Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park 

There is plenty to see and do in Jasper National Park. We had a day and a half in Jasper, so we had to prioritize what we wanted to see most. We could have easily spent another few days in Jasper, as there is a lot that you can do! We loved the town of Jasper as well. There are cute shops and many good places to eat! You really can't go wrong visiting Jasper National Park!

Athabasca Falls

Athabasca Falls was the number 1 thing to do in Jasper on TripAdvisor, so we decided it was a must see. We slept in and didn't get there until about 9 am and while it was busy, it was still doable. Expect parking to be a hassle, as there are usually quite a few people and the lot is small. We parked on the side of the road and just walked a little ways. The falls are a beautiful sight and there are a few different places you can view the falls. There is really no hiking involved in this one. It is more of just numerous view points. We didn't spend long here, but we did spend about 10 minutes just watching the powerful waterfall! There is something mesmerizing about Athabasca Falls! Definitely worth a quick stop! 4 out of 5 stars!

Sunwapta Falls

After Athabasca Falls, we decided to make another quick stop to see Sunwapta Falls! It was nearby and we had heard it was worth a quick stop! If you really enjoy waterfalls, it is worth seeing. It doesn't take long to see, you basically park, see the waterfall for a few minutes and leave! Since I really love waterfalls, I was glad we stopped. However, if waterfalls all seem the same to you and are not something you get excited about, I would suggest just doing Athabasca Falls and skipping out on this one. For me personally, I thought the Sunwapta Falls were beautiful. Being from Wisconsin I don't see many waterfalls often so I take advantage of them when I can! 3 out of 5 stars! 

Meeting of the 2 Waters

We were headed to Mt. Edith Cavell, but wanted to have a quick lunch first. So on our way, we pulled into a little turn off and stumbled upon what was labeled as The Meeting of the 2 Waters. We could not have picked a better spot for lunch. We were the only car there and it was completely isolated. The view was stunning and the quiet isolation was refreshing. There were picnic benches so we sat down and enjoyed a quiet lunch on the river. The river is pretty unique and true to its name, as you can truly see where the 2 waters meet because the waters are 2 totally different colors! This was a hidden gem and I highly recommend checking it out! 5 out of 5 stars!

Video clip of our secret spot!

Mount Edith Cavell 

In order to visit Mount Edith Cavell you have to get a ticket. You are not able to enter the road that is required to get to Mount Edith Cavell without the ticket. While this can be a pain, it does cut down on the amount of people making it far less busy! In order to get the ticket, you must drive to the town of Jasper to the Visitor Center. I highly suggest going early. We went around 7 am and there was a line out the door! There are 4 different times slots you can choose from. If you plan on doing a lot of hiking, I suggest going with the earlier times. The last time available is 4:00 pm which is not a great time if you want to do a lot of hiking. The road to the Cavell is narrow and they close the road at 7 pm. So if you decide to do the 4:00 time slot, you only have roughly 2 hours to hike as you must be out of there around 6:30, before they close the road. We decided to do the 2:30 time slot and we had just barely enough time to do the entire hike. I suggest going even earlier if possible! If not, the 2:30 time slot is definitely doable, but might cause a little stress if you plan on hiking the entire thing like we did!

Short video clip of the drive!

If you want to do the bare minimum and hiking is not really your thing, Mount Edith Cavell is still worth the visit! The drive alone to get there is worth getting a ticket! It was an absolutely breathtaking drive, with views of the mountains the entire way! Once you get there, there is a short walk to a beautiful view of Angel Glacier. There is a body of water beneath the glacier with pieces of the glacier floating in it. You can actually hear the ice breaking when you are there. With the bright white glacier pieces floating amidst the unique blue green water, it is quite a majestic sight to see! Regardless of your feelings on hiking, this a must see view!

Angel Glacier 

Edith Cavell Meadow Trail

When we got to Mount Edith Cavell, we really didn't have anything planned or researched and instead, decided we would just figure it out once we got there. Once we got there, the Edith Cavell Meadow Trail caught our eye. It sounded peaceful, pretty, and like a nice meadow hike. Don't make our mistake and let the name fool you!! We found out real quick that it was not a lovely little frolicking walk through lush green meadows. It was the hardest most strenuous (and never ending) hike we did the ENTIRE trip!! But that being said it was also the MOST rewarding and remarkable views of the entire trip! So while the name is misleading, it is 100% worth every ache, pain, and the few choice words that may have slipped out of my mouth! 

