Jasper National Park

The Whistlers

View from the top of The Whistlers © Adam Zier-Vogel

Southwest from Jasper Townsite, a large, rounded mountain dominates the skyline. This mountain is The Whistlers, the most accessible summit in the area (not to be confused with Whistler Mountain, near Vancouver).

The chalet perched on the top is the upper terminal of an aerial tramway that ascends 960 metres in seven minutes. The excursion to the top takes you through the park's three life zones beginning with the montane, the open-forested Athabasca Valley bottom where most of Jasper's large animals live. As the cable car ascends over 1350 metres above sea level, the vegetation changes into dense, thick forests of Englemann spruce and fir called the subalpine. At the upper terminal, the barren mixture of rocks, stunted trees and small, delicate plants is called the alpine lifezone, home of the "whistling" marmot and camouflaged ptarmigan.

The alpine is Jasper's most fragile life zone. Extreme conditions mean that only certain plants and animals can survive, and only if they remain undisturbed. Please be careful to stay on designated trails and refrain from picking or disturbing any plants or feeding any animals at the top of The Whistlers.