View source for Jasper National Park

{{short description|National park in Alberta, Canada}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox Protected area
| name = Jasper National Park
| alt_name = {{lang|fr|Parc national Jasper}}
| iucn_category = II
| iucn_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Protected Planet {{!}} Jasper National Park Of Canada|url=https://www.protectedplanet.net/614|access-date=2020-10-13|website=Protected Planet}}</ref>
| photo = Athabasca Glacier on the Columbia Icefield.jpg
| photo_alt = [[Athabasca Glacier]] in Jasper National Park is the most accessible and visited glacier in the world.
| photo_caption = [[Athabasca Glacier]] in Jasper National Park
| map = Canada#Alberta
| map_caption = Location in Canada##Location in Alberta
| relief = yes
| location = [[Alberta]], Canada
| nearest_town = [[Jasper, Alberta|Jasper]]
| coordinates = {{coord|52.8|N|117.9|W|display=inline, title}}
| area_km2 = 10878
| established = 14 September 1907
| visitation_num = 2,415,463
| visitation_year = 2022–23<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Parks |title=Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Open Government Portal |url=https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/57c69cfc-fc85-495b-9eef-555a08404034/resource/020bfd16-2079-4fa7-839f-f4cc8c19851c |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=open.canada.ca}}</ref>
| governing_body = [[Parks Canada]]
| website = {{Official URL}}
| mapframe = yes
| embedded = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child         = yes
| part_of       = [[Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site|Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks]]
| criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(vii), (viii)}}(vii), (viii)
| ID            = 304
| year          = 1984
}}
}}

'''Jasper National Park''', in [[Alberta]], Canada, is the largest [[National Parks of Canada|national park]] within [[Alberta's Rockies|Alberta's Rocky Mountains]], spanning {{convert|11,000|km2|abbr=on}}. It was established as '''Jasper Forest Park''' in 1907, renamed as a national park in 1930, and declared a [[UNESCO world heritage site]] in 1984. Its location is north of [[Banff National Park]] and west of [[Edmonton]]. The park contains the [[glacier]]s of the [[Columbia Icefield]], [[Spring (hydrology)|spring]]s, [[lake]]s, [[waterfall]]s and [[mountain]]s.

== History ==

=== First Nations ===
The territory encompassed by what is now Jasper National Park has been inhabited since time immemorial by [[Nakoda people|Nakoda]], [[Cree]], [[Secwépemc]], and [[Dane-zaa]] peoples.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2022-02-16 |title=Indigenous connections - Jasper National Park |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/jasper/autochtones-indigenous |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=www.pc.gc.ca}}</ref> [[Plainview point|Plainview projectile points]] have been found at the head of [[Jasper Lake (Alberta)|Jasper Lake]], dating back to between 8000 and 7000 BCE.{{sfn|Anderson|Reeves|1975|p=94}} In the centuries between then and the establishment of the park, [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] land use has fluctuated according to climatic variations over the long term, and according to cyclical patterns of [[ungulate]] population numbers, particularly [[elk]], [[moose]], [[mule deer]], and occasionally [[Reindeer|caribou]].{{sfn|Anderson|Reeves|1975|p=105}} Starting in the 1790s, [[Iroquois|Haudenosaunee]] and [[Nipissing First Nation|Nipissing]] hunters and trappers moved in large numbers to the eastern side of the [[Rocky Mountains]], around the headwaters of the [[Athabasca River|Athabasca]] and [[Smoky River]]s in particular, most of them employed by the [[North West Company]].{{sfn|Payne|2007|pp=8-10}} By the early 19th century, there were hundreds of Haudenosaunee and [[Anishinaabe]] people living in the region.{{sfn|Payne|2007|pp=8-10}} 

=== Fur trade ===
Searching for a new route to the [[Columbia River]], [[David Thompson (explorer)|David Thompson's]] [[Fur brigade|brigade]] reached the upper Athabasca in December 1810, led by a Haudenosaunee guide named Thomas.{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=8–9}} After some weeks hunting and making preparations for the trip over [[Athabasca Pass]], the group left William Henry with their supply cache, building a hut and shed. [[Henry's House, Alberta|Henry's House]] is presumed to have been just north of present-day Old Fort Point across the Athabasca River from the town of Jasper. Thompson's brigade crossed Athabasca Pass in January 1811 and returned in May 1812 after which the old fort was abandoned.{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=9–11}}<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Henry House National Historic Event |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=29 |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |language=en}}</ref>

In 1813, François Decoigne built a new supply depot for the North West Company on [[Brûlé Lake (Alberta)|Brûlé Lake]]. Jasper National Park's name originates from Jasper Haws, a [[Maryland]]-born fur trader who in 1817 took command of the post, which subsequently became known as [[Jasper House|Jasper's House]].{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=12, 13}} The route over Athabasca Pass was too labourious for freighting large volumes of fur. Called the [[York Factory Express]], it linked [[Hudson Bay]] with the [[Pacific Northwest|Pacific]] and was primarily used to move correspondence and people over the [[Continental Divide of the Americas|continental divide]].{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=14, 16, 23}} 

In the early 1820s, the British government forcibly merged the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] with the North West Company and the new governor [[George Simpson (HBC administrator)|George Simpson]] visited the area to inspect posts and decide on operational changes.{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=14–17}} Simpson instructed Chief Trader J. F. Larocque to build a post on Cranberry or [[Moose Lake (British Columbia)|Moose Lake]], in Yellowhead Pass in 1824. Larocque instead built 8 huts at the present-day location of the town of Jasper.{{sfn|Anderson|Reeves|1975|pp=38–39}} The next year, Simpson visited Larocque's House and promptly ordered it closed.{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=18–19}}

Especially from 1826 through 1829, [[Yellowhead Pass]] was also used to get critical goods—leather in particular—to the [[New Caledonia (Canada)|New Caledonia]] posts.{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=17}} Jasper House's role was to facilitate trips over these passes, by providing horses (or [[Snowshoe|snowshoes]]) and other supplies to westbound brigades.{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=14, 16, 22}} Around 1829, during the management of [[Michel Klyne]], Jasper House was relocated further up the [[Athabasca River]], just north of [[Jasper Lake (Alberta)|Jasper Lake]].{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=11, 20}} Until the mid 1840s, the post also periodically traded for furs with Haudenosaunee and Métis groups who stayed nearby regularly, and Secwépemc from west of Yellowhead Pass. These residents of the upper Athabasca, [[Snake Indian River|Snake Indian]], and [[Smoky River|Smoky]] Rivers supplied significant numbers of beaver, marten, and lynx furs.{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=21–24}} The Company would later estimate that in 1836, there was a local Indigenous population of approximately 200.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://archive.org/details/P000347/page/365/mode/2up |title=Report from the Select Committee on the Hudson's Bay Company: Together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index |date=1857 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |page=365 |access-date=June 12, 2025}}</ref>  

At the end of this period of activity, in 1846, Jasper House hosted several notable travelers. In April, the priest [[Pierre-Jean De Smet]] arrived, accompanied by [[Michel Band#Louis Callihoo Kwarakwante "Yellowhead"|Louis Kwarakwante's]] extended family, numbering 36.{{Sfn|De Smet|1847|p=194–195}} Kwarakwante, also called Calahoo and Sun Traveller, had resided with his family in the area since 1801, and had married and traded with neighbouring Haudenosaunee, Cree, and Dane-zaa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.kellylakecreenation.com/history |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Kelly Lake Cree Nation |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Louis Kwarakwante / Caliheue |url=https://www.artsandheritage.ca/products/louis-kwarakwante |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Arts and Heritage Foundation St. Albert |language=en}}</ref> De Smet remained performing rites and hunting with Kwarakwante's and the postmaster Colin Fraser's family before continuing up the Athabasca on April 25 and crossing the pass by showshoe on May 6.{{Sfn|De Smet|1847|p=198–208}}{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=22}} [[Roche de Smet|Roche De Smet]], the mountain immediately west of Jasper House, was named in his honour.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Alberta Geographical Names Program {{!}} Alberta.ca |url=https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-geographical-names-program |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=www.alberta.ca |at=Roche De Smet |language=en}}</ref>

