Advice on Jasper National Park?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Looking to take the family to Jasper National Park in late June or late August. Planning to use Jesper as a base camp to for Banff and the other national parks near by. My wife and 3 kids are pretty rookie campers. My wife is not big on roughing it. but enjoys moderate hikes. We will have a pop up trailer. Kids will probably want to take part in the “Junior Ranger” program, campfires, and other kid type activities.

We’ve been to Richmond (to eat real Shanghaiese food), Vancouver and to visit the Water Mania park multiple times. We want to see a bit of Canada. Take advantage of the Looney exchange rate. Experience spectacular mountains. Avail ourselves of local hot springs (if they are good - and we use Japanese hot springs from our time in Japan as the benchmark).

Open to suggestions but currently planning on staying in the main Whistler camp ground. It has electricity and showers. :smiley: Let’s just say my wife can tolerate camping

Would love suggestions of must see or experience sites from people who have been to any of the National Parks in the area. Can include nearby, kitschy or touristy stuff as well as get places to see or must do hikes.

Anyone know if handicapped campsites have special reservation systems or pricing in Canada? My youngest has handicapped designation in the US. US National Parks have some handicapped only campsites and special Discover Pass pricing. Not sure about Canada though and the websites I’ve been on aren’t real clear.

2

Jasper will be a fantastic trip. Lots of great hikes of all sizes, some of the best stuff requires long hikes with a lot of climbing though - you are dealing with some big valley to peak elevations - so you may miss some good stuff with a family trip. There is still lots of good things to see from the road, the Icefields Parkway is a pretty awesome drive. Be aware this can be challenging driving if you are not used to mountains. There are lots of interpretive trails and small accessible walks.

You have probably heard of the main attractions - Mt Robson (worth seeing but sadly the truly awesome stuff is a days hike up), Columbia Icefields Interpretive center, Peyto and Bow Lakes (and a zillion other azure lakes), Lake Louise, Yoho, Emerald Lake, Valley of the Ten Peaks - all beautiful with various levels of facilities. Some of it is pretty developed and touristy but you can get away from that very quickly and its there when you need a Latte/Hamburger/cold beer. Jasper is much less touristy than Banff, but will have any facilities you may need - its a good choice.

Be aware that distances are big; Jasper to Lake Louise is 3 hours 1 way and could be 4 if traffic is heavy and you are stuck behind the RVs. Book your campsites now. There is quite a bit of overflow, and some more tucked away sites that may not fill up but generally high season weekends are going to get booked up. The Parks campgrounds are pretty good, good services, well treed. I do not know about accessibility issues but the Parks Service is usually pretty helpful. I would give both them and tourism Alberta a call.

All the water is freaking freezing. The kids will probably go for a splash and should but it wont be a long swim. It could snow any time. It could be damn hot too. It could be damn hot one day and snow the next morning. Bring the full gamut of clothing, you don’t need a parka, but a couple sweaters, rain gear, warm pants will make life much easier if the weather goes south.

Reading the sign posts that show the former extent of the glacier at the columbia icefields center is pretty sobering. Looking up at the icefield with seracs and crevasses is pretty cool. I’ve never taken the ice bus up the glacier (skied it lots though - yahoo), but that is probably a really good idea. There are gondolas at both Jasper and Lake Louise and those are probably a good choice to get up high for the rookie hikers.

Hot springs in Banff are nothing special - swimming pools really. There are some primo rustic hot springs if you happen to be driving up through B.C. though.

3

In Lake Louise, there is a moderate hike up to the “Lake Agnes Tea House” Definitely worth doing.

4

Good info. Keep it coming. Any recommendations on good local Canadian things to see or eat? We’re going for a Canadian experience. I went to the Calgary stampede when I was knee high to a gopher, and have been to Hongcouver a dozen times (go for the food, seriously!).Ya know, things like if Canadians really eat bacon, is there a thing called Canadian bacon, etc., eh? :wink: Is there a quincentenial Canadian breakfast we should order? Something famous in the West? Do Rocky Mountain oysters exist in the Canadian rockies or are those species only in the US Rockeis? We are definitely foodies. And if there is a tourist trap of epic epicness on the way, please share!

Any rustic hotsprings to recommend? We can skip the swimming pools.

