Jasper National Park – Canada
At more than 2.7 million acres, Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. Originally created in 1907 as the Jasper Park Forest Reserve, it was redesignated as Jasper National Park with the passing of the Canadian National Park Act in 1930. The park’s name originates from a Maryland-born fur trader named Jasper Haws who established a trading post in the area in 1817. Along with Banff National Park, the park is part of UNESCO’s Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. Located about 190 miles northwest of Calgary, Jasper National Park is known for is abundant wildlife, glaciers, and extensive trail network.
The Icefields Parkway (Alberta Highway 93 North) joins the community of Lake Louise in Banff National Park with the town of Jasper in Jasper National Park. Open year-round, this 144-mile double-lane highway offers travelers breathtaking views of soaring rocky mountain peaks, icefields, a variety of wildlife, and vast sweeping valleys. It routinely makes the list for one of the top drives in the world and it certainly has my vote! The views driving along the highway are simply spectacular and the drive itself is easy due to the highway’s route through the glacially formed valleys. The parkway is so named because it passes right by the Columbia Icefield as well as numerous glaciers.
The Columbia Icefield is a surviving remnant of the thick ice mass that once covered most of the Western Canada’s mountains. An icefield is generally much larger than a glacier and it is usually a combination of many glaciers. Covering an area of 125 sq. miles, the Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield in the Canadian Rockies. Nearly three-quarters of Jasper National Park’s highest peaks are located close to the icefield which is ideal for trapping much of the moisture that winds off the Pacific Ocean carry across British Columbia. The depth of the ice in the Columbia Icefield ranges between 328 to 1,198 feet.
Glaciers often form at the edge of icefields and that is the case here at the Columbia Icefield where there are five glaciers. Spilling from the Columbia Icefield over three giant bedrock steps, the Athabasca Glacier flows down the valley and is situated across from the Glacier Discovery Centre. Due to its easy accessibility, the Athabasca Glacier is the most visited glacier in North America. Because of a warming climate, the Athabasca Glacier has been receding or melting for the last 125 years where it has shrunk by about a mile and lost half its volume. Presently, the Athabasca Glacier is losing 16 feet in depth and 30 feet in length annually. The shrinking glacier has left behind a moonscape of rock piles, called moraines, in its wake. Unfortunately, the glacier is forecasted to vanish from the landscape within 50 years.
One of the amazing experiences you can have at Jasper National Park is going on a Columbia Icefield Adventure. Tours depart from the Glacier Discovery Centre which is located on the Icefields Parkway across the street from the Athabasca Glacier. A short bus ride takes you to the base of the glacier where you then board custom-designed Ice Explorer transports. These vehicles have huge tires and special transmissions that allow them to traverse the steep slopes of the road and drive on the glacier itself. Stepping off the Ice Explorer onto the Athabasca Glacier is a unique experience. The surface feels kind of slushy under your feet with harder ice a few inches below the slush. There are numerous streams of crystal-clear glacial melt water that is safe to drink. Guests get to wander around on the glacier for about twenty minutes and snap some amazing photos.
The second part of the adventure is a visit to the Glacier Skywalk which allows guests to take in the power of glacial forces from 1,000 feet above the floor of the Sunwapta Valley. Along the Skywalk attraction there are numerous interpretive displays that teach guests about the geology, ecology, and history of the glacial region. The highlight of the Skywalk is the 1,312-foot-long glass-bottomed walkway that protrudes out of the canyon wall. The glass walkway offers unobstructed views of the snow-capped mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and valley below your feet.
The summer of 2024 was noted for record-breaking temperatures and lack of rainfall in the Canadian Rockies, including Jasper National Park. During the late afternoon of July 22, 2024, a series of fires broke out just south of the town of Jasper that were most likely started by lightning strikes. Strong winds fanned the flames to heights as high as 150 feet and soon the multiple fires merged into one massive blaze known as the Jasper Wildfire Complex. Within an hour of the fires breaking out, evacuations were underway for several of the campgrounds in the national park, including Whistlers Campground where I stayed.
Within a few days, hundreds of firefighters were on the scene along with heavy equipment, aerial tankers, and structure protection equipment for the town of Jasper. Despite all these efforts, the wildfire raged uncontrollably with the fire generating strong convection winds that only accelerated the growth of the fire. Thousands of Jasper residents were ordered to evacuate and the national park was closed as the fire spread. The evacuation order for residents remained in place until August 17, but the fires to the south within the national park continued to burn out of control. Finally, on Sept 7, 2024 Parks Canada announced that the wildfire was under control after it had burned 80,860 acres. The Jasper Wildfire was not declared extinguished until the following spring.
The fire was devastating to the community of Jasper that relies on tourism. Not only did they lose most of their 2024 tourism season, but many homes and business were destroyed on the southern end of the town of Jasper. When I visited in late June 2025, many residents were still living in temporary housing and burnt-out structures had all been razed. Unfortunately, winters in the Canadian Rockies are long and hard so the construction season is somewhat short. It will take years for the community of Jasper to recover.
Jasper National Park also sustained severe damage to the infrastructure of the park, especially to the campgrounds in the popular northern end of the park. Whistlers Campground, the one I stayed in, was completely destroyed with all the buildings and most of the trees lost. Parks Canada did a phenomenal job reconstructing all the buildings and cutting down all the dangerous dead trees in less than a year. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to visit Jasper National Park because as late as November 2024 they were still non-committal to a 2025 camping season. Although it is scared, Jasper National Park remains a beautiful area in the heart of the Canadian Rockies and I am glad I was able to visit.
Pyramid Lake was formed thousands of years ago by retreating glaciers. The lake sits a mere three miles outside the town of Jasper where Pyramid Mountain looms above the lake, making for spectacular views. The lake has been a hub of activity year-round for more than a century where it is poplar with paddlers and anglers; even the occasional swimmer in the frigid water. The lake empties into the Athabasca River via Pyramid Creek, and this flow keeps the waters crystal clear. In the winter, Pyramid Lake is a popular place to lace up your skates and glide across the ice. There are numerous trails in the area including one that crosses a short foot bridge over to Pyramid Island which was a rock outcropping left behind by the glacier. Throughout Canadian national parks you will find red Adirondack chairs placed by Parks Canada which offer great photo opportunities. I found a pair during a hike above Pyramid Lake.
