Jasper In 2 Days: The Complete Itinerary with Maps, Food Stops, and Hotels

Jasper holds a special place in my heart. The wildlife, gorgeous lakes, beautiful hikes, and rugged wilderness have made it one of my very favorite national parks. It’s remote and 4 hours away from Banff; many people skip it when they visit the Canadian Rockies. That is a mistake. Jasper offers peace, an opportunity to connect with nature, and the scenery is top-notch.

2 days is the minimum amount of time to visit Jasper. This allows visitors to spend a day in the Maligne Valley doing the Maligne Lake Boat Cruise, looking for wildlife, and doing some easy hikes. You can also fit in Miette Hot Springs and Pyramid Lake, then spend the second day visiting waterfalls along the Icefields Parkway or choosing another hike or activity. Make sure to leave time to enjoy meals and shopping on Connaught Drive and Patricia Street, meeting the locals.

I’m Cheryl, and my husband, Matt, and I have spent over 4 weeks exploring the Canadian Rockies doing as many hikes and activities as we can. Plus, we try out lots of restaurants and check out the places there are to stay. We always pay our own way and don’t take comped trips or sponsorships, so we can give you our honest opinion on what is worth it. We turn our experience into practical travel guides. Read on for the exact plan we give our friends and family who are exploring Jasper for the first time.

Understanding Jasper

Jasper is both a national park and an actual townsite, with 4,600 residents. It’s a working town with real down-to-earth people who own the restaurants and hotels. Though you can see a couple of chain restaurants, most are locally owned. The locals are proud of their town and their park, and their passion is contagious.

Jasper, the national park, is huge. It covers 11,228 square kilometers and is about 70% bigger than Banff! Most people, including me, never explore the whole park. Instead, they visit the most popular sections like Maligne Valley (my favorite), the Miette Hot Springs area, and the Edith Cavell area.

The Icefields Parkway is one of the most scenic roads in the world and connects Jasper to Banff. Travelers often will do some of the sites along the road as a day trip from Jasper or en route to Banff. There are gorgeous waterfalls, lakes, viewpoints, and the famous Columbia Icefield Adventure along this road.

TRAVEL TIP: Mixing in a city on a big national park road trip adds great variety, and we highly recommend it.

Jasper’s 2024 Fire

Before we dive into itinerary details, let’s talk about the devastating wildfire that burned parts of the national park and townsite.

We were last in Jasper in September of 2025. We saw burnt forest as far as the eye could see. In town there are scattered burnt buildings as well. About 30% of the town’s structures were destroyed, including homes and visitor accommodations. When we went to the visitor center, I looked out the window at their tiny fire department and immediately began crying. How could something so small fight a fire that was so big?

Firefighters from Jasper, Parks Canada, Alberta Wildfire, and supporting agencies heroically fought this fire, preserving essential community infrastructure. Residents were displaced from their homes for 4 weeks.

The town has pulled together to rebuild and has done a great job. We had many nice meals and didn’t have a hard time getting a hotel room.

As far as the national park is concerned, there are a lot of burnt areas but there’s even more areas that are open and unaffected. I actually enjoyed seeing some of the burnt forest because of the beautiful wildflowers that were sprouting beneath the dead trees.

Some areas of the park have been closed due to fire damage and the risk of landslides. More areas were open in 2026 than were in 2025 and I have faith that more will become accessible again in the future. I’ll indicate throughout this article a site that hasn’t opened back up yet.

GOOD TO KNOW: Maligne Canyon and Cavell Road remain closed for the 2026 season. Valley of the Five Lakes has reopened. Check Parks Canada’s current openings and closures before choosing your hikes.

I also have a Park Updates page that I update every week. It will have the most current information.

About This Itinerary

This itinerary is written for the first-time visitor who wants to see Jasper properly and enjoys a bit of variety as well. I’ll also share where we like to eat and stay, and give you a few insider tips that only regulars know.

Very few people visit just Jasper. It’s often combined with Banff. It makes for an incredible 7-Day trip and I wrote another article that shows you how to piece that trip together: Banff and Jasper in 7 Days: The Complete Road Trip Itinerary with Maps, Food Stops, and Hotels. If you are really ambitious, you can even include Glacier and Waterton on an 11-14 day trip and you can read about it here: Canadian Rockies Road Trip.

Fly into Calgary if Banff and Canmore are also on the agenda. If you are only visiting Jasper, consider Edmonton. Tourism Jasper lists driving times of about 4 hours from Edmonton and 4.5 hours from Calgary; allow extra time for airport travel, weather, and sightseeing stops.

