Jasper National Park is amazing. They have beautiful lakes and rivers, animals, and shops…read more Admission to the park was easy. You stop at the gate at the entrance of the park. The friendly ranger will ask you questions like how many days you will be staying and then give you a price. Everything was done by credit card. The transaction was easy peasy. They had lakes of all shapes and sizes. There was a roadside lake that I stopped at that was turquoise in color. We visited Maligne Lake with its azure colored waters. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to the lake to get tickets to their boat ride to Spirit Island. Animals weren't seen until my last day there when I spotted bighorn sheep. The town of Jasper was the major hub in the park with lots of shops, restaurant and a nice visitor center. You could buy all the souvenirs that want. There was a recent wildfire that burned part of the town in Jasper and some of the sites. Maligne Canyon was still closed. This is an beautiful place to visit if you like the outdoors.

Jasper National Park he's just stunning and so vast. Unfortunately, a lot of the Park has been…read moredevastated by last year raging wildfires. The community is working hard to recover and the area needs all the tourism that it can get. You can see the result of the wildfires damage from about 30 miles outside of Jasper town. It's truly heartbreaking to see. We need to support the people & their businesses. They said there are many areas 30 miles outside of Jasper town that are intact & stunning. Go visit... it's amazing

Maligne Canyon is the deepest canyon in Jasper National Park, with a depth of more than 170 feet at…read morecertain points. Hikers were exploring this incredible natural landmark by crossing 6 bridges built across various points of the canyon. First and Second bridges are the easiest hikes. The 2nd Bridge is the highest point in the canyon. The 3rd Bridge offers the vest views of the waterfall and is the best for a photo opportunity. The 6th bridge offers a long hike with spectacular sights. The Maligne Canyon Wilderness Kitchen offers food & drinks here.

My husband and I hiked through Maligne Canyon on a overcast day. There was some residual smoke from…read morethe wildfires, but we were still able to snap some gorgeous photos and take in the beauty of our surroundings. I would definitely recommend parking at the first bridge and starting there but you can also park at the fifth bridge and seventh bridge. It just depends how much time you want to spend and how strenuous of a hike you want to do. We went out and back from the first bridge to the fifth bridge in about two hours.

This was one of my favorite hikes that we did between Banff and Jasper…read more The trail starts to the left by the heated pool house. It's about a 4-5 mile hike and it took us about 3.5 hours to do. The hike up was pretty steep, but not unmanagable. You start out on a horse path for a bit before it turns into a dirt path. About half way to the top the path takes a turn to the right and then there are a bunch of switchbacks. Close to the top you get above the treeline and it starts to get windy. The trail turns into gravel there and gets a lot steeper. The climb is worth it though. The views at the top are amazing. You can see 360 degrees around you. It's incredibly windy at the top. We almost got blown over while we were taking a picture. It's about an hour drive from Jasper and definitely worth the trek to the top!

STEPH JUDGEMENT: Tough but rewarding hike with some of best views of the area…read more This was the first hike of our trip so we were all excited and rarin' to go! The trailhead is right next to the Miette Hot Springs parking lot and very easy to find. We'd gone for a pre-hike dip at the springs and felt nice and relaxed. Which was good, because it was pretty much a straight uphill climb for 2.2 miles and the last quarter mile or so was pure agony, but you feel so good when you finally make it! We lingered at the summit with the other hikers, eating our packed lunch and taking in the breathtaking views. There were a lot of really cute chipmunks at the summit that were obviously used to being fed by people (which you're not supposed to do, and we didn't) and were bold enough to come right up to your feet to look for scraps. The other best part was rolling right into the hot springs again after our hike and soaking the aches away.

William Switzer provincial park is located about 20 minutes outside the main townsite of Hinton,…read moreand I was really impressed with how large and well serviced it is! Our visit was brief, for a short hike, but the area around the lake with surrounding mountains is just lovely. There's a staffed visitor's centre, and I was able to take some paper maps and talk to a staff member about directions and recommended hikes for our time and energy levels. My husband and I tried out Kelly's Bathtub and Friendly Vistas, and the trails were nice easy walks in a pretty setting. We really only stopped for about an hour, but will definitely plan to return to check out more of this awesome park.

