Wild, Wonderful Jasper

Our Journey’s end…

Closing out our 2023 roadtrip season with Jasper. This was part of a larger trip, starting with Glacier National Park in Montana, followed by Banff and finally a trip up the Icefield Parkway to Jasper. As this was the tail end of a 2 week vacation, our approach to experiencing Jasper could be described as lackadaisical. There is a benefit to approaching a visit without the pressure to check boxes, and it seemed to fit the slower pace that seemed to permeate in this remote jewel of wilderness.

Planning Tips

There are a number of different lodging options in and around Jasper – but make your plans way in advance! We opted to stay in an AirBnB in Hinton, which was nice and had some perks (in this case a Walmart , where we were able to replace a lost charging cable), but it was a 45 minute drive north of Jasper

Expect to see wildlife! We saw such a variety, most of it alongside the road while making our trips to and from Hinton (so, north of Jasper) – remember to keep your distance (a camera w/ a zoom lens is a big help)

You’ll need a valid park pass in your vehicle

As always, factor in the time of day when considering stopping at certain attractions if parking and foot traffic is a concern for you

Jasper

At the far end of the Icefield Parkway, the small town of Jasper was a fun place to visit.

We originally arrived around noon on the day we left Banff and we used the time to have lunch and explore the town before heading on the Hinton where we would be staying the next 3 nights.

Out and about in Jasper…

Whistler’s Inn, we had lunch in the pub around the corner

More Mystery Machine vibe than camper van

Jasper/Hinton Corridor

It no doubt sounds crazy to have our home base be a 45 minute drive from Jasper, as this translated to an extra hour and a half on the road every time we ventured out, on top of however far away the destination was beyond Jasper.

For us, this really wasn’t problematic as we often have 3-4 hours of driving on any given day on our roadtrips. Sometimes, that’s just getting from one location to another and other times, it’s just the travel tax we pay to have a single base of operations over the course of several days.

With that rationalization out of the way, the drive from Hinton to Jasper, back and forth on the Yellowhead Highway, was gorgeous and having the benefit of seeing it multiple times gave us the opportunity to really soak it in. It was not wasted time, but just another way of immersing in our surroundings – and it’s also where we saw the majority of the wildlife (more on that up next)

Wildlife

Out of this whole trip (inclusive of Glacier National Park & Banff) it was up around Jasper that we saw the most wildlife. All of these were captured while traveling by car and our trusty zoom lens.

Elk predominated and the rut was starting so we heard a fair amount of bugling bucks.

Jasper “Destinations”

Apart from randomly driving around, we did have a few planned visits to specific destinations while up there. Honestly, we barely scratched the surface of everything there is to see there. This was the tail end of a 2 week trip, and we were running out of ‘go-go’ steam.

What we did hit was pretty damned awesome, even if it was just really one day’s worth of awesomeness: Maligne Lake, Maligne Canyon and the Valley of Five Lakes (with an early morning start, we hit all three by lunch time)

Maligne Lake

Our first stop of the day, we hit the road early to get there around 7am.

Before you get to Maligne Lake, you’ll hit Medicine Lake, which was itself very beautiful in a stark, wild way and we actually stopped for some photos both on the way in and out.

Maligne itself was gorgeous and we enjoyed the cold, quiet environment while visting. We followed a trail around the shoreline for a bit to get away from the lodge and docks near the parking lot. Manifesting serenity and all that.

We also had a little wildlife action, with some funny little bird (grouse?) and a moose and calf we passed on our way out.

We never fail to be amazed of the views. Come for the Lake, but never leave the mountains.

Maligne Canyon

This was literally a “it’s on the way, why not?” stop. Heading out of Maligne Lake, we saw the sign and it was still early, so we stopped.

A short hike from the parking lot takes you to a very narrow but very deep slot canyon. It was very neat, but hard to capture in photos. Peaking over the guardrail to peer into the canyon was a little vertigo inducing.

Valley of Five Lakes

This was a fun one. An attraction on the Icefield Parkway only 15 minutes south of Jasper, we hit it as part of our stay here so we could put the time into a hike.

An easy 3 Mile/5km trail, with the trailhead parking right on the Icefield Parkway, it will take you around all five lakes and then back to the start.

It got pretty busy by the time we hit the last lake, which made it pretty challenging to actually see anything through the throng. There were also reports of a disturbed yellow jacket nest on the way back, and Corinne got stung on her backside.

Adventures in Dining

A quick summary of our culinary experiences while visiting Jasper…

Whistle Stop Pub

Our first stop in Jasper for lunch. Pool tables and an eclectic, divvy vibe (advertising drag shows and wild fixtures in the men’s room). Food was just ok, usual pub fare. John was excited for pierogies, but they were drowning in sour cream.

Folding Mountain Brewery

This was our dinner spot the second day, midway between Jasper and Hinton.

This was casual fare, but very tasty! Excellent beverages, and the fries and chicken sandwich were delicious (we just split everything)

The Raven Bistro

Back in Jasper, lunch spot after our Maligne Lake/Five Lakes morning.

They had a great burger and cocktail menu, and everything was delicious. 10 out of 10, would recommend. We were too busy devouring everything to stop and take a picture of it…although John did snag a picture of the decor (his raven obsession)

Afterwards, John was craving Ice Cream. Despite the picture, he was very happy about it.

Stone Peak Restaurant

Located at the Overlander Mountain Lodge, this was our one fancier dining experience while we were in Jasper. Corinne had booked this before the start of the trip.

The food and atmosphere were great, and we were able to step outside and enjoy the deck and views outside after dinner.

This was the last night we were in Jasper, and we would be checking out of our Hinton AirBnB early the following morning to start the track back down the Icefield Parkway and on to a night in Calgary before we flew home.

There is so much more to do and see in Jasper. We would have loved to been able to canoe to Spirit Island on Lake Maligne and done more hiking. While Banff is beautiful, Jasper is less touristy and has a more relaxed vibe – along with an abundance of wildlife. We hope to make it back someday.

Some takeaways…

Because we were so focused on all the famous Banff destinations, we neglected investing in more robust planning for Jasper. Put some time into it!

In a hypothetical Jasper focused trip, we would likely have had more of an appetite to stay closer to Jasper itself (and paid more), but we were trying to reign in costs for the back leg of this trip