 Location: Jasper National Park lies north of Banff National Park, west of Edmonton Alberta, and east of the Continental divide. Like Banff, it is entirely in the province of Alberta. To the west is Mount Robson Provincial Park, which is entirely in British Columbia. A large part of the park is drained by the Athabasca River which flows northeast to the Arctic Ocean.
The southern part of the park is drained by the Brazeau River, which flows into the North Saskatchewan River and the Atlantic Ocean.
Terrain: The terrain of Jasper National Park differs considerably from Banff National Park. There are no larch trees, and in general the valleys are larger, rivers are longer, and trees are thicker and smaller. In general, the passes such as the Yellowhead, are lower than their counterparts in Banff. Snowfall is roughly equivalent, and it rarely gets above freezing until April. The Columbia Icefield is larger than any similar icefield such as the Wapta Icefield, and is often cloudy and stormy. However, it does not receive as much snow as the icefields on the coast of BC, and so the crevasses are often only covered with a thin layer of snow - which requires being roped most of the time. Northeast of the icefields, mountains such as Mount Brazeau gradually give way to bigger and bigger grassland valleys. North of Jasper is still very much pack train country with the trails heavily used by horses. Like most of the Canadian North, mosquitoes can be a problem for several weeks in July or early August. Well known attractions include the deeply gouged Maligne Canyon and Maligne Lake, Sunwapta Falls, and Mount Edith Cavell. There are over 1000 km of trails. In winter, the relatively flat rivers tend to freeze over completely, and make ideal ski routes far into the back country. Thus the Whirlpool River, Astoria River, Moose River, Smoky River, and Snaring River provide backcountry ski access. But the nights are long and cold, and from November to February, the weakened northern sun rarely...more
History: The Jasper area was actually ahead of Banff as far as being regularly visited by Europeans, since the Athabasca River provided canoe access in the fur trade era.
n 1754, Anthony Henday, of the Hudson's Bay company saw the Canadian Rockies for the first time. In 1793 Alexander Mackenzie was the first European to reach the Pacific Coast going overland around the north end of the Rockies. By 1800 the Northwest company had established Rocky Mountain House, near Red Deer, Alberta, and from here David Thompson first found Howse Pass, through to the Columbia River. However, this pass was later blocked by hostile Peigan Indians, and so in 1810 Thompson, after an epic journey, discovered Athabasca Pass, which divides the Athabasca River from the Columbia River. Athabasca Pass is between the Arctic Ocean drainages and the Pacific, whereas Howse Pass is between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Once established, Athabasca Pass was used by numerous fur trade parties to reach the Columbia River. In 1827 David Douglas made an ascent of Mount Brown overlooking the pass, and mistakenly calculated its height to be 17,000 feet. Rumors of this peak fueled several notable mountaineering expeditions in the early 1900's to try and find these peaks. These expeditions were typically pack train expeditions, leaving from Laggan (Lake Louise) and heading north up the Bow Valley and over Bow Pass. In the process, the Columbia Icefield was discovered. Until about 1912, the Canadian Pacific through...more
Park Information
Headquarters: Jasper, AB
Permits: A vehicle parking fee of $10 per day is required which is good for up to 7 people. In addition, you need to pay a backcountry fee of $6 per night up to maximum of $30. Discounts are available for seniors and children. These permits are valid for the combined park system of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay.Click for Peak Lister |
