I did the Jasper Wildlife and Sightseeing tour with Maligne Adventures through Viator. It was a…read more6-hour tour that went through a number of spots such as Jasper National Park, Medicine Lake, Maligne Lake and a few others I honestly can't recall from memory. I won't give too much away regarding the itinerary but we did run into some wildlife. Along the way we encountered Osprey, Eagles, Deer, Elk, Baby Big Horned Sheep and it was fascinating to watch them in their habitat. Binoculars are recommended but if you don't bring your own, the tour bus supplies a few free of charge, for convenience. Our tour guide was engaging and funny. I learned a lot about the devastating 2024 Jasper wildfire and how the town has recovered since then. There is so much backstory that the local and national news didn't cover. It was an added bonus that our tour guide (who is local) gave us the real feel, behind the scenes experience of what happened to him and what he encountered on that fateful day. We did minimal walking making this tour ideal for those who prefer lighter activity. Overall, this is a good tour to add to your itinerary and I would recommend taking this tour if you have 2-3 days to spare in Jasper.

White Water Rafting trip was a10/10 Tyler's expertise…read morenavigating our raft made the rafting trip super terrific. Beautiful scenery, class 2 rapids were great. Staff was knowledgeable, considerate and fun. Definitely a must do with this group while in Jasper!

Stopped at Medicine Lake as part of our Rocky Mountaineer Raily adventure. We stopped for a view…read moreof the lake (which was still pretty low), along with some of the local wildlife. These included some Long Horn Ram, and Bald Eagles. All around this area you can see the devastation from last year's fire. Still plenty of beautiful views.

In Jasper National Park on the way to the popular Maligne Lake, you may spot Medicine Lake. It…read moredepends on the time of year because it's also known as the disappearing lake. 5 stars - Unique find. During the summer, glacier melt waters flow into the lake area. In fall and winter the lake disappears, becoming a mudflat with scattered pools of water connected by a stream. The water disappears because of the unique underground draining system where the water flows down the Maligne Canyon. In the summer, with all the melt, it just can't drain fast enough. They say that the Aboriginal people called it Medicine Lake because of its seemingly magical powers. 5 stars - Location. Off of highway AB16, take Maligne Lake Road. It's a windy road in some spots, but you're driving along a canyon in a forest. Sit back and enjoy the view. I went on a rainy day so maybe that added to the mystical feel of this place. It was so calming.

This review is for the chalet restaurant. It has a beautiful view and you can sit at your table for…read morea long time enjoying your food or tea and they won't bother you to leave. Food excellent. Menu is small but mighty. Full bar. The most adorable washrooms ever. They also serve tour groups but in a separate dining area, buffet style.

A very wonderful, scenic must-see spot to visit in Jasper. I thoroughly enjoyed going to Maligne…read moreLake, as there's lots to do, such as a nice boat cruise that you can take (reserve online in advance) along with multiple hiking trails (Moose Lake & Bald Hills loop, etc). There's also a convenient cafe, gift shop, waffle/gelato shop and a nice restaurant (Maligne Lake Chalet) available in the surrounding area. Note: there's no cell reception, limited wifi available though. The 90-minute, scenic boat cruise is worthwhile! The cost is a bit steep, so book early! You can enjoy some awesome views from the water and briefly visit another area where you can see Spirit Island. Kat and Clara were our guides/captain and they were both so great! Kat is so friendly and welcoming, and she did a very good job explaining the history and significance of the area. Definitely recommend! You can really spend a full day exploring around Maligne Lake. We were only there for about 5.5 hours, but it was a pleasant experience and luckily the weather was great too. I'd also suggest having lunch at Maligne Lake Chalet, it was flavorful and delicious and our server, Patrick was helpful and kind. The waffle/gelato hut is a good place to stop after hiking, and while it is a bit pricey, the gelato was quite tasty & refreshing! Please keep in mind, Maligne Lake is a busy, popular place and parking can be a challenge. We arrived around 11:30am and had to circle around a few times before finding a place to park. There is overflow parking (smaller in size, slightly up the hill) in case you can't find a spot in the main lot. Overall, Maligne Lake is wonderful place to visit and is definitely worth visiting while in Jasper.

