Jasper National Park
★ 4.8🇨🇦 JasperSuggested visit 2-3 daysBest season June to September; winter brings auroras and frozen falls
World HeritageNatureGlacier
The largest national park in the Rockies, where glaciers, lakes and wildlife make up a raw mountain landscape.
Overview
Covering some 11,000 square kilometres, Jasper is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies and joined the World Heritage List in 1984. The Columbia Icefield inside it is among the largest outside the Arctic, with ice explorers driving onto the Athabasca Glacier. Maligne Lake and Spirit Island are the classic shot, and Maligne Canyon, Pyramid Lake and a dark-sky preserve round out the park.
History
Protected from 1907 and made a national park in 1930, it forms part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.
Highlights
- •The Columbia Icefield and ice explorer
- •Maligne Lake and Spirit Island
- •The Maligne Canyon trails
- •The dark-sky preserve
Practical tips
- •The icefield is cold — bring a heavy jacket
- •Summer lodging sells out; book months ahead
Practical information
- Best time
- June-September
- Tickets
- Park day pass about CAD 11
- Opening hours
- All day
- Local food
- Alberta beef, bison burgers, maple desserts
- Getting around
- About four hours by car from Edmonton, or 3.5 hours from Banff along the Icefields Parkway.
- Visa
- A visa or electronic travel authorisation (eTA) is required; apply about a month ahead.
Traveller reviews
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