General information about the National Park
Together with Banff National Park, Kootenay National Park and Yoho National Park, Jasper National Park protects part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Together with the other national parks, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
Number of visitors
Best time to visit: Basically, you can always visit the park between March and October, but in the summer months you have to expect a lot of other visitors. Therefore, we would prefer the spring or autumn.
Our visits:
So far 2 visits: June 1998 and July 2002
Entrance fees and opening hours
- 11.75$/person/day
- Covered by the Discovery Pass*
- Open 24h all year round.
Icefield Parkway
Description: The Icefield Parkway is a 233km long panoramic road between Lake Louise and Jasper. You drive along huge mountains, glaciers, mountain lakes and with a little luck you will also meet some animals.
Our rating: If you are in the area, the Icefield Parkway is a must for us. If you like the mountains you will like it here very much. We drove the Parkway several times and loved it every time. Especially because we were not only allowed to enjoy the beautiful landscape, but also repeatedly met the animals of the park.
Athabasca Glacier
Description: Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal toes of the Columbia Icefield. This is one of the largest ice fields south of the Polar Circle. But also here the global warming is clearly visible, because in the last 125 years the glacier has receded by 1.5km. This can be seen impressively on the marks along the road.
Those who want to take a closer look at the glacier can do so with a tour offered at the Visitor Center. Here you drive with special buses onto the glacier. Since 2014, there is also a skywalk from which you can take a look at the landscape from a lofty height and with a glass floor. Everything you need to know about these activities can also be found at the Columbia Icefield homepage.
Our rating: The Atabasca Glacier is definitely an impressive place on our planet that demonstrates the effects of global warming. We thought the stop here was very interesting. In 1998 we also went on a tour onto the glacier. However, from our point of view, you can save the cost and walk to the of the glacier instead. A short path takes you directly to the glacier tip. We can highly recommend a visit.
Athabasca Falls
Description: The Athabasca Falls are 23m high and are known for the enormous power the water develops here.
Our rating: The waterfalls are a worthwhile stop on the way through Jasper National Park. We were impressed how much force and power water can develop and especially how much noise it makes.
An important and always very fun part are the animals that you can observe in their natural habitat, especially in the national parks. Here around Jasper National Park we were able to spot the animals shown below.
