Active Pursuits

You can find much of the gear you'll need for everything from fishing to rafting at a number of local stores. On-Line Sport and Tackle, 600 Patricia St. (tel. 780/852-3630), has an assortment of mountain bikes, tents, fishing gear, skis, canoes, and rafts available for rent, and the shop can also provide guides for rafting and fishing trips. At Freewheel Cycle, 618 Patricia St. (tel. 780/852-3898), you'll be able to find snowboards, cross-country ski equipment, and lots of bikes. For a full selection of local guides and outfitters, a visit to the Jasper Adventure Centre is a must. White-water rafting and canoeing trips, horseback rides, guided hikes, and other activities can be arranged out of the centre, located at 604 Connaught Dr. (tel. 800/565-7547 in western Canada, or 780/852-5595; www.jasperadventurecentre.com), open June 1 to October 1 daily from 9am to 9pm.

Fishing

Jasper-based anglers who try their luck at trout fishing tend to favor the convenience of Patricia and Pyramid lakes, located just north of the city. Visitors, on the other hand, can visit Currie's Guiding (tel. 780/852-5650; www.curriesguidingjasper.com) to arrange fishing trips to beautiful Maligne Lake. The cost is C$225 per person (2 or more) for an 8-hour day, with tackle, bait, boat, and lunch included (a minimum of two persons is required -- ask about special single and group rates). If you fish on your own, a permit is C$9.80 a day, available at outfitters in town.

Golf

Golf addicts know to play a round at the 18-hole course at Jasper Park Lodge (tel. 780/852-6090), east of Jasper Townsite, ranked by Score Magazine as the best golf course in the province. Despite being one of the most popular courses in the Rockies, it has plenty of obstacles, with 73 sand traps and even the occasional visit from curious wildlife. In high season, a round of 18 holes will cost you C$200 per person.

Hiking

The brochure Day Hikers' Guide to Jasper National Park, C$1 at the visitor center, details dozens of hikes throughout the park. Contact Jasper Park Lodge Mountaineering and Interpretive Hiking (tel. 780/852-3301) or Walks and Talks Jasper (tel. 780/852-4945; www.walksntalks.com) for a selection of half- and full-day hikes, some of them led by outfitters, for those who prefer a guide. In general, hikers looking to spend a single, lovely day in the woods will find excellent backcountry trails around the park. For hikes that treat you to a glimpse of the most sublime scenery in the Canadian Rockies, however, multi-day and long-distance adventurers have far more numerous options if you're willing to go the distance.

The newly built Jasper Discovery Trail makes a good first jaunt, a prelude to more serious hikes, especially the portion on the Pyramid Bench just to the north of town. One option is to start at the parking lot between the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and the Catholic Church, then follow the trail markings west in a counterclockwise loop, where you can get the best views. The route goes in an 8km (5-mile) loop around the townsite, which will take you 2 1/2 hours to walk in its entirety; however, beginners will be happy to note that it is easy to leave the trail and return to it at various points on the town's perimeter.

Near Jasper Park Lodge, other trails ring Beauvert and Annette lakes (the latter being wheelchair accessible). For more of a rugged hike, Pyramid and Patricia lakes just north of town also have looping trails. Pyramid Lake is the best of the trails that wind from Jasper Townsite up through the Pyramid Bench; a complete round-trip runs 17.4km (10.8 miles). Due to its low elevation, this trail has less snowfall than others, and is often ready to be trammeled on early in spring and well into the first throes of winter. The beginning elevation is 1,020m (3,346 ft.) and the elevation gain is 300m (984 ft.). Begin your hike at the Jasper Activity Centre, keeping to the right when you cross Pyramid Lake Road; after ascending a quick but somewhat challenging path, you'll end up on a wide bluff that boasts picturesque views of the Athabasca River. Keep an eye out for the fluffy bighorn sheep that are often seen grazing in the area, and the wildflowers that carpet the sloping meadows along the benchland in the late summer months. Bird-watchers will especially enjoy Cottonwood Slough, a pleasant marshy area the route passes that is home to many beautiful, colorful species. Before reaching Pyramid Lake you will pass through a forest, peaceful and cool; after the lake, a variety of trails will lead you back to town.