Shortly before reaching the pass, De Smet met Lieutenants [[Henry Warre|Henry James Warre]] and [[Mervin Vavasour]] who had been spying for the British in the [[Oregon Country]] and were returning east with a Hudson's Bay Company brigade and 15 Indigenous porters. Now over the pass, Warre and company traded their snowshoes for horses and continued down to Jasper House.{{Sfn|De Smet|1847|p=203–205}} Warre sketched the [[Whirlpool River]] Valley and Jasper House; the latter showing the post's log buildings and many [[Tipi|tipis]] of Indigenous families.{{Sfn|MacLaren|2007b|p=41–45}}
[[File:Kane Jasper House.jpg|left|thumb|Paul Kane's sketch of Jasper House in November 1846.]]
That November, artist [[Paul Kane]] arrived, sketching the Athabasca and Whirlpool valleys from vantage points including Brûlé Lake, Jasper House, and Old Fort Point. These illustrations show easily recognizable features such as [[Roche Miette]] (which he called "Meayets Rock"), [[Pyramid Mountain (Alberta)|Pyramid Mountain]] ("the Cascades"), and Pyramid Bench.{{Sfn|MacLaren|2007b|p=46–59}} Compared to the modern landscape condition, there is far less vegetation in Kane's sketches, emphasizing the effects of nearly a century of fire suppression after the government began managing the area in 1907.{{Sfn|MacLaren|2007b|p=48, 49, 52}} Prior to Kane's visit, there had been fires in the Athabasca Valley in 1795, 1808, 1830, and 1840.{{Sfn|MacLaren|2007b|p=48}} Kane's notes describe Jasper House itself as, "three miserable log huts."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kane |first=Paul |title=Paul Kane's Frontier, including Wanderings of an artist among the Indians of North America. |publisher=[[National Gallery of Canada]] |year=1971 |isbn=9780802017345 |location=Ottawa, Canada |pages=87}}</ref>

Beginning 1847, the post was inactive until the company reopened it in 1858 with [[Henry John Moberly]] as chief [[Factor (agent)|factor]].{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=23}} Moberly traded with, and was guided by, Louis Kwarakwante. Moberly had two sons with Kwarakwante's daughter Suzanne (b. 1824 at Jasper House): Ewan in 1859 and John in 1861. Moberly resigned from the Company in June 1861 and in October traveled with Suzanne to [[Lac Ste. Anne (Alberta)|Lac St. Anne]] to be married. They split shortly after, with Moberly heading east and Suzanne returning to the Jasper area to raise her children.{{Sfn|Murphy|2007b|p=126–127}}<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Ouelette |first=Richard |title=The Life and Death of the Council of Elders of the Descendants of Jasper Park |date=July 2016 |access-date=June 12, 2025 |degree=PhD |publisher=[[University of British Columbia]] |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/24/1.0306444/4 |pages=3–4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-14 |title=Our Jasper Stories: Métis of Jasper |url=https://www.fitzhugh.ca/local-news/our-jasper-stories-metis-of-jasper-8084435 |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Jasper Fitzhugh |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Henry john Moberly |url=https://mountainmetis.com/families/patriarchs/henry-john-moberly/ |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=mountainmétis.com |language=en-CA}}</ref> 

The Hudson's Bay Company continued sending employees to Jasper House twice per year to collect a steady supply of furs from the local Indigenous population until finally closing the post for good in 1874. Indigenous peoples in the area continued to supply furs, but they were collected at less remote posts such as [[Fort Edmonton|Edmonton]], [[Lac La Biche, Alberta|Lac La Biche]] and [[Lesser Slave Lake]]. In 1910, the remains of Jasper House was destroyed.{{Sfn|Payne|2007|p=23–24}}{{sfn|Sandford|2010|p=173}} It was designated a [[National Historic Sites of Canada|national historic site]] in 1924.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Jasper House National Historic Site of Canada |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=31 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |language=en}}</ref>

=== Jasper Park established ===

Jasper Forest Park was established by a federal [[order in council]] on September 14, 1907.{{sfn|Murphy|2007a|p=71}} The approximately {{Convert|12950|km2|sqmi}} were carved out of the [[Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve|Rocky Mountain Forest Reserve]], and covered an area bounded on the west by the continental divide, on the south by the divide between the Athabasca and [[North Saskatchewan River|North Saskatchewan]] watersheds, on the north by a straight line at 53°35′ north, and on the east by "the base of the [[foothills]]".{{Sfn|Murphy|2007a|p=79, 87, 88, 92}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 14, 1907 |title=Jasper Forest Park of Canada - lands withdrawn from sale etc and set apart as - Min. Int.,1907/06/03 |url=http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=ordincou&id=135390&lang=eng&ecopy=e008395822-v8 |access-date=June 20, 2025 |website=[[Library and Archives Canada]]}}</ref> The boundary was somewhat clarified by another order in council in 1909, but because the area was unsurveyed, the southeastern portion remained vague for years.{{Sfn|Murphy|2007a|p=88–91}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 18, 1909 |title=Jasper Forest Park, description substituted for that in O.C., 1907/09/14 - Min. Int., 1909/10/01 |url=https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=ordincou&IdNumber=129816&ecopy=e010710681-v8 |access-date=June 20, 2025 |website=[[Library and Archives Canada]]}}</ref>

The park's establishment was spurred by plans for the construction of additional Canadian transcontinental railways built through Edmonton, the [[Canadian Northern Railway]] and [[Grand Trunk Pacific Railway]], which were to cross the Rocky Mountains at [[Yellowhead Pass]]. Jasper Park was intended to be developed into an alpine resort similar to [[Banff National Park]], at the time known as Rocky Mountains Park, with a train station, tourist hotels, and a service town. Jasper Park was intended to occupy the same position to the railways that Banff National Park already had to the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]].{{sfn|Taylor|2007|pp=200-201}}{{sfn|Reichwein|2014|p=5}}<ref>{{Cite journal |title=New Forest Park near Edmonton |journal=Edmonton Bulletin |date=19 September 1907 |issue=September 19, 1907 |pages=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-edmonton-bulletin/152856484/}}</ref> Collectively, the mountain parks were intended as a sort of wilderness playground for middle-class workers, an antidote to the malaise of modern life.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Benham |first=D.J. |date=January 15, 1910 |title=Jasper Park in the Rockies: Canada's New National Playground |work=The Globe (1844-1936) |url= |access-date=}}</ref>{{sfn|Reichwein|2014|pp=6-7}} 

However, the vision of wilderness on which Jasper Park's development plan depended was at odds with the presence of long-established Métis homesteads within the park, many of whom were descended from the white and Haudenosaunee fur traders and trappers employed by the North West Company and the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] in the 19th century.{{sfn|MacLaren|2011|pp=334-335}} In 1909, six Métis families living in Jasper Park were declared [[squatter]]s, paid compensation for improvements made to the land, including buildings, ditches, and fences, and ordered to leave the park.{{sfn|Murphy|2007b|p=128}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Youdelis |first=Megan |date=2016-03-21 |title="They could take you out for coffee and call it consultation!": The colonial antipolitics of Indigenous consultation in Jasper National Park |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0308518x16640530 |journal=Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space |volume=48 |issue=7 |pages=1374–1392 |doi=10.1177/0308518x16640530 |bibcode=2016EnPlA..48.1374Y |s2cid=147221051 |issn=0308-518X|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

With the passing of ''The Dominion Forest Reserves and Parks Act, 1911'', Jasper Forest Park came under the administration of the newly established [[Parks Canada#History and role|Dominion Parks Branch]] of the [[Department of the interior (Canada)|Department of the Interior]] under Parks Commissioner [[James Bernard Harkin|James Harkin]],{{sfn|Taylor|2007|pp=200-201}} at which time the name was changed to simply Jasper Park.{{sfn|MacLaren|2011|p=xxxvi n8}} Minister of the Interior [[Frank Oliver (politician)|Frank Oliver]] expanded the overall size of the Forest Reserve but dramatically reduced the parks within. Jasper was reduced to a strip {{Convert|10|mi|order=flip}} north and south of the railway, which had reached the park that year. Now just {{cvt|1000|sqmi|order=flip}}, the tourist destination was shorn of many of its biggest attractions, such as Maligne Lake, Mount Edith Cavell, and the Columbia Icefields.{{Sfn|Murphy|2007a|p=81, 92, 93}}

Under Harkin, Canada's national parks were to fulfill a dual mandate of wilderness protection and economic development—primarily as tourist destinations.{{sfn|Reichwein|McDermott|2007|p=175}} In particular, the Parks Branch expressly forbade hunting in Jasper and the other mountain parks, deprecating First Nations' centuries-long history of subsistence hunting in the region{{sfn|MacLaren|2011|pp=334-335}} as indiscriminate slaughter of the local game wildlife.{{sfn|MacLaren|2011|pp=xxii, xxvii}} Despite the prohibition on hunting, the park and its tourist facilities became a base of operations for wealthy Canadian and American sport hunters for hunting trips further into the Rockies, beyond the prohibitions in place in the mountain parks and the [[Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve]].{{sfn|MacLaren|2011|pp=xxii, xxvii}}

[[File:Jasper Park Information Centre.jpg|thumb|The Jasper Park Information Centre, originally constructed in 1914 as an administration building and as the park superintendent's residence]]