The great thing about this hike is that the further you go, the better the views get. You get to enjoy gorgeous sights every step of the way, as it is all through an open meadow. There are no trees obstructing the views which is a huge benefit. You are also able to turn around at any point if you run out of time or if it gets too strenuous. You can basically cut the hike down to your liking, as there are many places to turn around, or different trails you can take to make it shorter. Since we thought this was going to be an easy 2-hour hike through a flat meadow, we were caught off guard by the steepness and length of the hike. It took us about 4 hours total to complete the hike and we basically ran down because we didn't want to have the road close! 

If you decide to do this hike, make suure you are prepared! Bring a lot of water, something to protect you from the sun (hat, sunscreen, etc.) and snacks. Fortunately for us we happened to have all these things and we were lucky we did! It was very sunny when we went and we were thankful for sunscreen. Hiking shoes are also a MUST! When you make it close to the top, it starts to get tricky. There are a lot of moving and slippery rocks and you are fighting gravity! Hiking shoes can be the difference between hiking your way to the top and falling your way to the top! Just when we thought we had made it to the top, we realized there was a huge rock mountain we had to get over. We started up it and the rocks were not stable and I spent half the time sliding down the rocks instead of going up. Honestly this freaked me out! So I decided the views I had were suitable and I sent Sam on ahead! It took Sam another 30 minutes roundtrip to make it to the "true top." While he said he was glad he made it to the top for the sole purpose of saying he did, the views were not much better than from where I was. It doesn't get you much higher so the views are comparable to where I stood. That being said I would still hike to the top if you don't mind hikes! 

The only meadow part of the hike!

The view from the highest point I got to. This is where I stopped
and sent Sam on ahead!

The sliding rock hill I decided to skip out on!
Sam went all the way to the top!

A little critter Sam met at the top!

View from the very top!

View from the very top!

Video clip of where I stopped hiking! 

Overall, this was one of my favorite hikes!! Yes, it was never ending. Yes we were fooled by the name. Yes it was strenuous. But YES it was all worth it! It is very doable for most people and I can't say enough about the views. You just have to check it out for yourself! 5 out of 5 stars! 

Maligne Lake

Maligne Lake is the opposite way of Mount Edith Cavell and time just didn't allow for us to visit both. This is a highly recommended lake to visit with great reviews. Check out this TripAdvisor link for more details!

Columbia Icefields

We decided to check out the Columbia Icefields on our drive back to Banff. I had done a lot of research on the Columbia Icefields on whether or not to do the tour that takes you out to the glacier to actually walk on it. The tour includes a drive out to the glacier, a walk on the glacier, and the walk out onto the glacier skywalk. After reaching multiple reviews we decided for us, that it was not worth it. Once we arrived at the Columbia Icefields, we were glad we had chosen not to! That being said, it is all a personal preference. The reason we chose not to buy tickets for the tour is because we are from Wisconsin and honestly it is just a giant piece of ice. For us, this did not excite us in the slightest. We are well accustomed to ice and so we were perfectly happy just doing the short hike out to view the glacier. The glacier skywalk was also less than thrilling. We drove past it and it didn't seem all that it was cracked up to be! Most reviews from people who had done the tour confirmed that it was overpriced for walking on a giant piece of ice and that the skywalk wasn't anything to write home about. However, if you are from a warmer climate and this is something that interests you, check out this link for more details on how to book it!

While I don't suggest doing the tour, I do suggest doing the short hike. Since we did this on our drive back, we stopped at the Columbia Icefields around 10 am and while it was busy, there was plenty of parking, and the crowds didn't take away from the experience. It is a bit of a hike to get to the viewpoint, so wear your hiking shoes. It isn't too hard, but it is definitely uphill and can be tiring. We brought 1 water bottle for quick swigs and that was plenty. You don't need much more than that, as the hike is a fairly short one. What we found the most interesting, wasn't the glacier itself, but rather the signs showing where the glacier used to be in past years and seeing how much it has receded. The glacier itself is also an impressive sight and worth getting a picture of. 

