The northernmost point on Hwy-93, at the junction of the Icefields Parkway with the cross-country Yellowhead Highway (Hwy-16), which links Edmonton with Prince Rupert, the town of Jasper (pop. 4,800) preserves its frontier character intact. Unlike Banff, which exudes wealth and comfort, Jasper (which became an incorporated entity only in 2001, and is officially referred to as “Town of Jasper” to differentiate it from Jasper National Park) is a rough-and-ready, workaday sort of place. Founded on fur-trading and mining, Jasper boomed when a cross-Canada railroad came through in 1911, but since the establishment of the national park in 1930, Jasper has served primarily as a handy base for exploring the wilds that surround it.
The park’s main attractions are covered below under the Jasper National Park heading, but a few others are located very close to town. First and foremost of these is probably the Jasper Tramway (daily; $C21; 780/852-3093), which lifts passengers 3,500 vertical feet (1,067 meters) up the steep north face of the Whistlers in under 10 minutes. From the upper terminal of the tramway, you can follow a half-mile (.8 km) path to the 8,100-foot (2,468-meter) summit for a breathtaking panorama south to the Columbia Icefield, and (on a clear day) northwest to Mt. Robson, the highest point of the Canadian Rockies, at 13,006 feet (3,964 meters) above sea level.
The other big draw is Maligne Canyon, a 100- to 150-foot-deep (30- to 46-meter) limestone canyon that’s so narrow in places that squirrels can leap from rim to rim. Trails lead around and across it, and in winter you can join an unforgettable guided tour ($C40; 780/852-5595) and wander along the bottom of the narrow, ice-covered gorge. Beyond Maligne Canyon is one the prettiest lakes in the Canadian Rockies, Maligne Lake. Hiking trails lead along the shore and to panoramic viewpoints, but it is the cruise ($C35; 780/852-3370) to Spirit Island that attracts most visitors.
Jasper’s compact center, sandwiched between the west bank of the Athabasca River and a wide bench of land dotted with forest-encircled lakes, holds all the cafés and gift shops you could want within a block of the main drag, Connaught Drive. The Soft Rock Cafe (780/852-5850), at 632 Connaught Drive, has cinnamon buns, great fresh-fruit waffles, and anything else you need to start the day off right; Jasper Pizza Place (780/852-3225), two blocks north at 402 Connaught Drive, has wood-fired ovens and walls covered in photos of Jasper in the early days. Another lively spot is the bar and grill on the ground floor of the Athabasca Hotel ($C109–149; 780/852-3386) at 510 Patricia Street, which also has Jasper’s least expensive in-town lodging. Jasper’s most expensive place to stay is the Jasper Park Lodge ($C549 and up; 780/852-3301), a grand mountain resort dating back to 1921 but now a mostly modern resort offering 450 rooms, plus golfing and horseback riding, on a lovely site across from town on the other side of the Athabasca River.
Budget travelers may want to take advantage of the hostels around Jasper, including the 80-bed Jasper International Hostel ($C20–25 per person) five miles (eight km) south of Jasper on the road to the Jasper Tramway, and the smaller and more rustic Maligne Canyon Hostel ($C13–18 per person) a short walk from the canyon. Reservations for either hostel, and for other hostels in Jasper National Park, can be made by phone, 780/852-3215. There are also two large campgrounds, Whistlers and Wapiti, along Hwy-93 on the south side of Jasper, with over 1,000 sites altogether, some with RV hookups.
For details on hiking and camping options, or to purchase the required entrance passes and backcountry camping permits, go to the Parks Canada information center (780/852-6176) in a lovely old stone building off Connaught Drive in Athabasca Park; for more-complete information, including listings of rooms available in private homes, talk to the folks at the Jasper visitors center, which shares the space (780/852-3858).