=== Early tourism and sport ===
[[File:Jasper Park Lodge — Le centre du plus beau complexe de loisirs en montagne au Canada — Canadien National.jpg|thumb|upright|CNR advertisement, 1929]]

When [[Mary Schäffer Warren]] became the first settler to visit [[Maligne Lake]]—known by the Nakoda as {{lang|sto|Chaba Imne}}—in 1908, she did so by following a map given to her by [[Samson Beaver]], a Nakoda guide and hunter.{{sfn|Reichwein|McDermott|2007|pp=160-161}}

In 1911, the [[Grand Trunk Pacific Railway|Grand Trunk Pacific]] (GTP) laid track through the park and over Yellowhead Pass.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jasper's History |url=https://www.jasper.travel/discover-jasper/jaspers-story/ |access-date=2021-03-10 |website=Tourism Jasper |language=en}}</ref> That same year, the GTP founded the town of Fitzhugh around the company's railway station; the town was renamed Jasper in 1913. The GTP's route across the pass was followed in 1913 by the [[Canadian Northern Railway|Canadian Northern]] (CNoR).{{sfn|Taylor|2007|pp=200-201}} Both having fallen into financial difficulty, the two railways were [[nationalize|nationalized]]—the CNoR in 1919 and the GTP in 1923—and eventually merged into the [[Canadian National Railway]] (CNR) by an order in council.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=January 20, 1923 |title=OIC 1923-0115: Can. Govt. Rys. etc placed under the management and control of the C.N.R. Co. |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/orders-council/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=400072 |publisher=[[Privy Council of Canada]]}}</ref> The railway was later followed by a road built between Edmonton and Jasper. The section between the town of Jasper and the eastern gate of the park was completed in 1928; however, it took another three years for the province of Alberta to complete the remaining stretch of the road from Edmonton.{{sfn|Reichwein|McDermott|2007|p=184}}

By the time the GTP's railway track cleared Yellowhead Pass in 1911, there were already eight hotels established in Jasper, but they were rudimentary, and did not meet the expectations of the well-heeled clientele to which the GTP advertised.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Cyndi |title=Jasper Park Lodge : in the heart of the Canadian Rockies |date=1995 |publisher=Coyote Books |location=Canmore, Alberta |isbn=978-0-9692457-9-7 |edition=3rd |url=https://archive.org/details/jasperparklodgei00 |page=1 |url-access=registration}}</ref> [[Jasper Park Lodge]], the focal point of the GTP's Jasper advertising campaign, did not open until 1922, three years after the company's bankruptcy and only a year before the railway was merged into the nationally owned CNR.{{sfn|Zezulka-Mailloux|2007|p=241}} Like the GTP before it, Canadian National featured both Jasper Park and the lodge prominently in its advertising literature.

From its founding, the town of Jasper, and later the Jasper Park Lodge, served as a hub for a variety of outdoor sporting activities. Even as Mary Schäffer Warren was becoming the first settler to visit Maligne Lake, [[outfitter]]s were springing up in the park to rent out equipment and guide [[hiker]]s and [[Mountaineering|alpinists]].{{sfn|Taylor|2007|p=202}} The [[Alpine Club of Canada]], formed in 1906 and sponsored through the 1920s in part by the CNR,{{sfn|Reichwein|2014|p=113}} held seven of its annual alpine camps in Jasper between 1926 and 1950.{{sfn|Reichwein|2014|p=xix}} And while hunting was forbidden within park grounds, the park's facilities served as a base of operations for outfitters and guides who led wealthy hunters on hunting trips into the forest reserves outside Jasper's boundaries.{{sfn|MacLaren|2011|p=xxiii}}

=== Internment camps ===

In 1916, following the precedent set at Rocky Mountains Park, the [[Government of Canada]] opened an [[internment camp]] for individuals deemed [[enemy alien]]s, primarily immigrants from the [[German Empire]], the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]], including [[Ukrainians]], who made up the largest affected population, and the [[Ottoman Empire]].{{sfn|Waiser|1995|pp=3-4, 24-25}} The interned men were primarily employed in the construction of a road from the town of Jasper, along the [[Maligne River]] first to [[Medicine Lake (Alberta)|Medicine Lake]], and later on to [[Maligne Lake]].{{sfn|Waiser|1995|pp=24, 34}}

In 1931, in response to the [[Great Depression in Canada|Great Depression]], the government of Prime Minister [[R. B. Bennett]] enacted the ''[[Unemployment and Farm Relief Act]]'', which allocated funds for [[public works]] projects in the national parks.{{sfn|Sandford|2010|p=136}}{{sfn|Waiser|1995|p=55}} Labourers, many of them laid-off [[Canadian National Railway]] workers, were employed on road and bridge projects within the park, for which they were paid 25 to 30 cents per hour, working eight hours a day up to six days per week.{{sfn|Waiser|1995|pp=67-68}} In October, 1931, under the auspices of the [[Make-work job|relief project]], construction started on a road between Jasper and Banff, which ultimately formed the basis for the [[Alberta Highway 93#Icefields Parkway|Icefields Parkway]].{{sfn|Waiser|1995|p=71}}

Internment camps were established again during [[World War II]], when three hundred [[Japanese Canadians]] were forcibly sent to three road camps in Jasper.{{sfn|Waiser|1995|p=174}} Additionally, 160 [[conscientious objector| conscientious objectors]], many of them [[Mennonites]] from the [[Prairie provinces]], were interned at Jasper and put to work upgrading the Maligne Lake and Medicine Lake roads, as well as building a road from Geikie to the British Columbia border.{{sfn|Waiser|1995|pp=146-147}}

===Conservation and recent history===
In 1930, Jasper Forest Park officially became Jasper National Park with the passing of the ''[[Canada National Parks Act|National Parks Act]]''.<ref name=":6" /> Section 4 of the act further underlined the park's wilderness preservation function, with Canada's National Parks "dedicated to the people of Canada for their benefit, education and enjoyment" and "maintained and made use of so as to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parks Canada History: The National Parks Act, 1930 |url=http://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/national-parks-act-1930.htm |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=parkscanadahistory.com}}</ref> Ironically, given its mandate to preserve natural spaces, the act also redefined Jasper Park's boundaries, removing {{convert|518|km2}} of land from the park—including Brûlé Lake and [[Rock Lake (Alberta)|Rock Lake]]—opening the excised area to coal mining and hydroelectric development.{{sfn|Murphy|2007a|pp=104-106}}

In 1984, Jasper and the six other [[Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site|Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks]] – [[Banff National Park|Banff]], [[Kootenay National Park|Kootenay]], [[Yoho National Park|Yoho]], [[Hamber Provincial Park|Hamber]], [[Mount Robson Provincial Park|Mount Robson]], and [[Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park|Mount Assiniboine]] – were collectively declared a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] for their, "rugged mountain peaks, ice fields, and glaciers, alpine meadows, lakes, waterfalls, extensive karst cave systems, thermal springs and deeply incised canyons."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/&id_decision=371 |title=Advisory Body Evaluation |publisher=UNESCO |year=1992 |format=PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909031205/https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/%26id_decision%3D371 |archive-date=September 9, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/304/ |access-date=2021-03-07 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Plaskin |first=Robert |date=June 15, 1985 |title=Banff Park celebrating centennial |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1CI0AAAAIBAJ&dq=unesco+jasper+national+park&pg=PA120&article_id=4579,2408324 |access-date=May 15, 2025 |work=[[Ottawa Citizen]] |pages=G8}}</ref>

Since 1999, the arrival of the [[mountain pine beetle]] has impacted the park with 93,000 hectares of the park's forest infested with the beetle by 2017.<ref>{{cite news |author=Heidenreich, Phil |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4335116/jasper-national-park-mountain-pine-beetle-epidemic-plan/ |title=Mountain pine beetle epidemic sparks wildfire concerns in Jasper |date=July 16, 2018 |work=Global News |access-date=October 10, 2024|archive-date=July 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717045240/https://globalnews.ca/news/4335116/jasper-national-park-mountain-pine-beetle-epidemic-plan/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, Parks Canada released the ''Mountain Pine Beetle Management Plan'' which includes prescribed burns and removal of infected trees to reduce the fire risk and to prevent the beetles from spreading into provincial land.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/ab/jasper/pdfs/plan/Jasper-National-Park-Mountain-Pine-Beetle-Management-Plan-July2016-signed-optimized1.pdf |title=Mountain Pine Beetle Management Plan - Jasper National Park |work=Parks Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |year=2016 |access-date=October 10, 2024 |archive-date=July 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240729050720/https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/ab/jasper/pdfs/plan/Jasper-National-Park-Mountain-Pine-Beetle-Management-Plan-July2016-signed-optimized1.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2011, the [[Royal Astronomical Society of Canada]] designated Jasper National Park as a [[dark-sky preserve]] due to its minimal light pollution and ideal conditions for dark sky viewing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/gestion-management/designation/cieletoile-darksky |title=Jasper National Park's Dark Sky Preserve |access-date=October 10, 2024 |work=Parks Canada |date=3 October 2024 |publisher=Government of Canada  |archive-date=October 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241011013543/https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/gestion-management/designation/cieletoile-darksky |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2024, a [[2024 Jasper wildfire|wildfire]] destroyed a significant part of the town of Jasper and its surrounding area.<ref>{{cite news |author=Heidenreich, Phil |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10645096/jasper-alberta-wildfires-july-26/ |title=30% of Jasper structures destroyed by wildfire, critical infrastructure saved: Parks Canada |access-date=October 10, 2024 |work=Global News |date=July 26, 2024 |archive-date=July 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726181029/https://globalnews.ca/news/10645096/jasper-alberta-wildfires-july-26/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Wildlife ==
[[File:Jasper Dwayne Reilander-4.jpg|thumb|A grizzly bear in a wooded area near Jasper Townsite]]There are at least 50 mammal species in the park.{{r|CNN 2020-11-22}}