Sign telling you what year the glacier
was at this spot!

Yes I am reppin a Packers Jersey in
Canada! 

Overall, the Columbia Icefields are definitely worth a stop, but not worth spending longer than an hour at! There are way more exciting things to do in Jasper and Banff so use your time wisely at this one! 3 out of 5 stars!

Final Thoughts

If you are visiting Banff, you MUST take the Road to Jasper and also check out Jasper National Park! It is worth the drive, as the views both on the drive and in Jasper are some of the most beautiful in the world! You will not regret it!

The Road To Jasper

The Road To Jasper

The Road to Jasper can be as short as 3 hours and as long as you want to make it! There are numerous places to stop along the way so you must prioritize the places you don't want to miss. We chose to make more stops early on our drive since we knew we probably wouldn't have any other time to make these stops. The stops that were closer to where we were staying we saved. Since we were staying in Jasper, we chose to drive back to these locations over the course of our time in Jasper and on our way back home.

One thing that helped us decide what was worth a stop and what wasn't, was the app  called Gypsy Guide. This app cost us $5.00 and was honestly worth $25.00! It truly was like having a tour guide in our backseat. This app uses GPS so it works even in places with no service like Canada! This app not only tells you the history behind the National Parks, it tells you what to expect and whether or not it is a "must see" or just a nice spot if you have time. This was honestly a life savor and I highly recommend downloading this app!

Tips Before Setting Off On The Road To Jasper

1. Leave early and plan for a long drive if you want to make stops! 
2. Start with a full tank of gas. There is only 1 gas station about half way at Saskatchewan River Crossing.
3. Very scenic drive but also busy with a lot of people. While you are not stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, you are also not all alone! So be patient!
4. When you see numerous cars pulled over, chances are there is a reason why! If you pull over with them you might see some wildlife, like a bear! We were fortunate enough to see a mama black bear and her cub eating berries on the side of the road. Be smart about wildlife. While they appear to be cute and cuddly they are very dangerous. Don't get too close! We were close enough for a good picture but far enough away where we felt safe watching for 15 minutes. This was one of my highlights of the entire trip! I had never seen a bear in the wild before and I was ecstatic to have finally seen one!
   
5. The drive doesn't feel very long or draining because of all the sights to see and places to stop and hike.
6. Don't start this drive without a proper map! 
7. Pack food and snacks. There are no places to eat along the way. 
8. There is little to no cell service so be smart. Don't lock your keys in your car or you will be hiking a ways to find cell service to call for help! (We witnessed this happen to a family and it was tragic!)
9. Enjoy this drive! Don't be in a rush. Take it all in and do a few hikes along the way. You won't regret it!

Peyto Lake 

Our first stop on the way to Jasper, was Peyto Lake also commonly known as "Wolf Lake." This lake is often called Wolf Lake because the lake itself resembles the face of a wolf. This stop at Peyto Lake can be a quick 15 minute one or a 3 hour hike! We chose to make it a 3 hour hike! If all you are looking to get is a quick snap of Peyto Lake, this won't take you long. The view of Peyto Lake is a quick 15 minute hike out to a viewing platform. The platform is small and can get crowded quickly so I highly recommend going early! We went around 8 am and there were very few people there. However on our way out, around 11 am, there was a huge tour bus filled with people. If you don't want to be sharing the platform with about 50 other people, I suggest going before 10 am. 

If you are interested in seeing Bow Lake and doing some more hiking, after viewing Peyto Lake from the platform, keep going to the left and follow signs to the Bow Summit Lookout. This hike is a longer one and feels like it just keeps going. However, there are beautiful diverse sights along the way! It goes from green covered meadows, to snow covered plains, to a steep rocky mountain. You get a pretty view of Bow Lake, but the real treat are all the views along the way. We even got to see a few little furry creatures! While this hike is not a must do as we definitely did better hikes on our trip, I would still recommend it to anyone who has time. We enjoyed this hike and for us it was worth the 3 hour stop! 

Keep going past this sign for the Bow Summit hike!