2 Day Jasper Itinerary

Even though Jasper is a huge national park, most people only visit a smaller section of the park, including me. I like to spend most of my time in the Maligne area. It has wonderful wildlife, and the hikes, drives, and lakes are so pretty. I also enjoy spending time in the townsite and doing some activities in and around the park.

TRAVEL TIP: Don’t shortchange your time in Jasper. Make sure to allow yourself at least 2 full days. Every time we visit, I wish that we had allowed ourselves more time.

Day	Park	Activities	Stay
Getting to Jasper	Banff/Jasper	Icefields Parkway & Columbia Icefield Adventure	Jasper
Day 1	Jasper	Maligne Lake Cruise, Miette Hot Springs, and Pyramid Lake	Jasper
Day 2	Jasper	Icefields Parkway waterfalls, a hike, or From Jasper With Love	Jasper/Next Destination
Optional 3rd Day/Leaving Jasper	Jasper/Edmonton	Extra Jasper activities or Edmonton sightseeing	Next Destination

Banff & Jasper: The Perfect 7-Day Itinerary (Without Rushing or Missing the Best Stops)

GETTING THERE: THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY

Although you don’t have to start in Canmore/Banff, I believe this is how most people get to Jasper National Park. Plus, the Icefields Parkway is one of those bucket-list experiences that you should try to fit in. Be prepared for one of the prettiest drives of your life!

The Icefields Parkway takes about 4 hours to connect Banff townsite to Jasper townsite with no stops, but it is so beautiful that we like to spend an entire day driving it. Here are our favorite stops.

For more stops and timing advice, read our Icefields Parkway driving guide.

Stop #1: Bow Lake/Bow Glacier

This is another turquoise lake. The Bow Glacier is perched in the valley above the lake. Its meltwater feeds the lake, which is the origin of the Bow River that flows through Banff. Look closely to see Bow Glacier Falls.

Stop #2: Peyto Lake Upper Viewpoint

This is a spectacular viewpoint where you can see a glacier, a teal-colored lake, and the valley you’re about to drive through. It requires an uphill 0.6 km (0.3 mi) one-way walk that will get your heart going a bit.

Stop #3: Mistaya Canyon Trail

This is a 5-minute downhill walk to an interesting gorge with a bridge over it and the river roaring through it. Scramble around the area a bit to get some views and photos. The walk out is all uphill.

Stop #4: Parker Ridge Hike

This is a popular hike and provides some really wonderful views into a glacier-filled valley on the other side of the mountains. It is a 5.1 km (3.1 mi) round-trip, moderate hike with 300 m (984 ft) elevation gain.

Stop #5: Columbia Icefield Adventure Centre

The Columbia Icefield Adventure is fun, unique, and memorable. We thought it was going to be a ripoff, but everyone in our party thoroughly enjoyed it. The feature attraction is a snow coach that looks like a big monster truck that drives you to a real glacier that you can walk on! We think it’s worth the cost because the experience is unique – walking on the glacier makes for a memorable outing. This takes about 3 hours to do, and you can add on the Skywalk, where you get to overlook a canyon on a glass bridge.

Sleep: Complete your drive to Jasper and sleep there that night.

DAY 1: JASPER, MALIGNE LAKE & MIETTE HOT SPRINGS

This day is a pure delight, including the first thing you do: driving to Maligne Lake. We always see wildlife along the way, including bears, moose, elk, and bald eagles.

Stop #1: Maligne Lake Cruise

This cruise is special because it gets you to Spirit Island and Hall of Gods, two places you can’t get to in your car. The Classic tour lasts 1.5 hours. Prices vary by date and departure, but we believe it is worth it. The views are breathtaking and we learned a lot from the narration. You can reserve your cruise on their website.

Maligne Lake vs Lake Minnewanka: The first time I visited Banff and Jasper, I was torn on which lake cruise to take. I’ve now done both and prefer Maligne Lake. The tour takes you to places the road doesn’t go and Spirit Island is beautiful.

Stop #2: Maligne Canyon Trail (currently closed)

This is a wonderful hike where you can hike on 6 bridges that cross over a gorge that is 50 m (164 ft) deep in some places. It’s meant to be a loop where you cross all 6 bridges, but you can shorten it if 2.8 miles round trip is too long. We recommend trying to make it to the 3rd bridge; it’s a 0.8-mile loop. Note: Maligne Canyon Trail has not reopened since the 2024 wildfire. Check Parks Canada’s current closure updates before planning a visit; a reopening date has not been confirmed.

Stop #3: Miette Hot Springs

Miette Hot Springs are not only great for a soak but also for the nice drive to get there. Entry is first come, first served, and we recommend arriving earlier in the morning or late afternoon to avoid a long wait to get in.

