Jasper 
There’s no place like the Rocky Mountains for the holidays and in a place like Jasper, there are festive holiday activities around every corner, on top of all the winter recreation.
Credit: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
Christmas break in Jasper can be spent a number of ways, depending on what you like to do for fun. The Jasper wilderness is suited to pond skating, skiing (downhill or cross-country), snowshoeing, fat-tire biking, hiking, and sledding or tobogganing. And for each activity, Jasper offers several different locations at which to try each.
Plus, Jasper is filled with holiday fun for overnight or day visitors. Find festive dining experiences, Christmas activities for all ages, adult-only events, or festive scenes for that winter recreation.
Experience the Festival of Christmas
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge has a wide variety of festive holiday activities available for all ages and available for guests or non-guests of the hotel.
- The Jasper Park Lodge is located in a scenic area between Mildred and Beauvert Lakes. The Lake Mildred Ice Park is complete with a lakeside café, La Cabane, serving up hot drinks, and a Winter Activity Centre that offers skate rentals.
- The Lodge’s Winter Activity Centre offers rentals for many other activities to enjoy in the snow around Lake Mildred. Enjoy a day of cross-country skiing on the lake, fat tire biking, snowshoeing, or tobogganing. The Activity Centre has rentals for each!
- Book a festive dining experience with The Fairmont JPL for a memorable Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The JPL hosts Festive Afternoon Tea through Orsa Trattoria and Christmas Eve or Day dinners and buffets with the Beauvert Dining Room. The Dining Room will also host a New Year’s Eve Dinner Buffet.
- The Jasper Park Lodge is also hosting a variety of adult-only events, including wine, beer, and whiskey tasting events.
A Day at Marmot Basin
Jasper’s premier spot for skiing and snowboarding, Marmot Basin, will be open every day over the holiday season (open 9am-4pm on Christmas). Enjoy your Christmas Eve or Day on the hill and follow it with a bit of après ski! Each of Marmot’s dining spots is open for Christmas as well.
Marmot offers skiing and snowboarding for all levels from beginner to pro. The park is made up of several different peaks which create several run options for green, blue, black diamond, and even double black diamond runs.
Dark sky and star gazing
Jasper National Park is a dark sky preserve and Alberta’s northernmost mountain park. These two reasons, plus the park’s remoteness, all combine to make Jasper a bright place even at night. Plan around the December 26th full moon, weather apps, or aurora radar watches.
- The Jasper Planetarium and Pyramid Lake Lodge offer a unique and delicious stargazing experience: first, enjoy dinner with views looking out over the lake, then head out to the telescopes for an evening of stargazing with the help of professional guides. These are available December 28-29. Book the Stargazers Lakeside Dinner here.
- Pyramid and Patricia Lakes are both excellent destinations for self-guided stargazing. The lakes are both north of the lights of the town and provide excellent views over either lake.
Spend the afternoon at Pyramid Lake
The Pyramid Lake area is filled with many reasons to spend an entire day near the lake and Lake Lodge. These may also be enticing reasons to book a stay at the Lodge. Plus, those staying with the lodge save on recreational rentals- the first reason to visit!
- There are many activities available on the lake, the lakeshore, and in the trees around Pyramid Lake. These include skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and fat biking.
- Book a family sleigh ride over the holidays with the resort. Sleigh rides are open from December 23-January 7, and weekends until February.
- Festive dining is on the menu at the Lodge’s Aalto restaurant. Enjoy a plated Christmas dinner from December 24-26, or the New Year’s Eve plated dinner.
A Day at Maligne Canyon
The Maligne Canyon Ice Walk Tours are open throughout the holiday season, with bookings available for days outside of the 24th and 25th (sold out). They do still have tours open for New Year’s Eve! A Maligne Canyon Ice Walk tour consists of a mid-morning guided hike through the enchanting Maligne Canyon. The Canyon walls are taken over by massive sheets of ice from the various waterfalls in the area. Your tour will end with a smokehouse lunch. The tour is about 4km of ice hiking with cleats and equipment provided by your guides.
Cross-country Skiing near Jasper
There are three main and groomed cross-country ski trails close to town, and which don’t require much of a drive if staying in Jasper. Explore the groomed trails around Pyramid Lake, the Pipeline Trail which follows Highway 16, or the extensive trails around Whistler’s Campground. Cross-country ski rentals are available at the Pyramid Lake Lodge.
