Not this one.

In “Done in a Day Jasper: The 10 Premier Hikes” you’ll find a passionately written, easily portable book containing just the right amount of details to make your Jasper National Park day hiking experience one of a kind.

Me Reading the Done in a Day Jasper Hiking Book

Kathy and Craig Copeland wrote the book in a mindful way, to help you appreciate the experience of day hiking in this corner of the Canadian Rockies.

Introduction

The book starts by introducing you to hiking in Jasper National Park, one of the gems of the Canadian Rockies.  You’ll get a quick glimpse of what to do and where to eat in Jasper.  You’ll learn what topographic maps are preferred and what weather to expect.

The introduction also contains hiking advice.  You’ll learn how to avoid bear encounters, why you should carry a compass, and how to prevent hypothermia.

A few pages cover wilderness ethics, a topic every new hiker should read.  The authors write:

“We hope you’re already conscientious about respecting nature and other people.  If not, here’s how to pay off some of your karmic debt load.”

Part of this karmic debt load can be reduced, the authors explain, by staying on the trail and respecting follow hikers.  I’m 100% behind that!

10 Premiere Jasper National Park Hikes

The book then goes on to cover the 10 premiere Jasper National Park day hikes.

Giving away the ending to a movie takes the fun out of it for your friends.  For the same reason, I’ll avoid listing all of the day hikes here.

The mix of top Jasper day hikes includes several easy 2 to 4 hour hikes, several moderate and challenging hikes, and an epic 10 to 12 hour day hike.

I will provide a teaser and say that the Cavell Meadows hike to Angel Glacier is on the list.  This is a popular hike (see why).  So let’s look at what Kathy and Craig write about the hike for a sense of the book.

The section on Cavell Meadows/Angel Glacier starts out with the basic facts:  location, circuit, elevation gain, key elevations, hiking time, difficulty, seasonal availability, and recommended map.  Then, an opinion section gets into the grandeur of the experience:  “If your timing is fortunate, your eyes will swim through bold splashes of red, pink, yellow, purple and white.”

A Map of a Jasper Day Hike

Because the authors know about the popularity of the Cavell Meadows hike, they made sure to suggest other options for “serious hikers seeking a wilderness experience.”

Next, the authors discuss facts about the Cavell Meadows and how you should check at the Jasper Information Centre to make sure the trail is open.  The book provides driving directions and then a detailed guide to the trail (distances, junctions, and key sites).

So that’s what the day hiking chapters are all about.

Several of the day hike chapters give short and long day hike options – it’s like 15 hiking options for the price of 10.  You’ll learn how to get the most out of a 3 hour Jasper National Park day hike, but if you’re up for extending it to a 6 or 7 hour hike, the authors provide details.

Preparing for hiking

The book concludes with tips on how prepare for hiking and has topics on clothing, trekking poles, first aid, water and food.  I’m a casual day hiker with aspirations for more and found this section educational.  I’m now convinced that my wife and I need to use trekking poles because of the added traction and reduced body strain.  What the authors say about certain types of trekking poles is hilarious:

“Don’t carry one of those big, heavy, gnarled, wooden staffs, unless you’re going to a costume party dressed as Gandalf.”

That will make me look at fellow stick toting hikers in a different light from now on.

About the authors

Kathy and Craig are incredibly dedicated hikers and have authored much on the topic (they have a few other books on Canadian Rockies hiking too).

Conclusion

Perfect size for Canadian Rockies hiking

Pros:

• Portable size – Packs detailed and accurate guidance in a small size.
• Passionate -  Kathy and Craig Copeland’s passion about hiking and the environment shows through in this book.  I can only hope the passion rubs off onto others.
• Humorous – Witty and humorous tidbits scattered throughout the book.
• Pictures – Contains pictures of inspirational scenes from actual Jasper day hikes.
• Worth the price – For not much more than the price of a good meal, you can have a guide to the views of a lifetime.
• A portion of proceeds goes to charity – The publishing company, run by the authors, is a member of “1% for the Planet“, a business that donates 1% of their sales to the natural environment.

Cons:

• None, though some might say more detailed maps would be beneficial.  Even though the book’s detailed descriptions provide all that’s really needed to navigate, I’d personally just bring my hand-held GPS (with compass) to see my current elevation, distance traveled and other measurements.

