Summer Information For Jasper In Alberta






Jul 4, 08

Jasper
Alberta

In the Middle of Canada's Largest National Park

Jasper is located right in the center of Jasper National Park, Canada's largest National Park. The town site serves as a visitor center for the park, but the first permanent inhabitants arrived here in 1811.

In 1911, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was putting down track toward Yellowhead Pass and the town of Jasper was started up. The name came from Jasper Hawes, a longtime clerk at a fur brigade way-station in Jasper Park in the 1800s.

The park, founded in 1907, is one of the largest natural areas in North America encompassing over 4,200 square miles of territory and positively teeming with wildlife.

Thanks to Jasper's exemplary preservation practices, much of the park still looks the same as it did in the early 1800s. Visitors may spot black and grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, moose, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, coyotes ormountain goats, not to mention the hundreds of bird species found in Jasper as well.

The Jasper Tramway takes visitors up to the Whistler's Mountain Upper Station, at an altitude of 7,496 feet. The breathtaking views of six mountain ranges, glacial fed lakes, and the historic Athabasca River are well worth the trip. Several hiking trails, starting at the Station, lead to the summit and afford even more unprecedented views of Canada's spectacular mountain scenery

Enjoy the Waters

Area lakes offer ample opportunities for recreation. Lake Edith and Lake Annette, 3.6 miles from Jasper, have swimming, sandy beaches, grassy areas and several trails for hiking or biking. Lee Foundation Trail is wheelchair accessible and bike friendly.

Patricia and Pyramid lakes offer fishing, boating, windsurfing, canoeing, sailing, hiking and horseback riding. For hikers wishing to get way out into the wilderness, heli-hiking trips are available in the Caribou Mountains, where hikers can walk through alpine meadows and view glaciers close up.

The Jasper area is great for rafting as well. The Athabasca River and the Sunwapta have relatively tame rapids that will add the perfect amount of excitement to a relaxing float downriver. Guides give tours of Alberta's longest river, the Athabasca, which include descriptions of the natural and social history of the area. White Water Rafting is also available on the Maligne River, adding heart-pumping adrenaline to any Jasper visit.

Golfers can try their luck on the greens and fairways of the Jasper Park Golf Course, situated against a majestic mountain backdrop on this challenging 18-hole, par 71, world-class course, designed by Stanley Thompson.

Other Attractions

The Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives gives visitors a greater look into the area's history. The museum depicts Jasper's history through photographs, documents, maps and recorded tapes.