== Geography ==
[[File:Icefields(2013.07.16)byRyanSchroeder.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Athabasca]] in the park]]

=== Hydrology ===
Most of the park's area forms the headwaters of the [[Athabasca River]], which originates in the parks extreme southernmost point at an unnamed lake unofficially known as Columbia Lake due to it being fed by one of the [[Columbia Icefield]]'s many outlet glaciers. Despite its misleading name, the well-known [[Athabasca Glacier]] is actually the source of the [[Sunwapta River]], a tributary of the Athabasca, not the main river itself. Other major tributaries of the Athabasca River that drain large areas of the park include the [[Maligne River]], the [[Snake Indian River]], [[Rocky River (Alberta)|Rocky River]] and the [[Miette River]]. The northernmost area of the park is drained separately by the [[Smoky River]]. Both the Smoky and Athabasca Rivers form part of the [[Mackenzie River]] drainage, the largest river system in Canada, which itself is part of the [[Arctic Ocean]] basin.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Parks Canada Agency|first=Government of Canada|date=2018-03-21|title=Geology - Jasper National Park|url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/jasper/nature/environment/geolog|access-date=2021-03-07|website=www.pc.gc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Newton|first=Brandi|date=March 2, 2016|title=Athabasca River {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/athabasca-river|access-date=2021-03-07|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref> The southeast section of the park is drained by the [[Brazeau River]] which is part of the [[Saskatchewan River|Saskatchewan]]/[[Nelson River]] system which ultimately flows into [[Hudson Bay]].

The park is coextensive with the province of Alberta's [[Improvement District No. 12]].

=== Road network ===
{{More citations needed section|date=June 2025}}[[File:Entering Jasper National Park on Trans-Canada 16 from the west.jpg|thumb|Entering the park on [[Yellowhead Highway]]]]
[[File:Icefields Parkway (11) (9577863577).jpg|thumb|Icefields Parkway, looking southeast at Tangle Ridge above the Sunwapta River.]]
The park contains several major roads, most of which are intended to be scenic routes that provide access to all of the park's front-country attractions. Since a good sample of parks scenery and wildlife can be viewed from the roads themselves, driving them is considered a core part of the park experience.

[[Alberta Highway 16|Highway 16]] (part of the [[Trans-Canada Highway]] and [[Yellowhead Highway]] systems) is the main route through the park and is the only major east–west corridor crossing the mountains in that area.<ref name=":4">{{Cite map|title=Jasper National Park/ Parc national Jasper|publisher=Canada Surveys and Mapping Branch, Department of Energy, Mines and Resources Canada|year=1985|url=https://ostrnrcan-dostrncan.canada.ca/entities/publication/1c11e813-364e-443c-84db-49439cbee63d|access-date=June 3, 2025}}</ref> It serves as both an important trade and travel corridor for through traffic and a tourist route allowing visitors to access and view many of the park's attractions.

[[Alberta Highway 93|Highway 93]], also known as the Icefields Parkway, is a scenic highway {{convert|230|km|mi|abbr=on}} in length running from [[Lake Louise, Alberta]], in [[Banff National Park]], to [[Jasper, Alberta]], where it meets Highway 16.<ref name=":4" /> Along its length the parkway has many viewpoints, tourist attractions, hikes and campgrounds. Unlike Highway 16, the Icefields Parkway is strictly a tourist route, and all freight traffic is prohibited from using the road. All users must have a parks pass.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-01-22 |title=Discover the Icefields Parkway - Discover the Icefields Parkway... an experience for everyone |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries/promenadedesglaciers-icefieldsparkway/decouvrepg-discoverip |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> 

[[Alberta Highway 93|Alberta Highway 93A]] is a {{cvt|24|km}} parallel road to the Icefields Parkway that provides access to several hikes, campgrounds and the Marmot Basin Ski Resort. Marmot Basin Road provides access to the Marmot Basin Ski Area and several trailheads from Highway 93A. Edith Cavell Road is a {{cvt|14|km}} scenic park road that provides access to the Edith Cavell meadow area from the Icefields Parkway.<ref name=":4" /> This road is open only between May and October, and [[RV]]s are prohibited due to its tight switchback corners.

[[Maligne Lake Road]] is a scenic park road that is {{cvt|44|km}} in length and runs from Highway 16 near Jasper to [[Maligne Lake]] roughly following the course of the Maligne River.<ref name=":4" /> It is the park's other major tourist road (besides the Icefields Parkway). It is not as well known as the Icefields Parkway, but provides several viewpoints and access to hiking routes such as the [[Maligne Canyon]] trails.

Pyramid Lake Road is a short road that provides tourists access to the several lakes and resorts just north of Jasper.<ref name=":4" />

Celestine Lake Road is a long gravel road that runs along the north bank of the Athabasca River providing access to several remote trailheads.<ref name=":4" />

Miette Hot Springs Road is a {{cvt|17|km}} scenic park road that runs from Highway 16 to the [[Miette Hot Springs]], one of the parks core attractions.<ref name=":4" />

== Attractions ==
Most developed attractions in Jasper National Park are located in five car-accessible regions.<ref name=":2">{{Cite report |url=https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/ab/jasper/WET4/pdf/visit/depliants-brochures/ete-summer/Visitor-Guide-2025_EN-web.pdf |title=Jasper National Park 2025 Visitor Guide |date=March 31, 2025 |publisher=Parks Canada |page=4 |access-date=May 16, 2025}}</ref> There is also an extensive network of back country trails with more than 80 campgrounds.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-03-14 |title=2022 Annual Report - 2023 Annual Report |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/gestion-management/plan/2023 |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> Common summer recreational activities in the park include [[hiking]], [[fishing]], [[mountain biking]] (in select areas), wildlife viewing, [[rafting]], [[kayaking]] and camping. Winter activities include [[Alpine skiing]], [[cross-country skiing]] and [[snowshoe]]ing. Some companies offer [[dog sled]] tours in the park.

=== Around town (Three Valley Confluence) ===
[[File:Jasper Tramway from above 2012.jpg|thumb|Jasper Skytram, with the town of Jasper in the valley below.]]
The town of Jasper contains the majority of the services in the park including the [[Jasper Park Information Centre|Visitor Information Centre]], which is one of the oldest buildings in the park and the former administrative centre and superintendent residence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jasper Park Information Centre National Historic Site of Canada |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=30 |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |language=en}}</ref> 

To the northwest, above the town, Pyramid Bench has a large trail network with access to [[Patricia Lake (Alberta)|Patricia]] and [[Pyramid Lake (Alberta)|Pyramid]] Lakes.<ref name=":2" />{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=725}} There are also commercial operators offering horseback rides, boat rentals, and accommodations.