There are two more groomed sets of trails further outside of town and on the Icefields Parkway. The trailheads are at the Wabasso Campground, and Whirlpool Campground (where you’ll also find a set of the National Park’s Red Chairs for some scenic relaxation!). The Whirlpool Campground is considered a ski hub with warming shelters, picnic areas, and fire pits.
Snowshoeing the Maligne Lake Area
Maligne Lake is located about an hour away from Jasper if driving. But once at the lake, there is enough snowshoeing space to fill a day and make Maligne Lake well-worth the drive. This is one of the best areas in Jasper National Park for snowshoeing with the scenery and length of trails. Be mindful to avoid stepping on any set or groomed cross-country ski trails.
- Medicine Lake is on the way to Maligne Lake and has about 3km of trails to snowshoe and explore.
- The Hidden Cove Trail is perfect for anyone feeling like a challenge with 8km of trail to uncover.
- Or uncover a bit of National Park History on the Mary Schaffer 3.2km loop. The scenic trail leads to a historic boathouse and an incredible view overlooking Maligne Lake.
Winter Walks & Waterfalls
Jasper National Park and the town have many areas perfect for a simple winter walk with no cleats, spikes, or poles required. A few of these locations also include some incredible views of Jasper’s frozen waterfalls.
- Athabasca Falls is south of Jasper on the Icefields Parkway (93) and has a short trail between the falls and the parking lot.
- Sunwapta Falls is a bit furth south on the Parkway from Athabasca Falls at the Sunwapta Falls Rocky Mountain Lodge.
- Take the holiday time in Jasper for a winter walk around town. A pathway also runs parallel to Jasper’s Main Street, but north of town in the trees. This leads from the Yellowhead Museum & Archives to Poplar Avenue.
Winter & Holiday Dining Experiences in Jasper
Jasper is an excellent destination for families for many reasons. Included in those reasons are the several family-friendly and casual restaurants around town, and within the many hotels. And for the Christmas season, these local eateries (and a theatre!) have a variety of festive meals planned, or open hours for Christmas Day.
- Jasper Theatre Productions are about to put on a dinner theatre show special for Christmas 2023. Show dates include December 26, 28, and 30, and January 2, 4, and 6. This is an all-ages event with dinner included with the price of the show ticket.
- Get a taste of a few different local restaurants around Jasper with a Foodie Tour. These tours last about three hours and are available throughout Christmas break, excluding Christmas Day.
- If you made the drive out to Maligne Lake for snow and winter activities like cross-country skiing, hiking, or snowshoeing, rest assured there is food at the lake as well! The Maligne Canyon Wilderness Kitchen is open daily December 20-January 7.
- The Jasper Inn & Suites, located in town, are set to host a Christmas buffet dinner and a NYE Surf n’ Turf Special.
Find the Winter Wildlife
Spotting wildlife in Jasper over the winter and holidays might be as simple as driving down the Trans Canada Highway or Icefields Parkway. Among the larger wildlife, you could spot moose, deer, big horn sheep, caribou, or elk. Some of Jasper’s smaller furry residents include pine martens, coyotes, foxes, or marmot. Some of the park’s more elusive wildlife includes cougars and mountain lions, lynx, wolves, and bears. Bears are only rare to see over the winter as they hibernate in their dens.
- The Icefields Parkway and Maligne Canyon Road are both excellent places from where to spot animals from the car.
- For birdwatching, head to any of the lakes near town like Pyramid, Patricia, Mildred, or Beauvert.
- Embark on a guided wildlife viewing and photography tour with Jasper National Park.
Planning your trip – Jasper National Park:
Winter travel in a mountain park: the road conditions are, generally, not great around any of Alberta’s mountain parks in winter.
- Winter tires are not only essential on these roads, but mandatory for the Icefields Parkway. Official winter tires will have a marking on them like M+S or a snowflake. Not only is the Parkway icy in the winter, but weather changes quickly, and the wildlife is abundant. Parks Canads recommends travel during day light hours on Icefields Parkway.
- Check current road conditions using Canada Parks or Google Maps before leaving on any of the highways around Jasper. Check 511 Alberta website.
- Take it slow and allow time for traffic and icy conditions.
- Tell loved ones where you’ll be or when to expect you.
Cost: Jasper National Park Pass $21 per day per vehicle or group; $145.25 per year per group or vehicle.
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