TRAVEL
JASPER IS BACK
After last summer’s devastating wildfires, Jasper is welcoming visitors back to see, first-hand, resilience in action.
By Jennifer Malloy
Spirit Island, in Maligne Lake, is a sacred place for the Stoney Nakoda, the Indigenous first occupants of the area. | PHOTO: JASON CHARLES HILL/TOURISM JASPER
MY CANOE SLICES THROUGH the calm, clear waters of Maligne Lake, its turquoise surface shimmering in the heat of the summer sun. Icy water splashes to lick my wrists, a bracing reminder of how the lake is fed by glacial runoff from the surrounding mountains.
I’m paddling toward Spirit Island in Jasper National Park, surrounded by a breathtaking panorama of towering peaks and pine-scented forests. It’s hard to believe I’m enjoying Maligne Lake again, given what happened only a year ago. In late July 2024, devastating wildfires tore through Jasper National Park, causing the evacuation of the historic town and surrounding area. It wreaked havoc on the local economy, of which tourism is a major part. By the time residents were able to return a month later, the flames had consumed over 32,000 hectares of land and a third of the town itself. It was the largest wildfire recorded in Jasper in a century.
But Spirit Island was untouched by the flames, and this summer the Maligne Lake boathouse is open again. And, as I learn, Jasper’s resilient community is eager to welcome visitors back to their beloved alpine paradise.
"I'm in Jasper for the first time since the wildfires, and at every turn, I’m met with smiling faces, incredible hospitality and ample tourism offerings.”
(Above) Matricia Bauer of Warrior Women; (below) Jasper's SkyTram reopened to the public in March 2025. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF TOURISM JASPER
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
I’m in Jasper for the first time since the wildfires, and at every turn, I’m met with smiling faces, incredible hospitality and ample tourism offerings. It’s clear that last year’s fires had a massive impact on both the park and the local community. “[But] from a tourism perspective, Jasper still has lots of restaurants, lots of retail and lots of hotels,” notes Tyler Riopel, CEO of Tourism Jasper. “There’s no reason to not come and visit. Actually, it’s really important that you [do].” Matricia Bauer agrees. “We need the support,” notes the founder of Warrior Women, a local Indigenous-owned tour company. “Come and treat yourself. Book the massage. Do the dinner out.”
There are plenty of opportunities to do so. In addition to Warrior Women’s traditional storytelling and drumming tour, Bauer has two new offerings this summer — a nature-journalling tour (initially developed to support her “Jasper people” after the wildfires) and a walking tour of the Indigenous murals and outdoor art gallery in town. SunDog Tours, another locally owned company, is introducing its own new tour, Sunrise Wildlife and Ecology of a Fire. Meanwhile, Rockaboo Mountain Adventures is providing summer rock-climbing instruction and, come winter, ice-climbing lessons on its new man-made ice wall in the town centre.
The Jasper SkyTram is running again, giving tourists access to panoramic views from the summit of Whistlers Mountain. The Maligne Range restaurant-distillery downtown had its launch date pushed back after the wildfires. But it opened in September 2024 and now entices visitors with its elevated take on comfort food and inventive cocktails crafted with whisky from their in-house distillery.
Riopel reports that hotels are back to operating at full capacity. I’m drawn to Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, with its newly remediated Luxury Lakefront suites, a spa offering nature-inspired treatments and a dreamy swim-out pool to take a dip in. The lodge’s golf course, which celebrates its centennial this year, reopens in July after narrowly escaping wildfire damage last year. (It owes its survival to the employees who manned the sprinkler system to fend off the flames.)
(Above) the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, nestled along the shore of Lac Beauvert; (below) A firefighter nurtures a plant shoot in Jasper National Park. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FAIRMONT JASPER PARK LODGE; G DARE/PARKS CANADA
NATURE’S REGENERATION
Jasper National Park’s trails and waterways remain a huge draw. Thankfully, only a small percentage of the park was impacted by the fires. Boat and paddleboard rentals are available again at the boathouses of Lake Edith, Pyramid Lake, Maligne Lake and Lac Beauvert, offering opportunities to enjoy the scenery from the water. Intrepid hikers can take on the 44-kilometre multi-day Skyline Trail that delves deeply into the backcountry of the park. Day trippers can explore the eight-kilometre Sulphur Skyline Trail, with its vistas of Fiddle Valley and Utopia Mountain, or opt for the eight-kilometre Opal Hills loop and its bird’s-eye view of the Maligne Valley.
Significant progress has been made in reopening most visitor areas, but some trails and areas remain closed for public safety and ecological recovery, according to Philippa Gunn, Parks Canada’s public relations and communications officer. For real-time updates on which sites, trails and facilities are open, Gunn recommends checking Jasper National Park’s interactive map or stopping by the park’s Information Centre in town for in-person advice and suggestions.
LEND A HAND
Looking for a way to support Jasper’s recovery? “The absolute best thing is to come and support local businesses. That’s the best way to support the community,” says Tyler Riopel, Jasper Tourism’s CEO. For those interested in something more hands-on, Friends of Jasper National Park is always looking for volunteers to help with trail maintenance and restoration projects.
“In the hills where wildfires once raged, a riot of colour from wildflowers and fireweed will be emerging, quite literally, from the ashes.”
The hardy fireweed plant thrives in the Columbia Icefield. | PHOTO: AQUAMARINE4/ADOBE STOCK
COMING BACK STRONGER
While there will be rafting on the river, paddling on the lakes and hiking on the hundreds of kilometres of open trails, Riopel acknowledges that some parts of the park may look a little different this year — which is not a bad thing.
In the hills where wildfires once raged, a riot of colour from wildflowers and fireweed will be emerging, quite literally, from the ashes. “It’s a pretty unique opportunity to witness how forests recover and regenerate after a wildfire,” Riopel notes. “The forest floor will have all this regrowth. We’ll have purple hills and pink hills that will be visible from town. We’ll see animals coming back in a different way. It presents a whole new beauty.”
On a hike on one of my final days in Jasper, I reflect on Riopel’s words. From my vantage point at the terminus of the Bald Hills Trail, pristine Maligne Lake unfurls below me like an aquamarine blanket, tucked safely between the mountains of the Maligne Range. Here, there are no fire-blackened remains of sentinel-like trees on the scorched land. And the snow-dusted peaks surrounding me are a reassuring constant — much like the resilient people who live and work here. CAA