Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park is Canada’s largest reserve in the Rocky Mountains, created to preserve the unique biodiversity of mountain landscapes and boreal forests. The conservation area was formed in 1907 and originally had the status of a Forest Park. The reserve received its modern name in 1930, when the country passed the Act that secured the status of national parks. Since 1984, Jasper Park has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Video: Jasper National Park

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Highlights

Jasper National Park covers 10,878 km². These places are very popular with tourists. Travelers are attracted by high waterfalls, turquoise lakes, clear rivers, picturesque glaciers, deep canyons, mighty coniferous forests and flowering alpine meadows. More than 2,150,000 tourists visit the reserve in a year, making Jasper Park the most visited reserve in Canada.

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The park’s territory is divided into several zones. The first zone includes the rarest natural and historical sites. These include the relict spruce trees in the Sanuapta Valley, which are over 700 years old. It also includes the Surprise Valley, where the Jasper Fur Trapper’s House Museum is located, as well as a cave where ancient rock paintings have been preserved. The second zone takes up most of Jasper Park. It encompasses areas where valuable species of animals live, so the entrance of tourists is partially restricted and entry by automobiles is completely prohibited. The third zone of the reserve consists of natural complexes that are maintained in a natural state. It is possible to cross this zone, but only on foot, horseback or bicycles. The fourth zone is given for recreation of tourists and educational programs, and in the fifth provide various types of health and recreational services.

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Plants and animals of Jasper Park

The nature of Jasper National Park is breathtaking. The air of the mountain valleys is filled with the scent of pine needles. Giant firs, several species of pines, larches, Douglas firs, Engelmann spruce and junipers grow in the reserve.

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Many animals here are not wary of humans. Along roadways that are constantly traveled by cars, you can see wapiti deer, thick-tailed deer, and mountain goats grazing peacefully. Near places where travelers visit every day, chipmunks and red squirrels live. These animals are not tame, but they do not try to escape from tourists, so professional animal photographers like to work in the national park.

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Wolves, wolverines, American martens and big leopards living in Jasper Park lead a secretive lifestyle and try not to be seen by people. But Canadian lynx and grizzly bears are easy to spot from 300 meters away. In the rivers and lakes of the Rocky Mountains there are beavers and muskrats, and in the forests there are moose and wood porcupines. In addition, there are about 200 species of birds of prey within the boundaries of the reserve.

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Athabasca Glacier

Jasper National Park boasts one of the oldest glaciers on Earth. It appeared more than 10,000 years ago. The Athabasca Glacier, like many other glaciers, has been melting rapidly in recent years. It has already lost about half of its volume, and today Athabasca is less than 6 kilometers long.

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According to the rules of the national park, for safety reasons it is forbidden to walk on the glacier without a guide. The glacier is traveled on foot, in special small cars and ice buses with wide tires or caterpillar tracks.

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Above the tongue of the glacier is the beautiful summit of Snow Dome. It is interesting because the streams running from it are the sources of rivers that feed three oceans – the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

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Viewpoint

Jasper National Park presents many places equipped for sightseeing, but one of them, the Skywalk, is a real tourist attraction. It is a modern observation deck in the mountains that has a glass bottom.

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Tickets for the Skywalk are sold at the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Center Visitor Center. From the town of Jasper, one gets there by a beautiful highway #93, which Canadians call Icefields Parkway (100 km). At the parking lot, tourists are picked up by special buses and brought to the Skywalk.

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The observation deck with a transparent glass bottom is laid 280 meters above the river valley. It offers stunning views of the running mountain river, spruce-covered steep slopes and snow-capped peaks.

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Tourism in Jasper National Park

The nature of the reserve is beautiful at any time of the year, but especially many visitors come to Jasper National Park in the summer. People come here to travel on foot and by car, climb mountains, fish and take photographs. Biking and horseback riding tours are available throughout the park, and water recreationists can rent rafts, kayaks, and canoes.

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The most visited attractions of the national park are the ancient glacier Athabasca and the 23-meter high waterfall of the same name. In addition, tourists are attracted by the narrow picturesque Malin Canyon and Medicine Lake full of trout. In order for travelers to better acquaint themselves with the unique natural landscapes, there are about 1200 km of trails throughout the park.

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Some hikers like to explore Jasper National Park on their own. Others utilize the services of local guides to complete the trails. The park has hotels and campgrounds, ski trails, golf courses, and other tourist infrastructure.

How to get there

Jasper National Park is located in southern Canada. The nearest international airports are located in Calgary (290 km) and Edmonton (320 km). The commercial center of the reserve is the tiny town of Jasper, which is built in the Athabasca River Valley. There is no public transportation in either the town or the park, although cabs are available to get around the community.

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Most tourists get to Jasper on their own by personal or rented cars. Yellowhead Highway #16 Yellowhead Highway runs through the entire park. In addition, Via Rail trains run from Edmonds and Vancouver to the town of Jasper.