[[Jasper Park Lodge]], is situated east of the town, across the Athabasca River on [[Lac Beauvert]]. This was one of the earliest tourist developments in the park, with the main lodge built in 1921.{{Sfn|Taylor|2007|p=204}} It has amenities such as private cabins, an 18-hole golf course, spa, and restaurants. In 2024, the [[2024 Jasper wildfire|Jasper Wildfire]] damaged some of the property, but most visitor offerings reopened that fall.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ellingson |first=Craig |date=2024-09-21 |title=Jasper Park Lodge to re-open Oct. 1 after closure due to major wildfire |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/jasper-park-lodge-to-re-open-oct-1-after-closure-due-to-major-wildfire/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-26 |title=Historic Jasper Park Lodge spared wildfire's wrath, some buildings burned |url=https://www.fitzhugh.ca/local-news/historic-jasper-park-lodge-spared-wildfires-wrath-some-buildings-burned-9271175 |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Jasper Fitzhugh |language=en}}</ref>

South of town, the [[Jasper Skytram]] (purchased by Pursuit in 2025) is an [[aerial tramway]] running from the valley floor to the shoulder of [[The Whistlers (Alberta)|Whistlers Peak]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kaufmann |first=Bill |date=September 3, 2024 |title=Parks Canada approves U.S. company's purchase of Jasper SkyTram, solidifying its national parks dominance |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/parks-canada-approves-us-company-purchase-jasper-skytram |access-date=May 17, 2025 |work=[[The Calgary Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shokeir |first=Peter |date=2024-09-11 |title=Parks Canada approves Pursuit's acquisition of Jasper SkyTram |url=https://www.fitzhugh.ca/local-news/parks-canada-approves-pursuits-acquisition-of-jasper-skytram-9502889 |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=[[Jasper Fitzhugh]] |language=en}}</ref>

=== Maligne Valley ===
[[File:Spirit Island, Maligne Lake, Jasper NP.jpg|thumb|Spirit Island in Maligne Lake]]
Maligne Canyon, just upstream of the mouth of the Maligne River, is an example of a [[karst]] system; slightly acidic surface water dissolved the [[limestone]], forming a [[slot canyon]] with waterfalls, [[Pothole (landform)|potholes]], and caves. In places it is {{Convert|55|m|ft}} deep and just a couple metres wide.{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=167}} There is a trail with four bridges over the gorge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-10-16 |title=Maligne Canyon |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries/canyon-maligne |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=167}}  During winter, walking along the frozen river at the bottom of the canyon is a popular activity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Posted |first=Gord Mackintosh |date=2023-02-11 |title=Feb 2023: Jasper is a winter wonderland |url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/2023/02/11/jasper-is-a-winter-wonderland |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=Winnipeg Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=9 epic winter experiences only found in Alberta |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/what-to-do-in-alberta-canada-in-winter |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=Lonely Planet |language=en}}</ref>

Most of the water of the Maligne River reaches the canyon through underground passages from [[Medicine Lake (Alberta)|Medicine Lake]], {{Convert|16|km|mi}} further up the valley. Medicine Lake is a [[Losing stream|losing]] lake that primarily drains through [[Sinkhole|sinkholes]] in the lake bottom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2018-11-27 |title=Medicine Lake |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries/medicine |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=169}}{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=169}}

At the head of the valley, Maligne Lake is the longest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies, at {{Convert|22.3|km|mi}}. Maligne Lake Road ends at the northern tip of the lake, from which visitors can continue on foot or by boat to back country campgrounds. There are commercial operators that offer boat rentals and tours, including to [[Spirit Island (Alberta)|Spirit Island]], a [[tied island]] near the lake's midpoint.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2023-11-01 |title=Maligne Lake - Maligne Lake |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries/lac-maligne |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=718}}{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=718}}

=== Jasper East ===
[[Miette Hot Springs]] is an aquatic complex featuring warm and cold plunge outdoor pools. The water is sourced from three [[Hot spring|thermal springs]] above Sulphur Creek in the [[Fiddle River]] valley.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-05-09 |title=Miette Hot Springs |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/sources-miette-springs |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bonny |first1=Sandy |last2=Jones |first2=Brian |date=November 2003 |title=Microbes and mineral precipitation, Miette Hot Springs, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/e03-060 |journal=Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences |volume=40 |issue=11 |pages=1483–1500 |doi=10.1139/e03-060 |bibcode=2003CaJES..40.1483B |issn=0008-4077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bonny |first=Sandy Marie |date=2002 |title=Recent and fossil spring deposits at Miette Hot Springs, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada |url=https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/de67b416-ab37-4aaa-b58e-4dfb5734484b |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=ERA |language=en}}</ref>

The former site of Jasper House, the namesake of the park, is commemorated by a plaque and viewpoint across the Athabasca River, just off Highway 16. Almost nothing can be seen of the former fur trading post, but it can also be visited on foot from Celestine Road.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2022-11-22 |title=Management Statement - Jasper House National Historic Site of Canada Management Statement, 2017 |url=https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ab/jasperhouse/info/plan |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>

=== Highway 93A ===
[[File:RobPillows2.jpg|thumb|A skier at Marmot Basin]]
Also called the Wabasso Road,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-05-23 |title=Road restrictions and seasonal closures |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/visit/routes-roads |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> Highway 93A was the original Banff-Jasper Highway and runs west of the Athabasca River. It provides access to several popular areas southwest of the town of Jasper.{{Sfn|Williams|1948|p=123}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=A. M. A. |date=2020-09-21 |title=The Ultimate Guide to the Rocky Mountains |url=https://amainsider.com/ultimate-guide-rocky-mountains/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=AMA |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-04-04 |title=Mount Edith Cavell |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries/cavell |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>

[[Mount Edith Cavell]] is visited by tens of thousands of sightseers from June through October. Visitors gain a viewpoint of the [[Angel Glacier]] and can hike in the Cavell Meadows, famous for its wildflowers in July.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2023-06-26 |title=Mount Edith Cavell - Mount Edith Cavell area |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/experience/sentiers-trails/cavell |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>{{Sfn|Copeland|2009|p=207–209}}{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=724}}

[[Marmot Basin]] ski area has steadily opened new [[Piste|runs]], [[Ski lift|lifts]], and facilities since 1964.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of the Hill {{!}} Marmot Basin Ski Resort |url=https://www.skimarmot.com/mountain/marmots-story/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Marmot |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nichols |first=Trevor |date=2013-10-31 |title=Marmot Basin: 50 years later |url=https://www.fitzhugh.ca/archive/marmot-basin-50-years-later-2-8080357 |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=[[Jasper Fitzhugh]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stuart |first=Ryan |date=2018-01-17 |title=Turning Local - Jasper & Marmot Basin |url=https://skicanadamag.com/turning-local-jasper-marmot-basin/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Ski Canada Magazine |language=en-CA}}</ref> In 2023, Marmot opened a new chair lift to {{Convert|2,518|m|ft}}, giving easier access to a cirque just below [[Marmot Mountain|Marmot Peak]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-04 |title=Marmot Basin readies new knob quad chair |url=https://www.fitzhugh.ca/local-news/marmot-basin-readies-new-knob-quad-chair-8086652 |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Jasper Fitzhugh |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Covey |first=Bob |date=2024-01-25 |title=Skiers and boarders lifted to new heights at Marmot Basin - News |url=https://www.jasperlocal.com/2024/01/25/skiers-and-boarders-lifted-to-new-heights-at-marmot-basin/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=www.jasperlocal.com |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2025, the area has 7 lifts, 91 runs with a vertical drop of {{Convert|914|m|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mountain Stats {{!}} Marmot Basin Ski Resort |url=https://www.skimarmot.com/mountain/mountain-stats/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Marmot |language=en}}</ref> A major part of Jasper's winter economy, it was aiming for 200,000 visitors in the 2024–2025 season, in line with historical numbers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clarkin |first=Acton |date=December 2024 |title=Ski season opens today at Marmot Basin |url=https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6572944 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2009-11-16 |title=Marmot Basin Ski Area Site Guidelines for Development and Use |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/gestion-management/plan/marmot-basin/marmotbasin-dev/b |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>

At the south end of the road, near its junction with Highway 93, there is a parking lot with access to [[Athabasca Falls]]. The falls are {{Convert|23|m|ft}} tall. The powerful, high volume of water pouring over a ledge of hard [[quartzite]] is continually deepening the falls by eroding the softer limestone below.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2017-08-02 |title=Athabasca Falls |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries/athabasca |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>

=== Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) ===
[[File:Sunwapta Falls sunset.jpg|thumb|Upper Sunwapta Falls, Jasper National Park]]
[[File:Athabasca Glacier BenWBell.jpg|thumb|Athabasca Glacier and the rim of the Columbia Icefield with the Icefields Parkway in the foreground.]]
In Jasper National Park, the Icefields Parkway runs parallel to the continental divide on the east side of the Athabasca and Sunwapta rivers until [[Sunwapta Pass]], where it continues through Banff National Park.<ref name=":4" /> In addition to providing motor and cycle access to the heart of the Canadian Rockies, the road itself is considered to one of the park's main attractions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Icefields Parkway {{!}} Banff & Jasper National Parks, Canada {{!}} Attractions |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/alberta/banff-and-jasper-national-parks/attractions/icefields-parkway/a/poi-sig/1481695/1335274 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Lonely Planet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-03 |title=Jasper to Banff and the Icefields Parkway |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/jasper-to-banff-and-the-icefields-parkway-alberta |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Travel |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Essential Itinerary: Springtime in Banff, Alberta |url=https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-essential-itinerary-springtime-in-banff-alberta/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=canadiangeographic.ca |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Sfn|Gadd|2016|p=718}}

