Attractions
Jasper, Alberta is truly a great travel destination for lovers of Canada’s great outdoors. Smell the crisp alpine air full of the tangy scent of evergreens. Listen to the wilderness sounds under a clear sky full of bright, shining stars. Still, Jasper offers so much more: caribou grazing in the mornings only meters from your campsite, monumental glaciers – check out the Columbia Icefield – that can be reached by hiking and the turquoise Maligne Lake that reflects images like a mirror. Alberta’s scenery is so picturesque in Jasper that every camera shot you snap will look like it belongs on a postcard.
Click here for natural wonders in Jasper, Alberta.
Jasper’s historic Railway Station is an excellent place to start to imagine how travelers were first introduced to the town – it marks the place on the map that Grand Truck Pacific Railway (GTP) chose to divide the Rocky Mountains in 1912. A huge fire burned the station to the ground a decade after, which prompted the construction of the station that still stands to this day. The site, full of pre-World War I English cottages with tiny-paned windows and uncut cobblestone, was anointed a Heritage Railroad Station by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Jasper’s original name was Fitzhugh. But after the GTP president went down with the Titanic, his protégé Fitzhugh fell from favor and was forced to resign his post. The town was then named Jasper in honor of Jasper Hawse, who operated a fur trading post near here called the Jasper House. Canadian Northern Railway also operated a line through Jasper, and after the Great War, it amalgamated with GTP to become Canadian National (CN).
Some tourists on vacation to Jasper are fully satisfied with its spectacular natural surroundings. But, if Alberta’s playground is not enough and you just need to lift some weights or do some pool laps, the town’s recreation facilities more than suffice. If you feel like golfing, the Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course is a must, or if you are looking for something more active try the area’s world-class rafting. After that workout, soak your body in the Miette Hot Springs.
Restaurant and shopping facilities are seasonal. To find the perfect place to stay during your visit, browse our Jasper accommodations and hotels section.