I took the 3.5 hour drive from from Canmore to Jasper to visit the Columbia Icefield Discovery…read moreCenter. It was here where I got a ticket to tour the Athabasca Glacier via their Ice Explorer. The Ice Explorer is a massive all-terrain vehicle designed specifically for traversing glacial ice. There are 23 Ice Explorers in the entire world and 21 of them are here in Jasper while the other 2 are in Antartica and New Zealand. The Athabasca Glacier covers a little over 2 square miles but despite its size, the Athabasca Glacier is an impressive sight to behold. Information on the actual vertical thickness of the ice varies depending on source but per Wikipedia the glacial ice is roughly 300-980 ft thick. Given that it seems safe enough to drive/walk through, guides mentioned that the glacier is losing about 16 feet per year due to climate change. If you do visit the Athabasca Glacier, make sure to follow the signs telling you where it's safe to walk. Glacial Crevasses are deep, unstable cracks in a glacier. Per Wikipedia and the antarticglaciers.org websites: "The presence of water in a crevasse can significantly increase its penetration. Falling into glacial crevasses can be dangerous and life-threatening. Hypothermia is often a cause of death when falling into a crevasse." "In temperate valley glaciers, crevasses are frequently no more than 20-30m deep. Crevasses may be deeper in cold, stiff glaciers. Water can create extra pressure, making crevasses deeper when they are water-filled." Adhere to the marked areas (yellow and red signs) where it's unsafe to cross over. Unless you are certain of what you're doing, don't be stupid and attempt to cheat death. Lastly some websites and vloggers may state that it's safe to drink glacier water. Don't do it. Glacier water is not a pure source. It's comprised of Rock Flour. Rock flour per the National Snow and Ice Data center is: "A fine powder of silt- and clay-sized particles that a glacier creates as its rock-laden ice scrapes over bedrock." It's uncertain how long we will have the Athabasca glacier given that half of its volume was lost in the last 125 years. Awareness and reduction of further erosion is crucial to preserve the continuity of this precious landscape. If you are able to make the trek out to Jasper, enjoy and appreciate the beauty of this glacier while it still exists. It's one of the rare gems this world has to offer.

Athabasca is one of the many glaciers located in the massive Columbia Icefield. Athabasca glacier…read morehas definitely lost a lot of mass over days, months and years. One of those factors is climate change. Many thanks to Columbia Icefield Adventure for tickets, tour guides speaking while operating Ice Explorer, and allowing the public an opportunity of glacier experience. I first stepped foot in September 2009, autumn season, having more space to walk around, was in awe of laying on powdery snow, being able to bring my water bottle, and sample a little of glacier water. Fast forward to July 2026, peak of summer, shocked by differences in appearance, limited areas to walk, signaled by red flag boundaries, slush ice, mixture of history, science, geography, geology, physics, and conservation. I was elated. Now I'm sad. My only regret was not returning sooner.

One of my tour guides at the Columbia Field Skywalk recommended I visit Athabasca Falls as one of…read moremy stops so on my return trip from Jasper back to Canmore, I spent some time here. Athabasca Falls is not a tall waterfall however the raw power of the falls is impressive. I was on a viewing platform at least 50 meters above the base and I felt like I was getting showered by the mist because the waterflows were that strong. The trail loop is doable and not strenuous of a walk if you're able bodied. It's definitely worth the visit.

Strong and powerful! Able to feel the force of spray and mist from Athabasca Falls on Upper Canyon…read more Explore and view behind the guardrails. Consider different vantage points, height, distance, and depth.

Visited Miette Hot Springs recently and it was a pleasant and fun experience! The drive up to the…read morehot springs is scenic, and it is a wildlife corridor, so you may see some beautiful wildlife on the way. The Hot Springs consist of 4 outdoor pools ranging from 104 degrees Fahrenheit to about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. It can be busy, but they have extended hours (generally 9am to 11pm during the summer season). The locker room area is clean and well-maintained, they have multiple showers, and several changing stalls, along with numerous lockers. The entry fee is $19.75 CAD (approximately $14 USD) and it includes a locker token. You can also rent towels and swimsuits at the front desk, if needed. Customer service was friendly and helpful. I had asked a lifeguard some questions about the different pools and suggestions on the amount of time to spend in each, and he was responsive & happy to answer. I will say that it is important to bring a change of clothes, sandals , and water/something to drink while at the hot springs. It's essential to stay hydrated while you're in the higher temp pools. Also, they don't allow visitors to wear shoes in the locker rooms, so you will need to switch to clean sandals before entering or possibly walk in barefoot or with socks on. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and stayed about an hour before driving back to town. Just a note: the roadway to the hot springs is quite windy/ sort of narrow and two brief sections are only 1-lane due to ongoing construction. However, Miette Hot Springs was a great place to relax and unwind after a long day of sightseeing & hiking. Definitely recommend visiting if you're able to!