Patricia Lake Circle is the ideal hike for naturalists keen to catch sight of beaver, bear, moose, and deer; a sojourn to the lake itself is also a favorite nesting spot for waterfowl, including songbirds and loons. This trail winds through a few hills and aspen groves and takes you to Patricia Lake, named after the beautiful Princess Patricia of Connaught, the daughter of one of Canada's governors general and granddaughter to Queen Victoria. The beginning elevation is 1,150m (3,772 ft.), and the elevation gain is 70m (230 ft.); the hike goes for 4.8km (3 miles) round-trip. For easy access, you have the option of taking Pyramid Lake Rd. north from the townsite for 3.5km (2 1/4 miles) to the riding stable parking lot. Eager hikers can travel by foot from town along the Pyramid Lake trail, which begins across from the Jasper Activity Centre.

Cavell Meadows is a hike designed for those who enjoy alpine wildflowers, with a cornucopia of the blooms thriving in its cool, marshy environment along the path as you make your descent. It is thus rather popular, so it's best to make the trip either in the early morning or the late afternoon to avoid the crowds. Be prepared for early season closures of the 8km (5-mile) round-trip trail due to wet conditions and erosion. The elevation is 1,738m (5,700 ft.) to begin with and the elevation gain is 400m (1,312 ft.). The first part of the trail follows the same route as the Path of the Glacier trail, but shortly branches off to the east. The trail gets steeper as it climbs up over a moraine -- a small hill made up of glacial rock and debris -- but then levels out. After passing through a well-graded -- and very pretty -- upper subalpine forest, the trail comes to a junction; keep right for a more gradual ascent of the two loop sides, and left for a steeper one. The trail then enters sparse, tree-lined vegetation before proceeding to the alpine region beyond. At its higher elevation points, you may find many lovely views of Angel Glacier and Mount Edith Cavell. On the descent, you return to the trail head via the aforementioned Path of the Glacier trail.

There is a little-known secret about Maligne Canyon's breathtaking view of the most impressive gorge in the Canadian Rockies, but we'll let you in on it: the view is at its most spectacular when you look up from the depths of the gorge itself. It is therefore a shame that so many visit the canyon's highest mounts, but so few venture down very far. It is rewarding to go right to the bottom, which of course has the added bonus of allowing you to hike downhill on your return. The complex of different paths around Maligne makes a good choice for a group, as there are a number of access points across six different footbridges, allowing the less keen to make the loop back and meet fellow hikers by car farther down the pit. Stay to the right at all crossroads. The elevation at the beginning is 1,030m (3,378 ft.) and you lose and then later regain 100m (328 ft.). The hike is 3.7km (2.3 miles) one-way.

One of Jasper's best longer day hikes is Saturday Night Lake, one of the first trails to have its snow melt in the spring. Because it is available so early in the year, you can hike for just half a day if you choose to go only as far as the Marjorie or Caledonia lakes -- or, turn it into an overnight trip by camping at High Lake or Minnow Lake, the two backcountry campsites found along the route. The trail begins right from the townsite, which is nice for those wanting to start out quickly. From there, you'll walk through a verdant, treed valley west of the townsite, passing several small, glistening lakes along the way.

Valley of the Five Lakes is a rather mellow hike, well maintained and mostly flat. It leads to a series of small woodland lakes that are perfect for having a picnic and even doing some fishing, making it a preferred spot for families. Follow the route from the trail head through a lodgepole pine forest, then cross a boardwalk over Wabasso Creek, where you can point out a beaver or two to the children. After that there is a short climb that leads to an open meadow, from which point the trail splits into a variety of numbered loops. If you take the #9a up and return via the #9b, you'll be rewarded with a panoramic view of the breathtakingly mountainous terrain that rings the trail -- highly recommended. The beginning elevation is 1,070m (3,510 ft.) and the elevation gain is 30m (98 ft.). It's a 6km (3.7-mile) round-trip.

The Lower Sunwapta Falls is something of a misnomer, as it is really three separate waterfalls along the Sunwapta River, but few hikers ever venture to the lower falls, which lie just below the main one. Together, the falls make a sublime natural scene, but the main falls is attraction enough by itself. Sunwapta Falls is on every tour-bus route, and the parking lot, just off the west side of the Icefields Parkway, is often jammed full of tourists eager to see it. To hike around the falls, start out from the parking lot and follow the main upper-falls viewing trail to where the pavement ends. From there, descend by degrees through a lodgepole pine forest. You'll be treated to lovely views of the falls as well as the Sunwapta River, the upper Athabasca Valley, and the glaciers atop Mount Quincy. The beginning elevation is 1,320m (4,330 ft.) and the total elevation drop to the falls is 80m (262 ft.). It's 2km (1.2 miles) one-way.

