Jasper Strong: This Mountain Town is Climbing Back
Published September 17th, 2025
All photos by Claudia Laroye except one. You’ll know when you see it. Photo credit for that goes to a team member at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.
Jasper is open and welcomes guests and visitors to enjoy the townsite and the National Park
Deep into my journey northward along the spectacular vistas of Alberta’s Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park, the first signs come into view. Swaths of blackened Lodgepole pines bearing silent witness to the fire that burned through 79,000 acres of Jasper National Park and forced 5,000 residents and 20,000 tourists from the townsite in July 2024.
It’s a stark image. But below the rows of bare trees, a closer look reveals hopeful signs of renewal. An emerald green carpet spreads underneath and between the trunks. The new growth of moss, grasses, fireweed and fast-growing alders are ecological succession – botany’s colonization of a newly created habitat.
Golden hour over Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park on Sundog Tour
Alberta’s Jasper National Park is healing itself. New life is making the park verdant again, with local officials projecting a 20% increase in the wildlife population because of more easily accessible tender (and tasty) green growth - an exciting development for park fans.
The people of Jasper townsite are also recovering and rebuilding. Much of Jasper is untouched, new businesses are opening and old favourites are busy with summer visitors. Strolling the historic townsite, I receive a warm and effusive welcome, which is just the way Tourism Jasper wants it, inviting guests to “visit responsibly, support our recovery, and experience the strength and beauty of our community firsthand."
Here are five ways you can plan to enjoy a mindful and spectacular outdoor adventure in Jasper.
Five ways to enjoy Jasper
Kayak or cycle at Lac Beauvert
The writer enjoying a paddle on Lac Beauvert in Jasper National Park
The historic Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge was saved from the worst of the fire, thanks in part to the irrigation system of its 100-year-old golf course, one of the prettiest 18 holes in the country.
If you’re a guest at the Lodge and your fancy runs to more active pursuits, rent bikes, kayaks and canoes to cycle around or paddle on the stunningly clear Lac Beauvert. With majestic Mount Edith Cavell in the background and the Lodge’s low-slung log cabins scattered along the shore, time spent on and around the water is a must.
Summer at the Lodge has all the sun-kissed joys of an adult summer camp, albeit a more bougie version with a top drawer culinary and cocktail scene. Sip a signature Emerald Glow cocktail on the patio overlooking the heated outdoor pool, or take advantage of the well-appointed gym, spa, or play ageless party games like cornhole and tic-tac-toe.
Be mindful of the Lodge’s other special, four-legged guests, particularly during the fall and spring seasons when impressive groups of elk roam the grounds to mate or with young calves in tow.
Enjoy a Medicine Walk with Warrior Women
Matricia Bauer of Warrior Women overseeing beadwork with wolf willow seeds
Learn of the food and medicines that exist in the most surprising places in Jasper with Marticia Bauer, an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. The founder of Jasper-based Warrior Women conducts immersive Wapakwanis Plant Walks on the grounds of Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge as well as within Jasper National Park.
Picking juniper berries on a medicine plant walk with Warrior Women
On our late summer walk, Bauer points out bunches of mouth-puckering chokecherries within arms’ reach, fragrant buffalo sage, rosehips and goldenrod which can all be steeped for nutrient-rich teas, and the silver berries of Wolf Willow, which produce a matcha-like powder with seeds that once dried, are used in ornamental jewellery and beadwork.
You’ll come away from this unforgettable experience looking at plants with a new respect and an appreciation of their many gifts.
Cruise on Maligne Lake and Spirit Island
Incomparable Spirit Island the Hall of the Gods at Maligne Lake
For first time visitors to Jasper, a guided, panoramic cruise on Maligne Lake to Spirit Island is a must do. The lake is about 60 minutes from Jasper townsite and can be reached by car or on a guided tour.
Once aboard the distinctive, baby blue and white boat, the guides detail the Indigenous and settler history of the lake, the mystery of its distinctive blue colour (hint: glacial rock flour), and how Spirit Island is sacred to the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.
There’s a brief (20 minute) drop onto the shore to take photos of the iconic view of Sprit Island with the towering peaks of the box canyon the “Hall of the Gods” behind it. Note that visits to Spirit Island itself are prohibited.
Tip: Late afternoon is the best time for photography. As the sun moves west across the sky, it appears to shine on the island like a spotlight around 4 or 5 PM.
Take the Ecology of Fire Tour
Bighorn sheep make their way along the road near Maligne Lake
Explore Jasper’s renewal and rejuvenation first-hand on a guided Sundog Tours Ecology of Fire Tour. Operating wildlife and landscape tours in Jasper National Park since 1997, the company conducts both sunrise and sunset tours of the Park, and both times have unique advantages.
The sunrise affords phenomenal lighting for photographers keen to capture Jasper’s incredible landscapes, while later afternoon/early evening sunset tours focus on wildlife activity in the park.
But no matter the time of day, this tour dives into the fascinating ecology of fire and how wildfires play a crucial role in shaping the landscape. Visit areas untouched by wildfire, and those that have been fire-affected where you can observe the natural recovery underway and learn about the ecological renewal as new life emerges in these iconic Canadian Rockies. Keep a watchful eye for elk, moose, bear, marmots, and bighorn sheep.
Observe Jasper’s Dark Sky
The magical Milky Way in Jasper Dark Sky Preserve
With more than 20 years of stargazing under their telescopes, founders Matthew and Joel of Jasper Star Trails are pioneers of Dark Sky Preserve space tourism in Jasper. The knowledge and enthusiasm of their “off the beaten path” tours of the Milky Way and the trillions of galaxies in our universe is infectious.
“We love space,” says Matthew, and they love helping people to get in touch with the night sky. “For so many people, it’s impossible for them to see (due to light pollution) but a handful of the brightest stars.”
Joel of Jasper Star Trails prepares for an evening of stargazing in Jasper
Jasper is the largest accessible Dark Sky Preserve in the world, with its own Jasper Dark Sky Festival held every October including this fall, the festival’s 15th anniversary. Jasper Star Trails conducts several star tours, including a two-hour guided journey through the night sky at Lake Annette.
Telescope at the ready with Jasper Star Trails
Explore the wonders of the Milky Way and the ever-changing seasonal constellations and planets using binoculars and a variety of telescopes. Observe the moon, star systems, planets, nebulae and distant galaxies – even shooting stars and satellites.
A few notes on visiting Jasper
"As Jasper continues to heal, your visit is more important than ever. By exploring our national park, you’ll help us rebuild and keep the spirit of Jasper alive.” ~ Tourism Jasper
Be respectful of the wildlife and the locals who are still facing many challenges.
Photograph the beauty, not the damage.
No drones are allowed in Jasper National Park.
Respect closures that have been put in place for safety or privacy.
Be aware that things will look different.
Support local restaurants, hotels, stores, services and guides.
"Does Jasper have great wings? Maybe! But someone should send Jay Kana on a chicken wing research story to accompany my excellent article."
Editor’s Note: Yep, someone should!
Disclosure: The writer thanks Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and Tourism Jasper for hosting her trip to Jasper.
The heated outdoor pool at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is perfect for a dip