and haven't had any problems).

Hope this helps.

Borealis,
Yes, it has helped us out a lot! Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Vivian

Take an afternoon trip out to soak in the Miette Hot Springs.

Nice list that helps me get started with planning for our Jasper trip. Thanks a great deal Borealis.

Thanks for posting this - very helpful for our upcoming trip! :-)

Borealis nailed it.

One other trip, drive westward to Mt. Robson provincial park and hike the Kinney Lake trail as far as you can go.
If the weather is clear, the view upwards from the south side of the lake gives you a clear view of the upper slopes.

From where you are to the top is 10,000 vertical feet, in round numbers. Robson measures 3,954 meters above sea level, which converts to about 12,972 feet.

Also as you go south along the parkway toward the Columbia Icefields Center, there are Athabasca Falls, a series of roaring cascades in the summer as melt water pours over them.

If you are interested, there are some other not so well known gems along the parkway as well.

bob_brown, I would love to know some of the hidden gems, we are travelling to Mt. Robson from SK and staying there for 2 days. The other ideas have helped too.