Adult single-entry admission is $19.75 CAD for the 2026 season, and swimsuit and towel rentals are available. Check the current fees before your trip. The swimsuits are old school and 100% polyester! If you want a blast from the past, rent one. It’s a hoot!

Next door is the Miette Bungalows Restaurant, which is a great spot to stop for lunch. They serve burgers, sandwiches, Greek food, and are famous for their ice cream.

Stop #4: Pyramid Lake

Located about 6 km (3.8 miles) above town is pretty Pyramid Lake. It feels calmer than the rest of Jasper. You can swim, rent watercraft, or just walk around the lake. A highlight is a bridge that takes you out to a little island. It’s a great place to watch a sunset.

That night, try one of the many great restaurants in town. We like Jasper Brewing Company (burgers and drinks), Kimchi House (Korean BBQ), and Olive Bistro and Lounge (steak, pasta, burgers—with outdoor seating and live music).

Sleep: Sleep in Jasper. Everything is expensive because there aren’t that many places to stay.

DAY 2: JASPER, EXTRA ACTIVITIES

Jasper National Park is actually bigger than Banff National Park, but most people only see a small part of it. Whenever we visit, I always wish we had planned another day here. For your second day, choose from these activities based on your interests and energy.

Extra Stops on the Icefields Parkway. We skipped a couple of great stops on the Icefields Parkway between the Columbia Icefield Adventure and Jasper Townsite. You may want to make a special trip or hit them if you will be driving the Icefields Parkway again on your trip.

• Sunwapta Falls. This is a viewpoint of the upper falls with an optional 2.6 km (1.6 mile) hike down to the lower falls.
• Athabasca Falls. This isn’t a tall waterfall, but it is powerful and you can get close to it from different angles. It’s a 1 km (.6 mile) walk. The parking lot can fill up, but there is so much coming and going that a spot should open up pretty quickly.

Valley of the 5 Lakes Trail. 4.8 km (3-mile) loop, moderate to strenuous. It features five crystal-clear lakes with stunning jade and turquoise blue colors. We haven’t done this hike yet because it was closed due to fire damage, but it reopened in 2026. It’s on our list to do when we return. This is also on the Icefields Parkway but just 10 minutes outside of Jasper.

From Jasper With Love. This is a family-friendly small-town play in an intimate venue. It’s a two-man show with short comedy acts. What we really liked about it is that the performers, Peter and Joost, have so much love and passion for Jasper. It got us really excited to visit the park. The advertised 2027 price is $39.95 CAD plus tax and fees, including a drink; the show is recommended for ages 8 and up.

OPTIONAL 3RD DAY/DEPARTING THE PARK: EDMONTON

Jasper has other activities you can do if you have time. There are cool lodges to check out, a gondola, river rafting, horseback riding, and even a planetarium. We haven’t done these activities yet (they are all on our list of things to do) so I won’t spend too much time talking about them. Instead, I want to talk about Edmonton.

Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta, and with over 1 million residents, it’s larger than you think – it’s known as the northernmost large city in North America. On one of our trips to Jasper, we drove home through Edmonton and did a couple of really fun activities!

• Alberta Legislature Building. They offer free tours of this beautiful building, and we learned a lot about how the Canadian government works. There’s a dot on the second floor where you can hear the sounds of the fountain below. It was very strange but cool. We enjoyed the decorative beavers and the staff. 
• Food Bike Tour. Vanessa offers a wonderful tour of the city on eBike, interspersed with food! We saw the best neighborhoods of Edmonton and ate at three different delicious local restaurants. It’s a little expensive, but it was a fun 4-hour tour! Our kids loved it, especially when they got to customize their Italian donuts. See foodbiketour.com. 
• West Edmonton Mall. One of North America’s largest malls! This really is just a two-story mall with regular mall shops, but it’s packed with people, and it has several super cool attractions inside. The highlight is the World Waterpark. It is LEGIT, with wild waterslides and the world’s largest indoor wave pool. Pro tip: get there early and get your tubes because they will be reserved all day. This was a very fun memory for our family. There’s also an indoor roller coaster park, a multi-level go-kart course, an ice rink, a life-sized replica of the Santa Maria ship, and more. 
• Fort Edmonton Park. This is the largest living history museum in Canada. You’ll learn about the Indigenous peoples from the area, then time-travel forward through the fur trapping era, the early 1900s, and modern times. It offers a train ride and a trolley ride, as well as several fun rides and things to do for the kids. This is a top-notch presentation of Canadian history. See fortedmontonpark.ca/

When to Visit

We think the best time to visit is mid-June to October. The main reason for this is that summer/spring come late in this park. If you visit earlier or later, you’ll experience muddy trails and often times, closed roads.

