The Town of Jasper

I was immediately impressed by how pretty Jasper was. The day we first arrived (a Tuesday), it seemed rather crowded, but Monday was a national holiday in Canada. By Wednesday, the place felt pretty empty (although the hotels all had "No Vacancy" signs, so make your reservations early).

We stayed at a very pleasant, friendly hotel called Marmot Lodge on the north end of the main street. It was a pleasant stroll to the downtown area, where there were plenty of choices for eating and shopping.

Be aware that, as most national parks, prices are not inexpensive in these small park towns (unlike Brooks and Drumheller).

The heart of Jasper is the visitors' Information Center, which is a wonderful arts & crafts era building. They have a good bookstore as well as good free maps.

After hitting the Visitors Center and walking around, we wound up eating dinner in a Jasper landmark bar and grill called "D'ed Dog." It's a skier's hangout in the winter, but was not too crowded on a warm August night. I had always wanted to try buffalo, so had a buffalo burger (tasty) with fries. And beer.

On our way back to the hotel, we passed mule deer resting in people's front yards, right by the main road.

The next day was cloudy and rainy, so I went shopping to buy a (very effective) rain slicker.

That evening, returning from our hike on Mt. Edith Cavell, we were driving around Jasper when we saw the most perfect, brilliant rainbow I have ever seen. It was unbelievable, a nice cap following our walk up the mountain to view a glacial lake. It was also followed by (what else?) a tasty Chinese dinner.