Ultimate List of Jasper National Park Activities

By DH Wall

You’re in the right place for learning about things to do in Jasper National Park.

This is the Ultimate List of Jasper National Park Activities in 6 categories:

Must-Do Activities – Several activities stand above the rest as the most popular activities
Sports and Outdoor Activities – Most people visit Jasper to partake in outdoor activities, be it a day hike or getting out on the water
Winter Activities – The park is a whole new world during winter when Marmot Basin ski area opens
Wildlife and Nature Activities – Jasper National Park offers a mixture of wildlife spotting and nature appreciation activities in its montane, sub-alpine and alpine zones
Town of Jasper Activities – The town of Jasper (Jasper townsite as its often called) is a small municipality in the center of Jasper National Park. Most of the Jasper hotels, dining and all of the residential area are in Jasper townsite.
Nightlife Activities – Jasper nightlife is fairly tame, probably because everyone is exhausted from all of the daytime activities, but there are things to do

Must-Do Activities

Columbia Icefield Snocoach
Jasper Tramway
Maligne Lake boat ride to Spirit Island
Day hiking – Hike to Mt Edith Cavell or the Maligne Canyon hike
Miette Hot Springs
Scenic driving on the Icefield Parkway, Highway 16, Pyramid Lake Road, and Maligne Lake Road
Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls waterfalls

Sports and Outdoors Activities

Camping – Sitting by the campfire, hoping the bears stay home
Hiking
Backpacking
Walking
Standing on top of Whistlers Mountain after riding Jasper Tramway
Do an activity with Friends of Jasper – guided walks, bird watching, volunteer projects
Riding the Snocoach on Columbia Icefield
Swimming at your hotel
Swimming in a lake – brrrrrr, cold
Swimming in the Olympic-sized pool at Jasper Aquatic Centre
Swimming and soaking at Miette Hot Springs
Boat ride at Maligne Lake
White-water rafting
Canoeing
Kayaking
Biking
Fishing
Photography
Golfing at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
Horseback riding
Helicopter rides and heli-hiking
Mountain climbing

Winter Activities in Jasper National Park

Skiing at Marmot Basin
Snowboarding at Marmot Basin
Cross-country skiing
Snowshoeing
Ice walk in Maligne Canyon in winter
Ice climbing
Dog sledding
Ice skating

Wildlife and Nature Activities

Wildlife watching
- Bighorn sheep
- Caribou
- Mountain goats
- Marmots
- Pika
- Elk
- Bears
- Deer
- Coyotes
- Wolves
- Squirrels
- Birds
- Fish
Learning about wildlife and nature
- Guided talks
Looking at plants and trees
Admiring at glaciers and mountains and rivers and lakes
- Athabasca Falls waterfall
- Sunwapta Falls waterfall
- Maligne River
- Athabasca River
- Athabasca Glacier, Angel Glacier and other smaller glaciers
- Guided ice walks on the Athabasca Glacier
- Viewing Mt Robson from afar (the huge Mt Robson is located in Mt Robson Provincial Park and viewable from Jasper)
- Mt Edith Cavell
- Pyramid Mountain

Town of Jasper Activities

Gather lots of free information at the Jasper Information Centre
Shop on Connaught Drive, Patricia St and vicinity
Walk around and get familiar with town
Find a place to eat
Shop for food so you can pack a lunch
Grab a morning coffee
Grab a morning coffee and some lunch food at a place like Truffles and Trout in the Jasper Marketplace on Patricia Street
Visit the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum
Hang-out at your hotel and relax
Take a look at the Jasper train station and old locomotive next to it
Watch the trains go by at Jasper train station
Ride the train to and from Jasper
Arrange for guided activities or buy tickets ahead of time for attractions
Read a book like Kathy and Craig Copeland’s Done in a Day Jasper: The 10 Premier Hikes to get prepared for day hiking
Rent a bike at Freewheel Cycle
Watch a movie at Chaba Theatre

Nightlife Activities

Dining at a casual restaurant
Dining at a fancy restaurant
Dining in your car
Dining by your campfire
Not dining because a bear just stole your food and therefore, running, quickly, away from said bear.
Hanging out at a pub with the locals, having a beer while telling stories of the bear that stole your food

Have any other ideas? Let’s make this the ultimate Jasper activities list.

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Carol @ trekdigest

February 9, 2010 at 11:34 pm

Every time we go to Jasper, (at least twice a year) we discover more fantastic sites. This past weekend we went cross country skiing on Pyramid Lake. The trails were well groomed, the weather warm – but not too warm, the mountains and sky – beautiful.

DH Wall

February 13, 2010 at 2:57 am

Cross country skiing. Now that’s a good idea for a winter activity.

Sounds like a fun thing to do and I’m sure the view of Pyramid Mountain in the distance in winter is spectacular.

Gina Schmidt

September 29, 2010 at 1:55 am

I’ve never been there before, but the list of activities is so good and varied that I want to come as soon as possible. I hope that it will be nice.

Peter McClure

September 29, 2010 at 2:41 pm

Where are you, Gina?

There are many trip to Jasper throughout the year. Groups like the Edmonton Outdoor Club go there regularly,at usually at a very low cost.

I was there on September 8-10 and I’m going on the Thanksgiving weekend, too.