The crowds will be at their peak this time of year, but we still think it is worth it so that you can access all the sites the park has to offer. Plus, Jasper has never felt too crowded to us, even when we visited in July.

If you travel in September, you will experience fewer crowds and see golden aspens covering the mountains but it does come with drawbacks. Mostly, it can get quite cold the later into September and October that you visit. We visited later in September; many mornings I was wearing a sweater, coat, beanie, and gloves. You also need to be aware of the rut, where elk battle for their mates. They can be aggressive this time of year. It can be fun to watch, but keep your distance and be careful!

In my travels, I’ve noticed that Canadians don’t seem to be bothered by the weather much and many of them love to travel in the off-season. They bundle up, see the sites that are open, and enjoy a more peaceful experience.

ABOUT CROWDS: The busiest sights in the Canadian Rockies, especially in Banff, can feel “Disneyland-level.” Jasper has generally felt quieter to us, but its popular stops can still get busy. Our Canadian Rockies Bundle will get you to top sites at the least crowded times, plus will take you to some spots that most people don’t know about.

Where to Stay

Lodging in Jasper is expensive. That’s the only thing I don’t like about this park! Because Jasper is so remote, there aren’t a lot of places to stay besides right in town and the fire burning down much of the lodging has not made the situation any better. Our hotels have always been $300 CAD a night or more.

We’ve stayed at Lobstick Lodge and Jasper Inn & Suites, and both were basic and did the job. Jasper Inn has a nice courtyard, pool, and hot tub, but lots of stairs (the suites have the bedroom upstairs).

Pyramid Lake Lodge looks super nice and we would like to stay here someday. It’s a quiet, scenic spot right on the lake, run by Pursuit. However, we did have one customer complain: There were lights on everywhere surrounding the building which made it difficult to enjoy Jasper’s Dark Night Sky.

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is Jasper’s iconic luxury property, set on Lac Beauvert, and it unveiled a major resort renovation in June 2026. It’s more rustic than its counterparts in Banff, but it’s a polished, upscale place, better suited to an anniversary than a family fresh off the trail.

Miette. This is too far away to use as a base for exploring Jasper, but we like the area and the hot springs, and we think the horseback rides look great. Miette Hot Springs Bungalows is so cute and in such a nice spot that we’d consider staying a night just to do a late-night or early-morning soak.

Hinton. We’ve had customers say they’ve stayed in this town and that it worked well for them with cheaper rates. Old Entrance Ranch (cabins and teepees) is near Hinton, and Hinton has several relatively affordable chain hotels.

Want To Add More Stops On Your Trip?

Many travelers (including me!) enjoy including Banff, Glacier, and Waterton as part of their road trip. Even though Jasper is INCREDIBLE, the other parks add some unique experiences.

Banff is pricey but may be the most beautiful national park I’ve ever been to. Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are as gorgeous as they look in the pictures. Plus riding the gondola, bike riding, and hiking Johnston Canyon is wonderful.

We love the laketown feel of Waterton. Plus it has more of a relaxed vibe, which is a welcome respite when visiting Banff.

Glacier has incredible wildlife. We always see bears when we visit. Plus, it has wonderful hiking, wildflowers, waterfalls, and the best hotels and lodges of any US national park (in my humble opinion).

LEARN MORE: I wrote another article about our 11-14 Day Canadian Rockies Road Trip that includes Banff, Jasper, Glacier, and Waterton. Check it out.

Whether you want to stick to Banff and Jasper or turn it into a Canadian Rockies Road trip, the nature and scenery are truly incredible. We hope that this article has been a good resource to help you start planning your trip.

Epic 10-Day Road Trip: Glacier & the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay)

If you want to make planning your trip to the Canadian Rockies a breeze, check out our easy-to-follow, step-by-step Canadian Rockies Bundle.

Canadian Rockies Road Trip Bundle includes:

• 7-12 Day Itinerary including  maps, charts, and images to keep you on course
• See the BEST of the Canadian Rockies: Banff, Jasper, Waterton, and Glacier National Parks. Plus, Yoho and Kootenay!
• Includes: Things to do in Calgary, Canmore, and Edmonton too!
• Lodging and Dining Recommendations by area to minimize driving and suit any budget
• Best for Travel June through September
• Must-know booking timelines and checkboxes to help you secure reservations and stay ahead in your trip planning
• BONUS: Canadian Rockies Road Trip Planner – Multiple road trip plans: Begin in Banff or Glacier; we have plans for both. Features detailed maps and recommendations for where to stay each night to make your trip planning easy.