For another magnificent waterfall route, try quiet Stanley Falls/Beauty Creek, which passes no fewer than eight waterfalls as it stretches up from the Icefields Parkway alongside Beauty Creek. The beginning elevation is 1,570m (5,150 ft.) and the elevation gain is 110m (361 ft.), with the round-trip being 6.4km (4 miles). The hike is best in early summer, when the water level is high and the falls are at their most explosive. The trail crawls up a low dam wall across a marsh and up to the disused, dismantled Banff-Jasper Highway; once you cross it, you finally reach the trail's end -- the spectacular Stanley Falls.

A day hike through the Geraldine Lakes is ideal for all kinds of climbing temperaments, because you can tailor the length of it to your liking. The first of the four lakes, Lower Geraldine Lake, which reflects the north face of Mount Fryatt, is a 2km (1.2-mile) hike from the trail head. The second Geraldine Lake boasts superb views of a 100m (328-ft.) waterfall. It's worth your time to hike to the high pass at the head of the Geraldine Valley, squeezed between the slopes of Mount Fryatt and Whirlpool Peak. From the trail head at 1,475m (4,839 ft.), the trail climbs 400m (1,312 ft.). The hike is 10km (6.2 miles) one-way.

If you're already taking a tour of the Columbia Icefield, consider a hike up on the lovely Wilcox Pass, where you can get a panoramic view of the natural wonder that feeds eight major glaciers. Wilcox Pass lies on the edge of a large alpine valley, just east of the Athabasca Glacier; it makes a good day hike, but avoid the trail until July, when the snow melts and the route is far more pleasant. The hike begins with an ascent through a forest of stunted Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir. Look around; you'll be dazzled by how much the views of the Columbia Icefield outdo any that you can get from the highway. Work your way up to the ridge, passing through fragrant meadows of alpine wildflowers; watch out for bighorn sheep on the trail. Once at the ridge, you have the choice of continuing on to Wilcox Pass or turning around and heading back -- you don't have to make it to the top of the pass to enjoy this trail and its dazzling vistas. The beginning elevation is 2,042m (6,698 ft.) and the elevation gain is 335m (1,100 ft.). It's 8km (5 miles) round-trip to the pass; 11.2km (7 miles) one-way to Tangle Falls.

Be Weather Wary -- The weather in the Canadian Rockies is incredibly variable, and a day that begins warm and pleasant might not stay that way. A sunny winter day with temperatures hovering around zero degrees can easily become bitterly cold, with whiteout storms, strong winds, and clouds, and snow sometimes arriving in just a matter of hours. Dress warmly and wear layers so that you can adjust to conditions as they happen. Call tel. 780/852-3185 for weather updates.

Horseback Riding

For a short horseback ride, Pyramid Stables (tel. 780/852-7433; www.mpljasper.com) offers 1- to 3-hour trips (as well as a day trip) that provide a stunning vista of the Athabasca River Valley. For long-distance trail rides that will take you into the backcountry, call Skyline Trail Rides (tel. 888/582-7787 or 780/852-4215; www.skylinetrail.com), with 3-day trips to a far-off, but well-appointed lodge that include accommodation, meals, horses, and licensed guides for C$650. From early May to mid-October 1 1/4- to 4 1/2-hour guided rides are conducted daily, starting at C$35 per hour from both companies. Long or short, trail horseback riding is a fantastic park experience that allows you to take in views of the natural scenery. Trained guides respond to your level of riding experience in choosing the trail, and use only animals that are tame, steady, and not easily spooked.

Rafting

Jasper is a good place to find float and whitewater trips down several rivers, including the Athabasca, Fraser, and Sunwapta, and the city is loaded with rafting outfitters. The mild rapids of the Athabasca River are nice for beginners and kids, with a 2-hour trip starting at C$64 for adults and C$32 for children under 13. Hairier trips down the Sunwapta River will appeal to those with a little more experience -- or who just want a thrill. Ask your hotel concierge for assistance to find outfitters, or call Maligne River Adventures (tel. 780/852-3370; www.mra.ab.ca), which offers trips down both rivers as well as a 3-day wilderness trip on the riotous Kakwa River (Class IV).

Skiing

For the fun of Banff without the crowds, visit Marmot Basin, Jasper's exciting, underrated downhill ski region, located just 19km (12 miles) west of Jasper on Hwy. 93. The resort offers a chance to ski the national park's deep valleys, with their diverse wildlife, waterfalls, and carpets of thick, lush forest. Marmot has 52 runs, seven lifts, rarely any lines, and slopes with few wind gusts. Lift tickets start at C$66.62 during the regular season; contact tel. 780/852-3816 or www.skimarmot.com.