Established some 100 years ago, Jasper National Park is Canada's largest. Almost 11 000 square kilometers (7 000 square miles) span several ranges of the Rocky Mountains, protecting grizzly bears, elk, bighorn sheep, and all the mountain vegetation that thrives in this mountain climate.
Railroads first reached Jasper in Northern Alberta in 1911, finally bringing tourists to the 4-year-old park. Today, the Icefields Parkway connects Jasper to Banff National Park, bringing adventurers and travelers by car and bus rather than railway. These 230 kilometers (140 miles) of paved road along the Continental Divide offer big clues as to what lies in the interior of the park: wildlife, snowy mountains, and rushing rivers like the spectacular and delightfully named Tangle Creek. Venture off the Parkway and discover some of the park's main attractions.
The Jasper Tramway carries visitors to the top of The Whistlers, a mountain home to marmots, ptarmigan, and delicate plants. High above the lush green of river valleys, you'll appreciate the rugged alpine terrain 1350 meters (4500 feet) above sea level.
In Fiddle Valley, spring water bubbles out of the earth at 54 degrees Celsius. The Miette Hot Springs give the whole family a chance to relax in the waters that Native populations once used as sacred healing springs.
The Athabasca River is Alberta's longest, originating from the Columbia Icefield within Jasper National Park. This icefield is the source of headwaters for rivers flowing into Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. The Athabasca river shares it's name with another river, this one of ice. The Athabasca Glacier is not exactly roaring to the sea, however, but rather creeping slowly downhill a few centimeters each day.
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