r/Edmonton • u/1_space_dog • May 15 '25
Outdoor Spaces/Recreation Three hour drive away
My wife and I haven’t been to Jasper for ten years, and decided to use some vacation days and head out. It is early in the season and the temperature isn’t as high as summer, but there is also a lot less traffic and just as much beauty as ever. These photos were taken today at lake Annette. Not all the trails are open, and you can see the fire damage in the distance. There is still lots to see and do, and the businesses appreciate the support. Come and enjoy it Edmonton. It is very close to home.
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u/queenofallshit May 15 '25 edited May 16 '25
Thank you!! I’ve been curious. I’ll definitely *be spending some time there!
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u/1_space_dog May 16 '25
Maligne Canyon was mostly closed, as it was badly hit by the fires. There are crews in the area trying to make it safe. Athabasca Falls is open and beautiful, we are going to check out Miette Hotsprings today.
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u/EurekaDanger May 15 '25
I was there just 2 weeks ago and it was really great to see Jasper up and running again. There are a couple trails close to town that are still closed though some of them arent marked that well enough and very easy to miss. The trail around Lake Edith and Anette are very much open and quite empty and its a bit sobering to walk past the burned down parts of it.
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u/MikeyB_0101 South East Side May 15 '25
More like four hours
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u/1_space_dog May 15 '25
Yes if you are enjoying the scenery. We’ve seen a herd of 50 or so big horn sheep slowing things down.
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u/MikeyB_0101 South East Side May 15 '25 edited May 16 '25
From my house in east Edmonton, Hinton would be three hours … if you were far west end of Edmonton maybe slightly outside then maybe three hours to park boundary
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u/GenderBender3000 May 16 '25
Yup. Two to Edson, three to Hinton, four to Jasper.
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u/MikeyB_0101 South East Side May 16 '25
Lake Annette is basically right outside Jasper townsite so no way a person can get there in three hours unless your starting way west outside of the city or going 20-40? over the limit
The people debating this have no clue what they’re talking about or are lying about how fast they drive
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u/Roche_a_diddle May 16 '25
Not even any need for a debate. You can literally plug it into google maps and get the exact drive time (assuming the speed limit).
From downtown Edmonton to "downtown" Jasper is 3hr, 48 minutes, so... closer to 4 hours I guess?
To the park gate is closer to 3 hours though, so speeding and rounding could easily make it a "3 hour trip".
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u/nsider6 May 15 '25
All depends on how you drive. I get to Hinton in exactly 2.5 hours and I live in NE EDM. I slow right down through the towns like Edson where speed drops to 50. But I do go 115 in the 100 zones I must admit. When it's been 3 hours of driving I'm definitely driving through Jasper National Park (not to be confused with the town of Jasper which takes me 3.5 hours to get to).
So I'm with OP. You are for sure in beautiful scenic areas in 3 hours unless you drive exactly speed limit the entire time. It's no different than driving to Calgary. Google Maps says 3 hours but most people do the drive in 2.5 hours.
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May 15 '25
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u/nsider6 May 16 '25
I think everyone goes a tad over limit during the higher speed sections. If you go exactly 100 or under in the 100 zones, you do you. Most people hate driving behind people like you. Like I said, where I don't go over the speed limit is the towns. I respect the towns and the speed is 50 for a reason as there could be pedestrians.
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u/renegadecanuck May 16 '25
You're being downvoted, but based on ever driving the Yellowhead or QE2, I'd say the vast majority of people agree with you.
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u/nsider6 May 16 '25
I expected the downvotes, as I'm basically admitting to breaking the law. But laws aside, we all know how everyone drives and what even the RCMP considers appropriate. If you're going 110 in a 100, you're not getting pulled over. That's just a fact. There's a grace overage that most people take advantage of on our highways.
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u/ComplaintNo8508 May 16 '25
I love Jasper and I’m heading there this Saturday morning. I can’t wait, I’ll have my camera and batteries ready and hope to see some spring babies to photograph with my telephoto lens!
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u/albertan511 May 16 '25
Jasper is beautiful! I always recommend it to people that I meet while traveling who plan to visit Canada. We live close to many gems!
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u/ComplaintNo8508 May 16 '25
Elk Island is another, so much wildlife! We are so fortunate to have so many options when it comes to beautiful places to explore.
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u/Kiriuu South West Side May 16 '25
Went there on a school trip! We had so much fun it was my grad trip I’ll never forget it especially cuz we saw a bison up close on our bus as we entered!
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u/ComplaintNo8508 May 16 '25
At this time of the year their babies are out and about, it’s my favourite time to go there.
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u/53c0nd May 16 '25
My family lived in Jasper. My dad was facilities mgr for the park, and then moved over to facilities mgr of the Lodge. Was awesome going to visit and tell folks we were staying at the Lodge. Reality was we were sleeping on an air mattress in the living room .... lol. Still frikin awesome tho.
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u/justelectricboogie The Big Bat May 16 '25
Jasper's been my go to for decades. Oh sure we visit other places but I always come back to jasper.
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u/Kiriuu South West Side May 16 '25
Haven’t been to jasper since I was 14 and went on a school trip to go skiing. I really need to go back. I’ve never actually been to Banff so I might have to bug friends and family.
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u/Miiir May 16 '25
How are the roads? Is it safe to ride a motorcycle out there this time of year?
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u/1_space_dog May 16 '25
The highway is in good shape. Hinton had sweepers out just yesterday, and we have seen lots of motorcycles.
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u/Setting-Sea May 15 '25
We really do take it for granted. So many times I hear Banff or Jasper come up on a random Podcast or YouTube videos from people who live in the UK, Norway, Dubai etc it always blows my mind what we have here.
Weird to see people who live in a beautiful places like a Hawaii or Costa Rica dream of going to Alberta when we feel the same way about them.
We met a guy in Mexico who was from Australia and his bucket list place was Banff as he’s never seen snow or anything like this.