“Jasper is quiet, pristine and more authentic than Banff – you’ll see what we mean” is what we’d heard from several mountain locals and they weren’t wrong.
The scenery is much the same but the vibe is like chalk and cheese. Banff is a lively hub of backpackers, bars and gift shops, while Jasper is a quiet little town with hectares of campgrounds and each local residence seemingly outnumbered by RVs three-to-one.
The hiking is varied and spread over thousands of square kilometres, but perhaps less intense than the vertical mountain climbs we smashed out in Banff and Canmore. Over our three days we completed ‘Valley of five lakes’ (easy, bit boring), Bald Hills (awesome, overlooking Maligne Lake) and Sulphar Skyline (Jasper’s signature half-day trail). Our favourite was probably Bald Hills, but take a look at the best shot from each below and decide for yourselves.
The best thing about Jasper for us was the wildlife. Tom as driver had assigned Jess to permanent “Bearwatch” and after not spotting any in the busier Banff, Jasper was a hotspot for them. You know there is something pretty special going on when, driving one of Jasper’s remote roads, there are several cars and RV’s pulled up with their hazards on. We witnessed several black bears in the wild, including one cheeky bugger chewing on branches at the top of a tree right next to the road, and even two and a half grizzlies (the half being a little cub which was too quick to get a photo). Coupled with elk, dear, eagles and even a skittish moose, this was all quite special.
Special mention for our Jasper trip was our accommodation. A former backpacker extraordinaire and now doting father of two toddlers, Mike, has converted the basement of his home into an eight-person hostel called “World Travellers Fraternity” (aka “WTF”). The result is like a cross between a hostel and a home stay, with the small number of people staying forced into interacting, eating together and generally having great conversation. Mike even lets his guests use his canoe on Patricia Lake free-of-charge, and this is the image we’ll sign off on this one.
Now off to the states to meet up with the Silmans!
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