Jasper National Park is the furthermost north park of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The park was first created in 1907 to help provide a natural ecosystem where plants and animals could continue to thrive. As a result of careful planning and cooperation of the many visitors the wildlife does indeed thrive here. While the park is open year round most visitors find the best time to visit is in the summer.

Summer in Jasper National Park is wonderful. There are spectacular views along with abundant wildlife. There are over 1,000 kilometers of hiking trails that vary in length and difficulty. There are hikes that are perfect for every member of the family. Start by getting information at the Information Centre. You can get maps of the various hiking trails and find out the weather for the day.

Some of the most interesting and fun hikes are located nearby. You can hike or bike the Lake Annette Loop – a short circular trail that is great for kids and takes less than an hour to complete. The Old Fort Point Loop is about a two-hour hike that is another option for families with slightly older children. You can visit Maligne Canyon where there are many different sized trails. Athabasca Falls is a beautiful scenic short hike where you’ll see the falls. There are two sets of falls. The upper falls is the shortest hike while a slightly longer hike below to the second falls is often less crowded.

Take a trip to have a dip in the Miette Hot Springs. These are local natural mineral springs that are wonderfully warm and relaxing. For a fun day or afternoon you can enjoy whitewater rafting or a river float trip. A short drive to Maligne Lake offers wonderful boat cruises. You can visit Spirit Island or rent a canoe or try your hand at fishing.

The town of Jasper is a great place to relax and soak in the atmosphere and scenery. There are many little shops and eateries. You can take a stroll through the downtown area or try a new Pedi-Cab. You can also try a new motorcycle tour of Jasper. Grab a picnic lunch to take with on a hike or spread the blanket out on the grass. To get a bird’s eye view visit Jasper Peak and take the Jasper Tramway. You can eat at the Treeline restaurant located at the top of the mountain.

The Treeline Restaurant provides a good, quick meal and a great view. The Treeline Restaurant is the only place to eat at the upper terminal of the Jasper Tramway. And being the only restaurant on the side of Whistler’s Mountain, or any Jasper National Park mountain for that matter, makes it one-of-a-kind.

The Treeline Restaurant sits 7,500 feet above sea level on the side of Whistler’s Mountain. The Jasper Tramway gondola is the easiest way to get to the restaurant. The only other way up the mountain is to hike, a two or three hour endeavor.

The Treeline Restaurant’s large windows give patrons a great view of Jasper National Park and the surrounding Canadian Rockies. Looking down, you can see even Jasper townsite.

But enough about the view. Restaurants are for dining, right? The Treeline Restaurant is designed for the food needs of travelers. Instead of being a fancy restaurant, Treeline Restaurant is a self-service, cafeteria-style restaurant. The food is regionally themed but nothing fancy.

In the morning, the breakfast buffet serves eggs and bacon and basic breakfast foods. Remember though, the Jasper Tramway doesn’t open till 9AM during peak months and later during the off-season.

During lunch and dinner, sandwiches and burgers are the norm, but foods like caribou and salmon are known to come out during the more formal dinner-time.

While reviews by culinary connoisseurs will be less than favorable, the Treeline Restaurant scored points with weary travelers, especially mountain hikers, for being a place to get a good meal fast - as long as a table is free. Gear your expectations to this being a seasonally operated tourist restaurant with a great location.

My best advice is to avoid arriving at the Jasper Tramway hungry at lunch time expecting to get into the Treeline Restaurant quickly. Pack some energy bars. At peak hours, the Jasper Tramway will have a wait, maybe 15 minutes, maybe more. Then, since the seating in the main area of the Treeline Restaurant is limited to 50 at a time, there could be a wait to get into the restaurant. Though there may be a wait at peak lunch hours, I wouldn’t worry about it. And if it is too busy, eat an energy bar and take a hike to the peak of Whistler’s Mountain and then try the restaurant again on the way down.

The restaurant is a hidden Jasper National Park gem that few travelers plan into their itinerary. Amongst the choices for dining in Jasper National Park, it ranks high for its atmosphere.

The Jasper Tramway is still a great time even if the restaurant is skipped. The Jasper Tramway Experience (tramway and hike) is a must-do but the restaurant is likely to make good sense for most travelers who can be flexible about when they eat. If you are already paying for tickets to ride the Jasper Tramway, eating at the restaurant is a good way to get more out of the experience.

This is one of the rewarding alpine scenes after taking the Jasper Tramway up to the terminal on Whistler’s Mountain and then hiking to the summit. See the lichen clinging to white rocks in the foreground and surrounding Canadian Rocky mountains in the background. Learn more about the Jasper Tramway and don’t forget to bring a digital camera.

Riding the Tramway and hiking up the summit is an experience essential to any visit to Jasper National Park.

The “Jasper Tramway Experience” is a 3,000 foot ride followed by a steep walk from the tramway drop-off terminal to the summit of the Whistlers Mountain. Along the way, it is clear why the Jasper tourism bureau’s slogan for the park is “Wonderful By Nature”. This is Canada travel at its best. As you ride the gonola and then hike to the top of the summit, the panoramic views of the Canadian Rockies are spectacular.
(more…)

To avoid the crowds, morning and late afternoon are supposed to be the best times. I had luck in the middle of the afternoon in July - supposedly the height of tourist season.

The best rule of thumb is to not go when there is a line of tourists in front of you from a tourist bus. Even still, waiting 20 minutes in line to go to the top of Whistlers is so much more worth it than 45 minutes to get onto a 2-minute long Disney theme park ride that you’ll forget 10 minutes later. The view from the top of Whistlers should be hard for anyone to forget. Ever.

(more…)