A pullout provides an interpretive bronze plaque and viewpoint towards Athabasca Pass, which was made a National Historic Site of Canada in 1971 for its importance to the fur trade.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Athabasca Pass National Historic Site of Canada |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=28 |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2022-11-24 |title=Activities and experiences - Activities and experiences |url=https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ab/athabasca/activ |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> 

[[Sunwapta Falls]] is a short distance from the highway, just upstream from where the Sunwapta enters the Athabasca River. It is formed by the difference in elevation between the hanging valley and the larger and deeper Athabasca valley.<ref name="WaterfallsSunwapta">{{cite web |title=Sunwapta Falls |url=http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/bc_waterfall.php?num=631&p=0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930020109/http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/bc_waterfall.php?num=631&p=0 |archive-date=2007-09-30 |access-date=2007-07-01 |work=Waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-12-04 |title=Sunwapta Falls |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries/sunwapta |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>  

Commercial operator Brewsters Travel Canada, now owned by Pursuit, began construction of a glass-bottomed walkway in 2013 over opposition from the public and environmental groups.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 29, 2013 |title=Controversial skywalk now under construction in Jasper |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/controversial-skywalk-now-under-construction-in-jasper-1.1405540 |access-date=June 3, 2025 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 12, 2012 |title=Jasper glacier walk targeted by online petition |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/jasper-glacier-walk-targeted-by-online-petition-1.1245946 |access-date=June 3, 2025 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref> In May 2014, tickets to the $21&nbsp;million Glacier Sky Walk opened for purchase. The platform is {{convert|280|m}} above the Sunwapta valley floor.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=May 11, 2014 |title=$21M Glacier Skywalk aims to thrill tourists with glass floor |url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2014/05/11/21m-glacier-skywalk-aims-to-thrill-tourists-with-glass-floor/ |access-date=June 3, 2025 |website=[[CityNews]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Calgary |first=Colleen Schmidt-CTV |date=2014-05-02 |title=Stunning valley views greet guests of Glacier Skywalk |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/stunning-valley-views-greet-guests-of-glacier-skywalk/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=VIRTUAL TOUR: The new Glacier Skywalk in Jasper National Park {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/1291122/watch-a-virtual-tour-of-jasper-national-parks-new-glacier-skywalk/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Essential Itinerary: Springtime in Banff, Alberta |url=https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-essential-itinerary-springtime-in-banff-alberta/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=canadiangeographic.ca |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Athabasca Glacier is a [[Glacier terminus|toe]] of the Columbia Icefield near the border with Banff National Park. It extends to within a few kilometres of the parkway, making it one of the most accessible and visited glaciers in the world. It has been receding since at least the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-05-27 |title=Columbia Icefield Area and the Athabasca Glacier |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries/glacier-athabasca |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> A {{Convert|1.8|km|mi|adj=on}} interpretive hiking trail leads visitors right up to the glacier with markers showing the past extent of the glacier.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-02-15 |title=Icefields Parkway |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/experience/sentiers-trails/glaciers-icefields |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> Visitors can hire guides to take them up the ice on foot, and Pursuit sells tickets for tours in specialized vehicles that drive on the glacier: the 56-passenger Ice Explorer and 10-passenger Ice Odyssey all-terrain vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbia Icefield Adventure: A Remarkable Experience in the Rockies |url=https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/columbia-icefield/experiences/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=www.banffjaspercollection.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Athabasca Glacier {{!}} Jasper National Park, Canada {{!}} Attractions |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/icefields-parkway/attractions/athabasca-glacier/a/poi-sig/1364567/1335276 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Lonely Planet}}</ref> 

On July 18, 2020, an Ice Explorer bus with 27 passengers lost control and tumbled {{Convert|50|m|ft}} down a steep [[moraine]]. 3 died on scene and 14 had life-threatening head and pelvis injuries. In 2021, while an RCMP-led investigation was still underway, Pursuit resumed the tour having added seat belts to the vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=No answers 1 year after Columbia Icefield tour bus crash in Jasper National Park {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8034561/columbia-icefield-tour-bus-crash-anniversary/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref> The company pleaded guilty to two of the eight charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and paid $475,000 in fines.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Man who survived Icefield tour crash says driver joked about lack of seatbelts, noted vehicle speed |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/man-who-survived-icefield-tour-crash-says-driver-joked-about-lack-of-seatbelts-noted-vehicle-speed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111104343/https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/man-who-survived-icefield-tour-crash-says-driver-joked-about-lack-of-seatbelts-noted-vehicle-speed |archive-date=11 November 2024 |access-date=2025-06-03 |work=edmontonjournal |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=No criminal charges to be laid in fatal Columbia Icefield tour bus crash in Jasper National Park {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9337625/jasper-columbia-icefield-tour-bus-crash-no-criminal-charges/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref> Victims have also filed civil lawsuits, and a fatality inquiry is set for 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 11, 2025 |title=Court date set in advance of fatality inquiry into Columbia Icefield bus rollover |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/court-date-set-in-advance-of-fatality-inquiry-into-columbia-icefield-bus-rollover |access-date=June 3, 2025 |work=[[Calgary Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Franklin |first=Michael |date=2022-08-04 |title=Lawsuits linked to deadly Columbia Icefield crash name Parks Canada among defendants |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/lawsuits-linked-to-deadly-columbia-icefield-crash-name-parks-canada-among-defendants/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref>

=== Backcountry ===
[[Image:Fryatt Valley top.jpg|thumb|Fryatt Valley from the top of the head wall]]Only a small fraction of Jasper National Park is road-accessible; as of April 2022, over 97% of the park is zoned as wilderness.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2022-12-07 |title=Strategic Environmental Assessment of Jasper National Park Management Plan |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/gestion-management/plan/involved/ees-sea |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=parks.canada.ca |at=Table 2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2022-08-11 |title=Park zoning |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/gestion-management/plan/involved/zone |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-19 |title=Canada's remote (but accessible) dark-sky sanctuary |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250218-jasper-canadas-remote-but-accessible-dark-sky-sanctuary |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> Since 1978, there have been between 13,000 and 34,000 back country users per year, less than 1% of all visitors to Jasper National Park.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Harrap |first=Liam |date=June 18, 2023 |title=Why Jasper National Park isn't replacing some backcountry bridges after they're washed away |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/why-jasper-national-park-isn-t-replacing-some-backcountry-bridges-after-they-re-washed-away-1.6878289 |access-date=May 14, 2025 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref> Although there are {{Convert|1100|km|mi}} of trails throughout the park,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Scott |date=2023-07-26 |title=Bridging the gap of understanding in infrastructure maintenance |url=https://www.fitzhugh.ca/news/bridging-the-gap-of-understanding-in-infrastructure-maintenance-8086606 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=[[Jasper Fitzhugh]] |language=en}}</ref> many areas remain undeveloped and do not have access trails.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2021-02-01 |title=Backcountry map - Backcountry map |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/cartes-maps |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> 