Stopped at Medicine Lake as part of our Rocky Mountaineer Raily adventure. We stopped for a view…read moreof the lake (which was still pretty low), along with some of the local wildlife. These included some Long Horn Ram, and Bald Eagles. All around this area you can see the devastation from last year's fire. Still plenty of beautiful views.

In Jasper National Park on the way to the popular Maligne Lake, you may spot Medicine Lake. It…read moredepends on the time of year because it's also known as the disappearing lake. 5 stars - Unique find. During the summer, glacier melt waters flow into the lake area. In fall and winter the lake disappears, becoming a mudflat with scattered pools of water connected by a stream. The water disappears because of the unique underground draining system where the water flows down the Maligne Canyon. In the summer, with all the melt, it just can't drain fast enough. They say that the Aboriginal people called it Medicine Lake because of its seemingly magical powers. 5 stars - Location. Off of highway AB16, take Maligne Lake Road. It's a windy road in some spots, but you're driving along a canyon in a forest. Sit back and enjoy the view. I went on a rainy day so maybe that added to the mystical feel of this place. It was so calming.

Disc golf has been a casual hobby for my husband and I for a number of years, so after hearing that…read morethere's a course in Hinton, we made the day trip out from Edmonton to check it out along with some other hiking in the area. The Hinton Disc Golf course is fairly easy to find, with the closest parking at the bike park across the road. It's an easy walk over to the course from the parking lot, and there are tons of signs to help you find your way. The website for this course recommends hiking shoes, and I agree 100% - there is a lot of soft ground and roots, and proper grip and support is needed. Overall we loved the Hinton course. The holes and baskets are well labelled, and there was a variety of challenging terrain (up and down hills) through the forest to keep things interesting. Each hole is labelled with a map showing the basket location, and the baskets themselves are new and well-maintained. There are benches at many holes, and clear paths through the trees to the next hole. It took all the guesswork out of wondering where to go, and made our round through the course much more enjoyable. There are long holes to test your skill, but I didn't feel any were too difficult. Halfway through the course, you loop through the start, so if you want to do half, it's easy to do so without backtracking. The time and effort put in by the local club to keep up a great course is apparent, and it was worth the trip out from the city.

Like many of the falls in the area, you will find a breathtaking view if you just go a little bit…read morefurther than the average tourist. Do yourself a favor and hike to the lower falls! A little bit farther and a little bit more of a work out, the lower falls offer a crowd-free experience. My husband and I visited shortly after visiting Athabasca falls and pretty much had the entire place to ourselves. It was an overcast day, but that did not take away from the beauty of everything we saw. There is plenty of parking as well as a public restroom when you get to Sunwapta Falls.

The falls are located about 42 miles south of Jasper on the Icefields Parkway. At the road is a…read more'resort' / motel and a restaurant, I think. You turn there and go less than a half mile to a loop / parking area near the falls. When we went (early afternoon on a Monday in the summer), it was a bit challenging to find a parking space. Overflow appeared to be along the approach road. We did find a space that was being vacated by another car, but later it appeared this was likely a less-than-legitimate parking space. Oh well. The falls are quite close to the parking area (maybe 100 yards?). There are actually two falls connected by a narrow / deep canyon of about 100 feet in length. There are several viewing areas and it pays to visit all 3 - 4 of them, to get the best overview of both falls. I'd recommend visiting in the afternoon for better lighting. Also, if you are visiting both, I'd recommend coming here *before* going to Athabasca Falls (which is further along the road towards Jasper), as the latter is more impressive. That is not to say that Sunwapta is not worthwhile; I just think you'll be more impressed with it if you see it first and are not comparing it at the time with Athabasca. The trails to overlooks are fairly short. Seeing the whole place took on the order of 30 - 45 minutes, for us. YMMV. Definitely a worthwhile stop, though.