Jasper with Children, Parks Canada Advice

Jasper will offer some unforgettable imagery for your next family vacation.

Jasper National Park is a great place for all types of vacations, even for families with children. Of course, it’s not always easy to travel with children, and there are always extra considerations involved. We talked to Thea Mitchell of Parks Canada to get some of her advice on taking kids to the park.

Jasper will offer some unforgettable imagery for your next family vacation.

She recommended a couple places and activities in Jasper National Park that will help make your families trip to Jasper, well, a walk in the park. “We’re out all the time with our kids,” Mitchell told Rockies.com, and she was only too glad to give us her tips.

1. Hike the Pyramid: “We do the pyramid bench trails all the time,” says Mitchell. This is a great hiking area with some great advantages for parents. For one, it’s right next to town, so if you need to get back for whatever reason, it’s easy. It also offers a wide variety of trails, from short walks to medium length hikes, so you can choose your trail based on the age of your children, their hiking abilities, and how they’re feeling that particular day. Check out this story on the Pyramid Bench.

3. But it’s raining!: The weather is always changing in Japser, and sometimes for the worse. It’s probably a nightmare for a lot of parents to imagine being stuck in a hotel room with a group of rambunctious children and nowhere to go. But, as Mitchell notes, “Jasper has a spectacular indoor pool. There’s a great little kiddie pool, and a water slide.” Yep, the Jasper Aquatic Center is a good answer to a rainstorm, with its 185 ft. water slide and 25 meter swimming pool. You can reach them at (780) 852-3663.

4. Hike and learn: Mitchell notes that Jasper National Park has an ambitions schedule of free interpretive hikes all over the park, and that there are campground shows on various subjects from wildlife to park history and much more every night at the Jasper main campground. To find out more call the Jasper Information Centre at (780) 852-6176, or visit them at 500 Connaught Dr. in downtown Jasper.

5. Hit the beach: Lake Annette came highly recommended by Mitchell as a place to spend a summer day in Jasper National Park with a family. “On a warm day,” she says, “it’s spectacular. It’ warm, relatively, mountain lake, there’s a great beach, there’s a playground, there’s an area where people can BBQ.” Now that sounds like a good time for a family vacation. For more info on Lake Annette and other places to picnic in Jasper here.

Hope you find that helpful to your family trip to Jasper! Read more suggestions from Rockies Insiders to help plan your next vacation. Get a sneak peak at Jasper with the Jasper webcam!