From meadows...

And wildflowers...

To snow...

...and finally rocks and mountains!

The views are incredible!

Bow Lake!

 

Great hike with some great views, 4 out of 5 stars!

Mistaya Canyon

We had carved out an estimated 7 hours for our drive to Jasper. We had planned out a few stops, but left our itinerary pretty open, so we decided on the fly what we felt like doing. Mistaya Canyon was not on our list and we were honestly pretty skeptic whether or not it was going to be worth a stop. But our Gypsy App said it was a must see, so we pulled over to check it out. We were sure glad we did because Mistaya Canyon is a definite must see! One of the main benefits is it is a short and easy hike, about 5 minutes, right off the road to see the canyon. With this short proximity to the road and easy accessibility, it can be a popular stop, however the crowds honestly were not a problem for us. It is busy but this stop can be enjoyed from numerous viewpoints, making the crowds less of a nuisance. Since this is such an easy hike, no special footwear or gear is needed. You can almost immediately hear the roaring of the water and minutes later when you reach the bridge, you can see the wild river up close! The bridge is a great viewpoint for some pretty pictures, but you can get even closer and explore the canyon up close from the giant boulders surrounding it. The incredible force of the water and the effects erosion can have, is truly amazing to witness as you look at Mistaya Canyon. We loved sitting on the boulders just watching the wild water rush in the canyon and splash against the rocks! The deep canyon and rock formations were quite a sight and worth the stop! The entire stop shouldn't take more than an hour max! 4 out of 5 stars!

Mistaya Canyon from the bridge

Amazing rock formations

Powerful force of the river

View from the boulders 

Parker Ridge Trail

Parker Ridge Trail was on my radar as a must see when I first started planning this trip. It was number 2 on TripAdvisor and had high ratings. Our Gypsy App also said it was a must stop if time allowed for it. So, when we arrived at Parker Ridge Trail, there was no question, we stopped! 

Parker Ridge Trail is not a quick hike. It can take anywhere from 3-4 hours depending on how fast you hike, which trails you take, and how long you spend enjoying the views. It took us about 3 hours. This is a steep and moderately strenuous hike, however there are switchbacks, making the hike easier. We saw people from all age groups and hiking levels do this so is a doable hike for most people. It is important to note that even if it is warm when you start your hike, pack a jacket. It gets very windy and chilly at the top and you will want a windbreaker. We were so glad we remembered ours! Once you get to the top, you will find that there is a lot to explore! There are 2 main trails, one to the left and one to the right. I highly suggest doing both the trails, as the views are so different from another. They are worth the extra time and effort and once you are at the top, the hiking isn't steep or strenuous!

We chose to go to the right first, but you can really do it in any order. The trail to the right goes up a little higher and you get 360 degree views of the peaks of Mt. Athabasca, Mt. Saskatchewan, and a few others. We also enjoyed looking at the uniqueness of the rocks. They appeared to have been underwater at some point and were very interesting to look at! We got some beautiful pictures and then headed back to take the trail to the left. The trail to the left leads you to a spectacular view of the Saskatchewan Glacier. It is a perfect view and it is truly amazing to see how large it is! You also get a view of the lake beneath the glacier. The whole thing is really amazing to see and not to be missed! If you only have time to do 1 of the 2 hikes I highly suggest going to the left to see the Saskatchewan Glacier! You won't regret it! 5 out of 5 stars!

The start of the trail that leads to the right. 

Views of the mountain peaks on the trail to the right

It is very windy and cold at the tops! Jackets are a must!

The interesting looking rocks!

Headed out on the trail to the left!

Saskatchewan Glacier

View of the lake just down from Saskatchewan Glacier!

Parker Ridge Trail was a one of a kind experience and we highly recommend it!

A Day Well Spent...

After Parker Ridge Trail, we were pretty spent and ready for a good night of sleep! We finished our drive, made it to our hotel, and relaxed for the rest of the night! There were many things we did not see on The Road to Jasper, however we made a list of the ones we thought we wanted to stop at and hit them the next day or on the way home! There is so much to see, you won't be disappointed no matter what you decide to do!

The Road to Jasper is a definite 5 out of 5 stars for us!