I’m glad I bought the book and expect it to help me to make the most of my next trip to Jasper National Park this summer.  The book will be in my hands while day hiking.  I wish I had it last time.

Would you like the book too? Get Done in a Day Jasper: The 10 Premier Hikes! from Amazon.com or Done in a Day Jasper: The 10 Premier Hikes! from Amazon.ca
. Going to Banff too?  Check out “Done in a Day: Banff” by the same authors.

Happy hiking!

Coming into Jasper National Park on Highway 16 through the eastern entrance, you’ll have time for several fun activities.

The first stop could be for a soak at Miette Hot Springs, 51 km west of Hinton, Alberta.

Consider some hiking too.  The eastern side of the park has several hiking trails good for day hikes.  Even a short 30 minute walk might be nice after all of the driving.

On the way from Edmonton to Jasper, you may want to stop at Hinton to pick up some food for a picnic lunch.

After a stop in Jasper townsite, consider a quick drive up to Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake or to nearby Lac Beauvert and the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.  Plan to have an early dinner in Jasper townsite before heading back to Edmonton.

Another option is to skip most of the above and instead spend the day on Maligne Road doing the Maligne Canyon Hike and enjoying Maligne Lake activities (like the boat ride or renting a canoe).

Whatever your itinerary, keep a look out for wildlife the whole time.  You never know when you’ll spot elk, caribou, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats or a black bear.  You have a good chance to spot at least one kind of animal (other than humans) during a day trip from Edmonton to Jasper National Park.

This is a trip that can be done anytime of year.  A nice post about a wintertime day trip from Edmonton to Jasper here from J on her East of Enid Avenue blog should be plenty of motivation.  J’s pictures show an almost unreal world, a true winter wonderland.

Some tips:

• Get up extra early
• Drink lots of coffee
• Take turns driving if you have multiple drivers so everyone can enjoy the scenery
• Relax

Have a great day trip to Jasper National Park!

By the way, instead of a day trip from Edmonton, another option is to do all of the above but spend the night in a hotel in Hinton, Alberta.  Hinton is close to the eastern entrance and staying there will allow for 2 days of activities.

Simply look West towards the big mountain in the sky.

Mt Robson Provincial Park is Jasper National Park’s western neighbor and a simple sidetrip from Jasper National Park.  A sidetrip to Mt Robson Park is a great way to expand upon a Canadian Rockies vacation.

Mt Robson Provincial Park is one of the many gems of the Canadian Rockies.  The park is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes Jasper National Park, Banff National Park and other Canadian Rockies parks and regions.

Mt Robson Park is in the Canadian province of British Columbia on the other side of Jasper National Park past the western border of Alberta.

Looking across the border, Mt Robson provides an outdoorsy haven away from the crowds of the national parks, a place for the off-the-beaten-path good stuff.

Mt Robson Provincial Park’s Off-the-beaten Path Good Stuff

As the park’s name implies, Mt Robson is defined by a mountain by the name of “Robson”.  Mt. Robson is the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies.

The overwhelmingly wonderful feature of Mt Robson Provincial Park is the scenery.

The best way to enjoy the scenery of Mt Robson Park is by hiking.   The park offers a mixture of easy and hard day hiking and some overnight backpacking for the more adventurous.

One popular hike is the Mumm Basin Trail.  Hike it to see Berg Lake (pictured below). When a hike takes you to a scene like this picture, the value of visiting Mt Robson becomes clear.

Overnight backpacking hikes reveal other amazing lake scenes and water features.

What to Bring to Mt Robson

If doing a sidetrip from Jasper National Park, bring lunch and maybe dinner and lots of water and spend the day hiking in Mt Robson.  The park does have a small visitor center but is absent of much of any facilities – like restaurants and shopping.  That keeps away the tourist bus crowds and can be a great justification for having a picnic lunch while hiking – if it’s not raining.  Bringing rain gear on hikes in the Canadian Rockies is always a good thing.

How to get to Mt Robson Provincial Park from Jasper National Park

Ok, don’t mess these instructions up. Let’s assume that you are leaving from Jasper townsite, the center of Jasper, on Highway 16 – the Yellowhead Highway.

First, get into a car, preferably one that you own or rent.

Turn your car on.

Get onto Highway 16/Yellowhead Highway.  Drive west.  In approximately 60 minutes you’ll be at the border of Mt Robson Provincial Park.

Try not to get lost on the way! The scenery along the way will make it a fun drive.