Summer crowds
Jasper National Park
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Coming to Jasper during the summer months? You will be in the company of more than a million other visitors! Expect congestion and full parking lots during the peak hours of 10am-5pm. Are you looking to avoid the crowds? If possible, plan your trip to the park in June or September when our most popular locations will be a little less busy. Weekdays are also less congested than weekends.
Before you head out for the day, check JasperNow for regular updates of parking lot capacity!
General advice
Here are some tips when visiting the park in the summer:
Go early
Most of Jasper's popular areas get busy around 10 am. Escape the crowds and visit these heavily attended spectacular places bright and early!
Tip: Eat breakfast en-route, or consider bringing a snack to enjoy on site. Make sure to always clean up after yourself and dispose of garbage properly. Human food and garbage kills wildlife.
Go late
Jasper's summer evenings are long. Take advantage of the late afternoon and evening sun to explore areas when most people have finished for the day.
Tip: Evening light makes for even better photographs. Bring a tripod for better dusk photos! If you’re really a night owl, take in the stars in the world’s second largest dark sky preserve (you read that right!). If you’re really lucky, you may experience the incredible auroras.
‘BYOB’
‘Bring Your Own Bike’ or rent one! Avoid traffic and full parking lots all together. Pack a lunch and use pedal power. Jasper National Park’s bike trails connect many popular areas from your hotel doorstep or tent flap. It’s a win-win for your health and the well-being of the park. Many small efforts together make a big difference.
Tip: Take it easy while biking, some rental locations rent e-bikes. They provide a bit of assistance while peddling and are a great way to get from the campgrounds/town to the beaches and other popular attractions.
Have a Plan A, B and C
There are so many gorgeous places to visit in the park. If Plan A is busy or full, go to Plan B. If Plan B is busy… Well then you know the drill, go to Plan C. Expect to share these places with other people too. You can always loop back and visit Plan A or B later in the day!
Jasper’s most popular locations
Whether you are travelling by bike or car, here are the Jasper ‘hot spots’ and the busiest times of day:
Around town
| Popular locations | Busiest time of day | # of parking spaces | Bike option from town or campground | Vehicle size restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Annette and Lake Edith | 10 am - 5 pm | 164 | Yes | Yes: No Rvs or trailers |
| Pyramid Lake Island | 10 am - 5 pm | 8 | Yes | Yes: No RVs |
| Pyramid Lake Beach | 10 am - 5 pm | 58 | Yes | Yes: 7.5 m |
| Valley of the Five | 10 am - 5 pm | 110 | Yes | No restrictions |
Maligne Valley
| Popular locations | Busiest time of day | # of parking spaces | Bike option from town or campground | Vehicle size restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maligne Canyon | 9 am - 6 pm | 134 | Yes | No: *Overflow parking available |
| Medicine Lake | 10 am - 6 pm | 14 | No | Yes: 7.5 m |
| Maligne Lake – main or day-use area parking | 10 am - 5 pm | 297 | No | Yes: 7.5 m (RV parking in upper lots) |
| Maligne Lake – Bald Hills | 10 am - 5 pm | 85 | No | Yes: 7.5 m (limited space) |
Jasper East and Miette Hot Springs
| Popular locations | Busiest time of day | # of parking spaces | Bike option from town or campground | Vehicle size restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miette Hot Springs / Sulphur Skyline | 10 am - 4 pm | 200 | No | Yes: 7.5 m |
| Jasper Lake | 10 am - 4 pm | 75 | No | Yes: 7.5 m |
Mount Edith Cavell
| Popular locations | Busiest time of day | # of parking spaces | Bike option from town or campground | Vehicle size restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Edith Cavell Path of the Glacier Trail | 10 am - 5 pm | 124 | No | Yes: 7.5 m |
Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93)
| Popular locations | Busiest time of day | # of parking spaces | Bike option from town or campground | Vehicle size restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athabasca Falls | 10 am - 7 pm | 93 | No | No: but limited space |
| Sunwapta Falls | 10 am - 6 pm | 30 | No | Yes. 7.5 m (very limited space) |
| Columbia Icefields Centre / Glacier Gallery | 11 am - 5 pm | 530 | No | No restrictions |
| Toe of the Glacier | 11 am - 5 pm | 85 | No | Yes: 7.5 m (very limited space) |
| Wilcox Pass Trailhead | 11 am - 4 pm | 26 | No | Yes: 7.5 m (very limited space) |
Over 2.5 million visitors drive Jasper roads every year. Safe driving is key to an enjoyable holiday. You may see wildlife by the road and throughout the park. Wild animals feed and travel near roads but this does not mean the animals are tame. Unsafe wildlife encounters in the park have more than doubled in the last ten years. The number of unsafe wildlife traffic jams has increased by 92% in this same period. These incidents often result in injury, harm, or death for animals and humans. Whether you are exploring in the morning, afternoon, evening or night, please be aware that you are sharing this wondrous place with wild animals. Their survival is dependant on your actions. For your and their safety, give the animals the space they need. When on the trails, make lots of noise and bring bear spray and know how to use it.
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