Jasper Townsite, Pyramid Lake & Athabasca River
Jasper is smaller and more authentic than Banff — the townsite is a working community rather than a tourist mall. Pyramid Lake Road leads north from town past Patricia Lake and Pyramid Lake (10 km) — the pyramid-shaped peak reflected in the lake is one of Jasper's defining images. Rent a canoe from the Pyramid Lake Boat Rentals. The Athabasca River corridor south of town has outstanding wildlife corridors — elk are common throughout the townsite itself, especially in September rut.
Maligne Lake & Spirit Island
Maligne Lake (48 km southeast of Jasper) is the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies and the source of one of the most famous photographs in Canada — Spirit Island, the tiny forested islet in a bowl of mountains, accessible only by boat tour ($75). The lake in summer is a flat mirror; in autumn, the larches around the lake turn gold. Maligne Canyon itself is a spectacular slot canyon up to 55 metres deep — the upper viewpoints are the most dramatic.
Icefields Parkway South to Lake Louise
Drive the southern half of the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93 South) — possibly the finest 230 km of road in North America. The Columbia Icefield (105 km south of Jasper) has one of the last accessible glaciers on the continent. Sunwapta Falls (55 km south) is a powerful double waterfall. Athabasca Falls (32 km south) is the most voluminous waterfall in the Rockies. If returning to Jasper, pull off at Horseshoe Lake for a remarkable swimming hole beneath vertical cliffs.
Miette Hot Springs & Mount Edith Cavell
Miette Hot Springs (60 km northeast of Jasper off Highway 16) are the hottest natural hot springs in the Canadian Rockies ($7) — soaking in the sulphur pools with peaks rising above is a genuine Rockies experience with almost no other visitors. Mount Edith Cavell (30 km south of Jasper) is one of the most dramatic mountains in the park — the Angel Glacier at the base of the north face, reached via a 1.6 km trail, has a genuine otherworldly quality.
Jasper Planetarium, Wildlife Drive & Departure
Jasper National Park is one of the world's largest Dark Sky Preserves — the Jasper Planetarium ($22) offers evening star tours when skies are clear. The early morning wildlife drive along Pyramid Lake Road and the Athabasca River corridor regularly produces elk, mule deer, coyote, and occasionally bear and wolf. Via Rail's The Canadian stops at Jasper on the Vancouver-Toronto run — the train to Vancouver ($88-180) takes 17 hours of pure mountain, river, and forest scenery.