Home > Jasper National Park
Maligne River near Jasper.Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It is located in the province of Alberta and covers 10,878 square kilometres. The park includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls and, of course, mountains. Wildlife in the park include elk, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bears and caribou.
Some of the park's many photogenic vistas include Mount Edith Cavell, Pyramid Lake, and Maligne Lake , all considered best photographed at sunrise except for Maligne Lake, which is best in the evening. Another attraction is Snocoach (bus-sized snowmobile) tours of the Athabasca Glacier, a distributary of the Columbia Icefield.
Major river systems originating in the park include
- the Columbia River
- the North Saskatchewan RiverThe Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada, approximately 550 km (340 mi) long, flowing roughly eastward across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to drain into Lake Winnipeg. Through its tributaries the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan, its waters
- the Athabasca RiverHudson's Bay Company's scow in Athabasca River, circa 1910 The Athabasca River originates from the Athabasca Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta. This river has been designated a Canadian Heritage River because of its impor which flows into the Mackenzie RiverFor other uses, see Mackenzie River (disambiguation The lower Mackenzie River at the end of August. Source: NASA The Mackenzie River originates in Great Slave Lake and flows north into the Arctic Ocean. It is the longest river in Canada and, together with system
Jasper was named after Jasper Hawes, who operated a post in the region for the North West CompanyThe North West Company was a major fur trading firm from about 1783 until 1821, formed by a combination of Scottish immigrants to Lower Canada and the French fur traders who had already spread widely through the west of what is now Canada. Their traders,.
The park's information centre is located in Jasper, Alberta.
External links
National parks of Canada Alberta geography
