| Page Views: 1,137 Last Visit to Jasper National Park: 2001 | Jasper National Park, Canada by sunnywong - last update: Oct 27, 2005 |
About Jasper National Park
Jasper is the largest and most northerly of the four Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks which comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its scenery is rugged, including deeply gouged Maligne Canyon and picturesque Maligne Lake. Thrill to the thunder of Sunwapta Falls; enjoy the serene beauty of glacier- covered Mount Edith Cavell; hike along any of the 1,000 km of trails; or have a relaxing soak in Miette Hot Springs.
Jasper National Park is located 370 km west of Edmonton along Highway 16 and 404 km northwest of Calgary via the Trans-Canada Highway 1 and the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93). The town of Jasper is located in the middle of the park. Vancouver and Edmonton have regular bus and train service to Jasper.
Although traditionally viewed as the second of the Rockies' big four parks, Jasper National Park covers an area greater than Banff, Yoho and Kootenay combined, and feels far wilder and less commercialized than its southern counterparts. Its backcountry is more extensive and less travelled, and Jasper Townsite, the only settlement, is far less of a resort than Banff. Most pursuits center on Jasper and the Maligne Lake area about 50km southeast of the townsite. Other key zones are Maligne Canyon, on the way to the lake; the Icefields Parkway, covered in the previous section; and the Miette Hot Springs region, an area well to the east of Jasper and visited for its springs and trails.
The park's backcountry is a vast hinterland scattered with countless rough campgrounds and a thousand-kilometre trail system considered among the best in the world for backpackers. Opportunities for day and half-day hikes, however, are more limited and scattered than in other parks. Most of the shorter strolls from the townsite are just low-level walks to forest-circled lakes; the best of the more exciting day hikes start from more remote points off the Maligne Lake road, Icefields Parkway (Hwy-93) and Yellowhead Highway (Hwy-16).
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scottishvisitor Sun Aug 7, 2005 11:23 UTC
Lovely page on Jasper & great photos - the animals were my favourite thing in Jasper | Ann75 Tue Apr 26, 2005 02:51 UTC
Wonderful page about Jasper National Park. We will be there again this summer after our wedding in Revelstoke. We can't wait to see this beautiful park again. Take care and happy travels! | Vic5 Sat May 31, 2003 20:50 UTC
Thanks for bringing back very fond memories... the Rockies are amazing! | tamirros Mon Dec 16, 2002 03:58 UTC
Hey Sunny, the Athabasca Falls in Jasper N.P. looks great. I missed it !!! |
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