For explorers, wanderers and those who want to feel the power of the mighty universe, the largest National Park in the Canadian Rockies awaits. Designated a Dark Sky Preserve by Canada’s Royal Astronomical Society, due to the area’s limited light pollution, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jasper National Park boasts over 4,000 square miles of untamed wilderness.

In addition to world-class skiing at Marmot Basin, Jasper is a popular destination for year-round outdoor adventures – from hiking to wildlife viewing. Close proximity to all the best activities makes small town, unpretentious Jasper an ideal base for exploration. The area’s glaciers, turquoise lakes, powerful waterfalls, abundant wildlife, and towering Canadian Rockies with dramatic peaks, ranges and mountainscapes feel like you’ve stepped into a postcard at every turn.

Even after the devastating 2024 fire ravaged parts of Jasper, the landscape still beckons with its dramatic natural beauty. Feel moments of wonder and tranquility in this wildly loveable mountain town, where four mountain ranges and three rivers converge. This place is pure nature porn, only 4 hours’ drive from Edmonton airport.
Thank you to Jasper Tourism for inviting me to attend a trip so I could experience the area firsthand to write this detailed article. Here are my favorite ways to fall for Jasper.

1. Find furry friends to photograph on an animal adventure

Jasper was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in no small part due to the abundant fauna that calls the national park home. Every turn is a photo opportunity.
SunDog Tour Co. whisks guests on a thrilling drive, where in October, we witnessed over 50 elk in the early morning as they grazed on the side of the road right outside of town, several moose frolicking on the sides of the roads and licking the salt off the streets, and big horn sheep herds near a riverbank. Wolves, lynx, and mountain goats are also spotted in the area. This year-round wildlife tour, in a heated mini-coach with oversized windows, is enhanced with a local guide who adds expert knowledge of the area’s wildlife and terrain. Maligne Lake was also a highlight.

While wildfires can be unexpected and disastrous, it’s how Mother Nature rejuvenates the forest. Today, after the 2024 Jasper wildfire, more grazing wildlife come to the forest floor because sunlight (that once couldn’t reach the area) is causing fescue grass to grow. The decay of the trees helps the topsoil. Woodpeckers and owls come to eat the bugs from the burned forest. While most bears are hibernating in October, we learned that in ten years, Jasper will be the bear capital of the world – because grass, wildflowers, and buffalo berries (a bear’s favorite treat) will be accessible in the valley.

2. Follow the path to the falls on one of the most scenic drives in the world

The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) is considered one of the most scenic drives in the world. From Jasper, drive through the Columbia Icefields to Athabasca Falls, just a half hour south of town, where the pounding waters are known more for their volume and force than their height. The waters originate from a glacier that cut through the rocks to form various falls, framed beneath a towering Mount Kerkeslin. The Athabasca River plunges 79 feet over a hard quartzite layer into a narrow gorge, creating thunderous display of sound and spray. The force of the water has carved intricate features, including deep potholes and a short canyon into the softer limestone rock below. In winter, the frozen falls are just as picturesque. It’s hard to believe that the Athabasca River links the freshwater ice of the Columbia Icefield to the salt water of the Arctic Ocean.

Forty minutes south of Jasper, find Sunwaptu Falls, upper and lower waterfalls fed by the Athabasca Glacier. The 59-foot upper falls are easily accessed from the viewpoint parking lot while a 1.3-mile hike takes you down through a lodgepole pine forest to the lower falls.
Weather dependent, you can gear up to walk on and explore Athabasca Glacier as well as snow and ice caves with an experienced guide from Rockaboo Mountain Adventures.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON JOHNNYJET.COM AND MSN, PUBLISHED JANUARY 2026.

Jasper Journal was first published in Taste and Travel Magazine, winter 2026.