I had an amazing afternoon relaxing at the hot springs and enjoying the mountain views! The water…read moreis naturally heated by the hot springs. There are two cold plunges of different temperatures and two hot pools also of different temperatures. The admission cost is reasonable and you can also rent a towel.

The Valley of the 5 Lakes is a 3 mile loop trail near Jasper. It's considered a moderately…read morechallenging route, it takes an average of 1 1/2 hours to complete. This is a very popular area for hiking, mountain biking & paddle sports, we encountered other friendly people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are June through October. Dogs are welcome, but must be leashed. Before starting out on the trails, there's a trailhead sign listing hikes with information. The short hike took me past all 5 spectacular lakes. 4th Lake was terrific! Here the waters were clear, clear green and the reflection of the forest trees onto the waters was like a painting from some professional artist! I mean, really, I was loving this 4th Lake. Stunning! 3rd Lake - my favorite lake! The reflection here again...was this unreal, futuristic aspect where the mountainside surrounding the lake converged down towards the middle and the reflection was symmetrical. You got both angles of the trees coming at you from both sides. And while walking above this 3rd Lake, the center of it was dark green with a light blend of turquoise green on the outer sections of it. It was too good to be true! I was impressed! 2nd Lake was sort of a downer. Weird. Out of nowhere coming across this lake, it was like a pale brownish. But still, it was clean enough at the bottom to where you could still see the reflections of the trees. So, ultimately, it wasn't too colorful, but the reflections were good enough. And honestly, it was sort of a nice change of pace from the rest of the others. Finally 1st Lake. This had the best coloring in terms of real good turquoise blue but just unfortunately the trees overtook the perspectives from the trail. If they only did some maintenance around it...1st lake would be everyone's favorite, lol. 1st Lake is the biggest of them all and will take you the longest amount of time to navigate around.

We put this hike off til last as the parking lot was packed on our previous passes. We stopped in…read morearound 7pm & there were only a few other cars. We took it slow in hopes of catching the sunset & ended up clocking about 3.6mi on our counters before exiting around 10pm. There were plenty of mosquitoes, you may want to take repellent if they tend to like you. (I get bitten but the hubs isn't as tasty, apparently.) Don't go in expecting a flat trail. While most of the trail is relatively level, there are some climbs (complete with signs to warn of steep hills), no matter which way you go. We logged 568ft of total elevation gain. We opted to go counterclockwise (going right at the loop) & would do it the same direction again, if we repeat the trail. What you will see for colors, reflections & water clarity will depend on lighting, wind & weather.

Jasper National Park is amazing. They have beautiful lakes and rivers, animals, and shops…read more Admission to the park was easy. You stop at the gate at the entrance of the park. The friendly ranger will ask you questions like how many days you will be staying and then give you a price. Everything was done by credit card. The transaction was easy peasy. They had lakes of all shapes and sizes. There was a roadside lake that I stopped at that was turquoise in color. We visited Maligne Lake with its azure colored waters. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to the lake to get tickets to their boat ride to Spirit Island. Animals weren't seen until my last day there when I spotted bighorn sheep. The town of Jasper was the major hub in the park with lots of shops, restaurant and a nice visitor center. You could buy all the souvenirs that want. There was a recent wildfire that burned part of the town in Jasper and some of the sites. Maligne Canyon was still closed. This is an beautiful place to visit if you like the outdoors.

Jasper National Park he's just stunning and so vast. Unfortunately, a lot of the Park has been…read moredevastated by last year raging wildfires. The community is working hard to recover and the area needs all the tourism that it can get. You can see the result of the wildfires damage from about 30 miles outside of Jasper town. It's truly heartbreaking to see. We need to support the people & their businesses. They said there are many areas 30 miles outside of Jasper town that are intact & stunning. Go visit... it's amazing