We won’t be doing any massive hikes. Well, maybe one day I’ll go solo or take just one or two of my kids. Is there say a 6 hour round trip you would recommend that would be a great experience for a newbie to hiking in big mountains?

Would you recommend doing a car day trip to Banff National Park and what to see there?

5

Many years ago when the Canadian dollar was low, I spent a week with these outfitters. I don’t know if your kids can handle horseback riding, but if they can - it’s a great way to see the area around Banff.

There’s a lot of nothing on that drive, but it’s really pretty nothing with good places to go on quick (or medium) hikes along the way.

6

I’ve never done it myself, but I’d love to have gone on the Jasper Skytram. I think it would be a major highlight of the trip.

7

First of all, you never end a question with “eh?” You end a statement with “eh?” thus turning it into a question. So, to rephrase what you meant to say, “We’d like to find out if there is a such a thing as Canadian bacon in Canada, eh?” :slight_smile:

That being said, there isn’t. Oh, there is the same stuff, but we call it “back bacon.” It doesn’t seem to be as popular as regular strips of bacon, though.

Other western Canadian delicacies? There aren’t that many, though you might try a Bloody Caesar (vodka, clamato juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt and pepper, garnished with celery). Perogies are popular.

As mentioned above, the hike from Lake Louise to Lake Agnes is something anybody can do, and it will take a few hours. At the top is Lake Agnes, a nice little mountain lake, and there is a teahouse where you can refresh yourself before the descent.

Banff townsite itself is going to be crowded, because it always is. Avoid the Banff Avenue exit from Highway 1; use the exit a couple of miles west. If you’re driving, it is possible to “get trapped” on Banff Avenue, unable to turn, because of the number of pedestrians crossing the road. As a result, even if you have the green, you may not be able to turn because of the people crossing the road (and they have the right-of-way at all times in Alberta, even if the light is not in their favour).

If you want to wander around the town yourself, there is a parking garage on Bear Street (easily accessible from the western highway exit), where you can park, then get out to explore. It is only two blocks from Banff Avenue, and I have used it many times.

The two biggies that everyone will tell you about are the Sulphur Mountain Gondola, and the Cave and Basin. Each is worth seeing/riding (the Gondola takes you to the top of Sulphur Mountain, where you have a fine view of everything). But there are a few other things to see in and around Banff you might like:

– Bankhead. This was a coal mining town, and it is now a pleasant hour-or-so hike around the old mine works. They’re all gone and the mine is sealed, but the piles of slack and old machines remain. Above the mine site is a nice picnic area, where the houses of the workers used to be. They’re gone too but the foundations remain–don’t fall in!

– Lake Minnewanka. It has a nice beach area, but the water is cold.

– Johnson Canyon. Off Highway 1A, about halfway between Banff and Lake Louise. This is a nice little hike up to a set of waterfalls.

– Takkakaw Falls. Just over the BC border, off Highway 1 at the foot of the Big Hill, in Yoho National Park. One of the highest waterfalls in North America. If you’re thinking about this, take some time to see the Spiral Tunnels. These were engineered and built so trains don’t have to climb the Big Hill. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a train wrapping around itself, as it navigates the Tunnels.

At the end of your day, you might want to relax with a drink. Why not enjoy a Bloody Caesar on the terrace of the Banff Springs Hotel? Even if you are not staying there, it is an attraction in itself.

Anyway, hope that you have a great trip!

8

We’re on the Skytram. Maybe take one of the rafts back down. Should be a hoot.

9

Having spent a lot of time in Banff/Jasper et al., Miette Hot Springs is really nice, As is the hike up to Sunwapta Falls. Paint Pots is a bit of a drive but also a nice hike. I also really liked going up to see Mt. Edith Cavell. The twisty s in the road are tight, but your kids will likely enjoy it! My wife, not so much.
I also highly recommend Storm Mountain Lodge for at least one meal. All the food and beverage is as local as possible, and as Canadian as possible. It is pricey but the surroundings are beautiful and the food is fantastic. We’ve stayed there 4 times now.

I’ll also second Johnson Canyon but it is usually quite busy. If you’re up for a bit of an adventure food wise, and depending on how old your kids are, check out The Grizzly House in Banff.

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Great stuff everyone. Please keep it coming.

11

Be sure to jump the border and checkout Mt. Robson in BC.

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