It was the Family Day long weekend here in Alberta and I wanted a quick weekend getaway that was relatively inexpensive but also included some adventure & a lot of fun. I planned to take my time driving up there and make some stops along the way to see some various attractions. Below is my itinerary of my weekend in Jasper National Park.
Road trip Tip: Most of the trip had no cell service – I downloaded a map from Red Deer to Jasper offline using Google Maps.
Saturday:
Abraham Lake – Ice Bubbles:
This was my first stop on the way to Jasper. Abraham Lake is along Highway 11 about 35 minutes west of Nordegg. I find that the easiest way to access this location is to drive to Preachers Point Staging Area using google maps. The nice part about using this spot to access the lake is that there are outhouses, garbage cans, lots of parking and firepits that you can use if you plan to make a day of it.
I would highly recommend dressing for cold weather, even if it says the temperatures are warm. It is usually very windy here and tends to feel much colder than it actually is. I would also highly recommend wearing ice cleats. The ice is very slippery, and it will make it much easier to get around if you have ice cleats.
Tip: I actually took two pairs of boots and had one with the ice cleats on them and one without. I just changed boots every time I went on one of the hikes. It was easier than trying to take the ice cleats on and off.
I also highly recommend checking out the ice conditions before venturing out onto the ice. Here is a website that is updated regularly about the ice conditions.
https://explorenordegg.ca/abraham-lake-ice-conditions/
Here are some of my photos from this stop.
Sunwapta Falls:
This was my second stop on the way to Jasper. Sunwapta Falls is located along the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) and is about a 40 minute drive south of Jasper. Sunwapta Falls has two waterfalls that are fed by the Athabasca Glacier: upper and lower falls. I was short on time so I just took a quick pit stop and did the upper falls, which is located right next to the parking lot. The views were spectacular and I was not disappointed. If you have more time, you could definitely hike to the lower falls which is approx. a 1.3km hike. I will definitely be doing that hike the next time.
Here are some of my photos from this stop.
Athabasca Falls:
This was my final stop on the way to Jasper. Athabasca Falls is located on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) and is about a 30-minute drive south of Jasper. From the parking lot, you can see the start of the trail that follows along the Athabasca River. The interpretive trail is approx. 1km long and will lead you to multiple viewpoints for the falls and the canyon below.
Please note that these falls were fairly busy with other tourists. I had to be a bit patient for people to move on for me to get some of the good photos.
Here are a few of my photos from this stop.
Athabasca Falls
It was getting late in the day by the time I finished this last stop so I decided to check into my hostel and grab an early dinner. The only place to eat along the way was in Nordegg and I passed through it fairly early to have lunch so I ate snacks along the way.
Accommodations:
As I was looking to have an inexpensive getaway, I decided to try one of the hostels in Jasper. I chose the HI Hostel as it looked very clean and had a lot of amenities. I stayed in a four bed female dorm room and it costs me just under $90 for two nights. I definitely have no complaints considering the cost. I knew I wasn’t planning on spending a ton of time in the room anyway so it didn’t make sense to pay a crazy amount of money for a hotel. Each person had their own locker to put their belongings in, a bed with their own individual light and charging ports for your devices. There also was a small shelf on top to put a few personal items on.
If you are considering a trip to Jasper but find that hotels are just too expensive, I highly recommend this hostel. There are also options to book private family rooms at a slightly higher price.
Sunday:
I had two tours booked for Sunday – Maligne Canyon Ice Walk with SunDog Transportation & Tour Co. & The Jasper Food Tour. I booked both of these tours separately so I didn’t realize that SunDog offers a deal to bundle the two tours together ($30 savings). I would highly recommend doing the combo as it made for a perfectly planned day.
Here is the link to book the combo tour:
Maligne Canyon Ice Walk – Sun Dog Transportation & Tour:
I selected the option for the tour guide to pick me up from the hostel so that I didn’t have to drive/navigate my way there. The tour was relatively full and we had to make multiple stops along the way to pick up other passengers.
Once we arrived at the canyon, we went inside the building to get properly fitted for our gear. They provided us with waterproof boots, ice cleats and a helmet. There are washrooms in this building for you to make one last bathroom break before starting the actual walk. We loaded back into the vehicle to head to the start of the trail.
The trail was very slippery so I was very grateful to have the ice cleats! We made multiple stops at various viewpoints along the way for us to take pictures and for the guide to share information with us. Eventually, we made it to the bottom of the canyon – it was spectacular. There were a number of people there ice climbing and I was happy to have the guide to navigate through to ensure our safety from falling ice. Overall, this was a great experience and likely one I will repeat!
Here are some of my photos from this tour.
Jasper Food Tour:
This food tour takes place in Downtown Jasper and is a walking tour (approx. 2km). Our tour guide, Hilary took us to four local restaurants, where we had four unique tastings, along with an alcoholic beverage. In between the food tastings, the tour guide points out various historical spots in the Jasper Downtown area and gives a brief overview of them. Overall, I thought the experience was amazing. Who doesn’t love good food, good drinks and good company?
In the summer months, they are adding a couple of additional tours aside from the Downtown Food Tour. They are adding a “Peak-Nic” option, which includes a 4km intermediate hike up a beautiful peak, followed by a hands-on backcountry cooking lesson. Also, they are adding a “Bites on E-Bikes Tour” which is a 25 km guided e-bike tour of the scenic back roads of Jasper National Park while visiting some of the restaurants along the way. I hope to do one of these tours soon!
Here are some of my photos from the food tour.
I met a really nice German girl in my hostel on Saturday, and she decided to join me on the food tour. She is backpacking across Canada and I felt the need to give her a Canadian experience. After the food tour, I took her to Beavertails so that she can try some authentic Canadian cuisine. It didn’t disappoint.
Monday:
There was a storm rolling in Monday afternoon so I got up fairly early and hit the road. I needed to make one last stop before I headed out of town.
Bears Paw Bakery:
This place is so popular that they have two locations in downtown Jasper! I had a vanilla latte and a Bear Paw and both were absolutely fabulous.
Overall, I had a really great long weekend and a fantastic getaway!