Existing trails receive varying levels of maintenance, with the most popular areas, including the [[Tonquin Valley]], [[Skyline Trail (Jasper National Park)|Skyline Trail]], [[Maligne Lake]], and Brazeau, designated as a high priority for immediate repairs. Low priorities, such as Athabasca Pass, the North Boundary Trail, and the South Boundary Trail may not be cleared regularly, and lost bridges may not be replaced.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-10-07 |title=Backcountry Planning Guide |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/planif-plan |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Millen |first=Tania |date=2023-04-18 |title=A bridge too far: Neglect of backcountry trails severs Canadians' connection to heritage - News |url=https://www.jasperlocal.com/2023/04/18/a-bridge-too-far-neglect-of-backcountry-trails-severs-canadians-connection-to-heritage/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.jasperlocal.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Backcountry Trips Recommended by Jasper National Park
!Trail
!Maintenance Priority
!Recommended Duration
!Distance{{efn|name=one-way|One-way unless otherwise specified}}
!Accommodations
|-
|Chaba: Big Bend & Athabasca Crossing<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2023-01-13 |title=Chaba trail: Big Bend and Athabasca Crossing |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/chaba |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|High
|2–3 days
|{{cvt|14.8|km|mi}}
|2 campgrounds
|-
|Maligne Lake{{efn|name=boat|Boat access only}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-01-22 |title=Maligne Lake |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/maligne |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|High
|2+ days
|{{cvt|21.3|km|mi}}
|3 campgrounds, 4 picnic areas
|-
|Fryatt<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-05-20 |title=Fryatt Trail - Fryatt Trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/fryatt |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|High
|2–3 days
|{{cvt|22|km|mi}}
|2 campgrounds, 1 [[Alpine Club of Canada|ACC]] hut
|-
|Tonquin Valley<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-01-27 |title=Tonquin Valley Trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/tonquin |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|High
|2–3 days
|{{cvt|43.1|km|mi}}
|7 campgrounds, 1 ACC hut
|-
|Skyline<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-05-30 |title=Backcountry Guide - Skyline trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/skyline |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|High
|2–3 days
|{{cvt|44.1|km|mi}}
|6 campgrounds, 1 back country lodge
|-
|The Brazeau Loop<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-05-27 |title=The Brazeau Loop - The Brazeau Loop |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/brazeau |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|High
|5 days
|{{cvt|81|km|mi}} loop
|6 campgrounds
|-
|Athabasca Island{{efn|name=boat}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2023-04-17 |title=Athabasca Island |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/ile-athabasca-island |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Medium
|2 days
|{{cvt|7.5|km|mi}}
|1 campground
|-
|Saturday Night Lake<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2019-02-08 |title=Backcountry guide - Saturday Night Lake |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/saturdaynight |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Medium
|2–3 days
|{{cvt|24.6|km|mi}}
|2 campgrounds
|-
|Celestine Lake to Rock Lake<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2023-04-17 |title=Celestine Lake to Rock Lake Trail - Celestine Lake to Rock Lake Trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/celestine-rock |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Medium
|3–4 days
|{{cvt|52.8|km|mi}}
|5 campgrounds
|-
|Geraldine Lakes<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-05-20 |title=Geraldine Lakes |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/geraldine |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Low
|1–2 days
|{{cvt|6.2|km|mi}}
|1 campground
|-
|Jacques Lake<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2023-02-27 |title=Jacques Lake |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/jacques |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Low
|1–2 days
|{{cvt|12.2|km|mi}}
|1 campground, 1 ACC hut (winter only)
|-
|Fiddle River<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-08-07 |title=Fiddle River Trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/fiddle |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Low
|2–3 days
|{{cvt|37.8|km|mi}}
|3 campgrounds, 1 [[Alberta Parks]] campground
|-
|Maligne Pass<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2024-01-30 |title=Maligne Pass Trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/maligne-pass |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Low
|2–3 days
|{{cvt|48|km|mi}}
|4 campgrounds
|-
|Athabasca Pass<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-05-23 |title=Athabasca Pass |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/athabasca-pass |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Low
|4–5 days
|{{cvt|48.5|km|mi}}
|6 campgrounds
|-
|Jonas Pass - Poboktan Creek<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2023-04-17 |title=Jonas Pass-Poboktan Creek |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/poboktan |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Low
|3–4 days
|{{cvt|54|km|mi}}
|5 campgrounds
|-
|Little Heaven - Upper Blue Creek<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2023-03-16 |title=Little Heaven – Upper Blue Creek |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/littleheaven |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Low
|7–10 days
|{{cvt|64|km|mi}}
|6 campgrounds
|-
|South Boundary<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2025-02-05 |title=South Boundary trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/south-boundary |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Low
|7–10 days
|{{cvt|121|km|mi}}
|11 campgrounds
|-
|North Boundary<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2023-04-17 |title=The North Boundary Trail - The North Boundary Trail |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/passez-stay/arrierepays-backcountry/sugg-sentiers_trip-ideas/north-boundary |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref>
|Low
|7–10 days
|{{cvt|159|km|mi}}
|11 campgrounds, 7 [[BC Parks]] campgrounds
|}

==Climate==
{{Weather box
|location = Jasper National Park (East Gate), Alberta (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1971&ndash;present)
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes

|Jan record high C = 18.0
|Feb record high C = 18.0
|Mar record high C = 22.2
|Apr record high C = 29.0
|May record high C = 31.5
|Jun record high C = 33.0
|Jul record high C = 35.6
|Aug record high C = 36.1
|Sep record high C = 31.5
|Oct record high C = 27.0
|Nov record high C = 23.0
|Dec record high C = 15.5

|Jan high C = -2.1
|Feb high C = 0.8
|Mar high C = 4.9
|Apr high C = 10.7
|May high C = 16.2
|Jun high C = 20.0
|Jul high C = 22.7
|Aug high C = 21.6
|Sep high C = 16.4
|Oct high C = 10.2
|Nov high C = 1.9
|Dec high C = -2.0
|year high C =

|Jan mean C = -6.9
|Feb mean C = -4.6
|Mar mean C = -1.0
|Apr mean C = 4.2
|May mean C = 9.0
|Jun mean C = 12.9
|Jul mean C = 15.3
|Aug mean C = 14.2
|Sep mean C = 9.8
|Oct mean C = 4.9
|Nov mean C = -2.4
|Dec mean C = -6.4
|year mean C =

|Jan low C = -11.7
|Feb low C = -10.2
|Mar low C = -6.9
|Apr low C = -2.4
|May low C = 1.9
|Jun low C = 5.8
|Jul low C = 7.8
|Aug low C = 6.8
|Sep low C = 3.2
|Oct low C = -0.4
|Nov low C = -6.7
|Dec low C = -10.7
|year low C =

|Jan record low C = -48.3
|Feb record low C = -45.0
|Mar record low C = -44.0
|Apr record low C = -23.0
|May record low C = -11.0
|Jun record low C = -8.5
|Jul record low C = -4.5
|Aug record low C = -6.5
|Sep record low C = -13.0
|Oct record low C = -33.0
|Nov record low C = -42.0
|Dec record low C = -45.5

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 22.6
|Feb precipitation mm = 16.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 29.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 33.9
|May precipitation mm = 65.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 90.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 88.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 91.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 68.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 40.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 30.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 19.8
|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 5.3
|Feb precipitation days = 4.8
|Mar precipitation days = 6.4
|Apr precipitation days = 7.1
|May precipitation days = 12.0
|Jun precipitation days = 15.7
|Jul precipitation days = 15.3
|Aug precipitation days = 15.0
|Sep precipitation days = 11.5
|Oct precipitation days = 8.3
|Nov precipitation days = 7.0
|Dec precipitation days = 5.4

|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 2.0
|Feb rain mm = 0.8
|Mar rain mm = 2.5
|Apr rain mm = 17.6
|May rain mm = 59.7
|Jun rain mm = 89.9
|Jul rain mm = 88.9
|Aug rain mm = 91.5
|Sep rain mm = 63.5
|Oct rain mm = 25.7
|Nov rain mm = 4.0
|Dec rain mm = 1.6
|year rain mm =

|Jan rain days = 0.46
|Feb rain days = 0.33
|Mar rain days = 0.88
|Apr rain days = 4.4
|May rain days = 11.7
|Jun rain days = 15.7
|Jul rain days = 15.3
|Aug rain days = 15.0
|Sep rain days = 11.3
|Oct rain days = 6.1
|Nov rain days = 1.5
|Dec rain days = 0.54
|year rain days = 83.1

|snow colour = green
|Jan snow cm = 20.6
|Feb snow cm = 16.0
|Mar snow cm = 27.2
|Apr snow cm = 16.3
|May snow cm = 6.0
|Jun snow cm = 0.0
|Jul snow cm = 0.0
|Aug snow cm = 0.0
|Sep snow cm = 5.1
|Oct snow cm = 15.1
|Nov snow cm = 26.5
|Dec snow cm = 18.3
|year snow cm =

|unit snow days = 0.2 cm
|Jan snow days = 5.0
|Feb snow days = 4.5
|Mar snow days = 5.5
|Apr snow days = 3.2
|May snow days = 0.92
|Jun snow days = 0.04
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.56
|Oct snow days = 2.5
|Nov snow days = 5.6
|Dec snow days = 5.0
|year snow days = 32.9

|source 1 = Environment Canada<ref name = ECCC>
{{cite web
|url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?searchType=stnName&txtStationName=jasper&searchMethod=contains&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=2542&dispBack=1
|publisher = Environment and Climate Change Canada
|title = Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010
|access-date = July 1, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

