Note – The pics are from before the 2024 fire in Jasper. In this wildfire a lot of the townsite and the forests nearby has been destroyed. It would take few years probably to be back to this state.
This is a Calgary to Jasper trip plan.
Jasper is an amazing beautiful place and the drive from Lake Louise to Jasper is a scenic drive. Take the highway 93, an exit from highway 1 just after Lake Louise village (coming from Calgary/Canmore) to travel to Jasper. The exit is marked as Jasper, Icefield parkway.
No cell connection: There is no cell connection on icefield parkway so have the locations saved in your map if you need to, but most of the places are well marked. If you are going in more than one car, make sure you have a plan to meet otherwise you won’t be able to contact each other after you enter this road. Approximately 230 kms from Lake Louise to Jasper on highway 93.
No gas station: Fill gas from lake louse village before getting onto highway 93.There is a gas station on highway 93 near Saskatchewan crossing but I am not sure if it’s always open, so my recommendation is to fill up from Lake Louise village.
Park Pass needs to be purchased for Banff and it can be bought for the number if days you are visiting. Pass can be purchased at the toll gate before entering the national park just after Canmore on Highway 1 or at the toll gate while entering Highway 93.
Itinerary: Suggested 2 day Itinerary is at the end of this page
Accommodation: If you can’t find a suitable accommodation in jasper, you can try Hinton which is a town nearby Jasper (75kms from Jasper town).
The places below are in the recommended order to see, considering the distances and driving directions.
On the way to Jasper:
- Crowfoot Glacier
- Bow Lake
- Peyto lake
Please refer to the Banff section for details of the above destinations.
- Big Bend
Location can be found in google maps. Its just a bend on highway 93, but take a moment to stop and look back at the view of the road you drove through.
- Columbia Icefield
You will see a lot of glaciers showing up on your drive to jasper and this place is Columbia icefield. Book a bus tour to the Athabasca Glacier. https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/ offers some package deals if you buy multiple attractions across Banff and Jasper. There is also a sky walk (glass bridge) at the icefields but if you have restrictions on your budget the recommendation is to take the bus tour to glacier.
- Sunwapta Falls
A beautiful waterfall and nice walk to the falls and beyond. You will see Sunwapta falls Rocky Mountain lodge on left side on highway 93. That is the turn for Sunwapta falls. This lodge is also a great place to stay and offers good breakfast.
- Athabasca Falls
This is a larger and harsher fall compared to Sunwapta falls – a great one, not to be missed
In Jasper:
- Maligne Canyon
It’s a beautiful and deep canyon. There are 6 bridges at different points in this canyon. The first 3 bridges are a must see, the remaining can be explored based on the time you have. The last bridge is a pretty long walk but a great walking/hiking trail.
- Maligne Lake
It’s a nice drive to the Maligne lake. The lake is very beautiful and surrounded by mountains and glaciers. There are boat tours available there but generally the feedback is that they are pretty costly. I do not have pictures as I haven’t been able to visit it yet.
- Pyramid lake
It is a beautiful and calm lake that you try some boating. Pedal boats are a good way to explore the lake slowly. There is also a bridge to walk to a small island.
- Sky Tram
Similar to Banff Gondola, there is a sky tram in Jasper which gives amazing views of the town and mountains
- Miette hot springs
The hot springs are a great way to relax at the end of a busy day of exploring
- Night sky explore at the planetarium
Refer to the website
- Horse Shoe lake – small hike (1.6km)
Itinerary
If you have 2 days, suggested Itinerary is as below :
Day 1:
- Big bend viewpoint
- Columbia icefield glacier bus tour
- Sunwapta falls
- Athabasca falls
- Night sky explore at the planetarium.
If you haven’t covered the below on the way, cover that first before the big bend
- Crowfoot Glacier
- Bow lake
- Peyto lake
Day 2:
- Maligne Canyon
- Maligne lake
- Pyramid lake
- Horse shoe lakes
- Travel back to Canmore or Calgary
Leave a Reply