==General management==
Jasper National Park is managed by [[Parks Canada]] under the ''[[Canada National Parks Act|National Parks Act]]''. On a [[Improvement districts of Alberta|provincial level]], the park area outside of Municipality of Jasper is administered by [[Alberta Municipal Affairs]] as ''[[Improvement District No. 12|Improvement District No. 12 (Jasper National Park)]]''. The Municipality of Jasper was formed by the [[Government of Alberta]] in 2001 and has its own local government.<ref name="jaspergovernance">{{cite web |url=https://www.jasper-alberta.ca/p/how-your-government-works | title=How Your Government Works | publisher=Municipality of Jasper |archive-date=October 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241011014844/https://www.jasper-alberta.ca/p/how-your-government-works |access-date=October 10, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Jasper National Park is featured in the 2010 3D animated [[comedy-drama film]] ''[[Alpha and Omega (film)|Alpha and Omega]]'' as the location the two wolf protagonists are taken from and struggle to return to.<ref name="MediaCentre2010">{{cite web |last=Loup |first=Mat |title=US pet day celebrations launch animated 'Alpha and Omega' movie |url=http://mediacentre.canada.travel/content/ctc-blog/alpha-omega-us-pet-day-celebrations|publisher=Media centre|access-date=March 3, 2012 |date=September 10, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213144519/http://mediacentre.canada.travel/content/ctc-blog/alpha-omega-us-pet-day-celebrations |archive-date=February 13, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="JasperTravel2010">{{cite web |title=Alpha and Omega promo video |url=http://www.jasper.travel/blog/tourism-jasper/alpha-and-omega-promo-video |work=Tourism Jasper's blog |publisher=Tourism Jasper |access-date=March 3, 2012 |year=2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029205600/http://www.jasper.travel/blog/tourism-jasper/alpha-and-omega-promo-video |archive-date=October 29, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="EdmontonJournal2010">{{cite news |last=Mah |first=Bill |title=Jasper hopes for Hollywood bounce |url= http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=e2c0c236-3689-439b-b79e-615ef4efae07 |newspaper= [[Edmonton Journal]] |access-date= March 3, 2012 |date= September 28, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204008/http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=e2c0c236-3689-439b-b79e-615ef4efae07 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="FitzHugh2010">{{cite news |last=White |first=Carrie |title=Tourism Jasper Has A Busy First Year |url=http://www.fitzhugh.ca/tourism-jasper-has-a-busy-first-year/ |work=The Fitzhugh |location=Jasper, Canada |publisher=Aberdeen Publishing |access-date=March 3, 2012 |date=December 16, 2010 |archive-date=27 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527035855/http://www.fitzhugh.ca/tourism-jasper-has-a-busy-first-year/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A [[KLM]] [[Boeing 777|Boeing 777-300]] is named after Jasper National Park.{{cn|date=November 2025}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Geography|Canada}}
* [[Dark-sky preserve]]
* [[Ecology of the Rocky Mountains]]
* [[Jasper Palisade]]
* [[List of national parks of Canada]]
* [[List of historic places in Alberta's Rockies]]
* [[List of trails in Alberta]]
* [[List of mountains of Alberta]]
* [[List of waterfalls of Alberta]]
* [[Wildlife of Canada]]
* {{SS|Jasper Park}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="CNN 2020-11-22">{{Cite news|last=Elassar|first=Alaa|date=2020-11-22|title=Canadian officials warn drivers not to let moose lick their cars|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/22/americas/canada-warns-moose-lick-cars-trnd/index.html|access-date=2020-11-23|work=CNN}}</ref>
}}

=== Works cited ===
* {{Cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Ross |url=http://parkscanadahistory.com/series/mrs/158.pdf |title=Jasper National Park Archaeological Inventory |last2=Reeves |first2=Brian O.K. |publisher=Parks Canada: National Historic Parks and Sites Branch |year=1975 |access-date=April 8, 2022}}

* {{Cite book |last1=Copeland |first1=Kathy |title=Don't Waste Your Time In the Canadian Rockies |last2=Copeland |first2=Craig |publisher=hikingcamping.com, inc. |year=2009 | ref={{SfnRef|Copeland|2009}} |isbn=978-0-9783427-5-3 |edition=6th |location=Canmore, Alberta, Canada |pages=207, 208}}

* {{Cite book |last=De Smet |first=Pierre-Jean |url=https://archive.org/details/P000238/page/196/mode/2up |title=Oregon missions and travels over the Rocky Mountains, in 1845-46 |publisher=Edward Dunigan |year=1847 |location=New York| ref={{SfnRef|De Smet|1847}}}}

* {{Cite book |last=Gadd |first=Ben |title=Handbook of the Canadian Rockies | ref={{SfnRef|Gadd|2016}} |date=1995 |publisher=Corax Press |isbn=978-0-9692631-1-1 |edition=2nd |location=Jasper, Alta}}

* {{Cite book |title=Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries in the Human History of the Upper Athabasca |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780888644831 |editor-last=MacLaren |editor-first=I.S. |location=Edmonton, Alberta |url=https://archive.org/details/culturingwildern00macl |url-access=registration}}
** {{Cite book |last=MacLaren |first=I.S. |title=Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries in the Human History of the Upper Athabasca |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2007a |isbn=9780888644831 |editor-last=MacLaren |editor-first=I.S. |location=Edmonton, Alberta |pages=xv-xliii |chapter=Introduction}}
** {{Cite book |last=Payne |first=Michael |title=Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries in the Human History of the Upper Athabasca |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780888644831 |editor-last=MacLaren |editor-first=I.S. |location=Edmonton, Alberta |pages=1–40 |chapter=The Fur Trade on the Upper Athabasca River, 1810-1910}}
** {{Cite book |last=MacLaren |first=I.S. |title=Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries in the Human History of the Upper Athabasca |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2007b |isbn=9780888644831 |editor-last=MacLaren |editor-first=I.S. |location=Edmonton, Alberta |pages=41–70 |chapter=Henry James Warre's and Paul Kane's Sketches in the Athabasca Watershed, 1846}}
** {{Cite book |last=Murphy |first=Peter J. |title=Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries in the Human History of the Upper Athabasca |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2007a |isbn=9780888644831 |editor-last=MacLaren |editor-first=I.S. |location=Edmonton |pages=71–122 |chapter="Following the Base of the Foothills": Tracing the Boundaries of Jasper Park and its Adjacent Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve}}
** {{Cite book |last=Murphy |first=Peter J. |title=Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries in the Human History of the Upper Athabasca |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2007b |isbn=9780888644831 |editor-last=MacLaren |editor-first=I.S. |location=Edmonton, Alberta |pages=123–154 |chapter=Homesteading in the Athabasca Valley to 1910}}
** {{Cite book |last1=Reichwein |first1=PearlAnn |title=Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries in the Human History of the Upper Athabasca |last2=McDermott |first2=Lisa |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780888644831 |editor-last=MacLaren |editor-first=I.S. |location=Edmonton, Alberta |pages=155–198 |chapter=Opening the Secret Garden.}}
** {{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=C.J. |title=Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries in the Human History of the Upper Athabasca |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780888644831 |editor-last=MacLaren |editor-first=I.S. |location=Edmonton, Alberta |pages=199–232 |chapter=The Changing Habitat of Jasper Tourism}}
** {{Cite book |last=Zezulka-Mailloux |first=Gabrielle |title=Culturing Wilderness in Jasper National Park: Studies in Two Centuries in the Human History of the Upper Athabasca |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2007 |editor-last=MacLaren |editor-first=I.S. |location=Edmonton, Alberta |pages=233–260 |chapter=Laying the Tracks for Tourism}}

* {{Citation |last=MacLaren |first=I.S. |date=2011 |title=Rejuvenating Wilderness |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv6cfrjf.15 |work=A Century of Parks Canada, 1911–2011 |pages=333–370 |publisher=University of Calgary Press |doi=10.2307/j.ctv6cfrjf.15 |access-date=2022-04-07|url-access=subscription }}

* {{Cite book |last=Reichwein |first=PearlAnn |title=Climber's Paradise: Making Canada's Mountain Parks, 1906–1974 |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-77212-023-3 |location=Edmonton, Alberta}}

* {{Cite book |last=Sandford |first=Robert W. |title=Ecology & wonder in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site |date=2010 |publisher=AU Press |isbn=978-1-897425-58-9 |location=Edmonton |oclc=671374018}}

* {{Cite book |last=Waiser |first=W.A |title=Park Prisoners, The Untold Story of Western Canada's National Parks, 1915–1946 |url=https://archive.org/details/parkprisonersunt0000wais |url-access=registration |date=1995 |publisher=Fifth House Publishers |isbn=1-895618-65-7 |oclc=1131192438}}

* {{Cite book |last=Williams |first=M. B. |url=https://archive.org/details/P009258 |title=The Banff-Jasper Highway | ref={{SfnRef|Williams|1948}} |publisher=Evergreen Press Ltd. |year=1948 |edition=2nd |location=Vancouver, BC |publication-date=1963 |pages=123 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}

== External links ==
{{sister project links|auto=1}}
* {{Official website}}
* Tourism Jasper. [http://www.jasper.travel Tourism Jasper]

{{Alberta|RM=yes}}
{{Alberta parks}}
{{National parks of Canada}}
{{Canadian Rockies}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Canada}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Jasper National Park| ]]
[[Category:National parks of the Rocky Mountains]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1907]]
[[Category:History of the Rocky Mountains]]