Canada · JASPER & THE ATHABASCA VALLEY
22 reviewed
Jasper is quieter than Banff and the wildlife knows it. Here are the 15 best tours in the Athabasca valley: the Columbia Icefield and the glass skywalk, the Maligne Lake boat out to Spirit Island, evening wildlife runs, with prices and how much of the day each takes.
Walk the 25,000-year-old Athabasca Glacier, ride the Ice Explorer, and test your nerves on the glass Skywalk above the Sunwapta Valley.
“It was a once in a lifetime experience. The staff was friendly and the experience was well organized.”
Walk a glass skywalk 279 m above Sunwapta Valley in Jasper. 1 km stroll, audio guide, shuttle, and Canadian Rockies views.
“Passing through on the way to Banff we made the trek across the Skywalk and it was well worth the time. I'm generally not one to seek out heights of more than a few feet and so I hesitated before I took my first step on the see-through glass looking down almost one thousand feet to what seems like a bottomless drop. I did however gather the courage to proceed at the risk of certain death, or so I thought. I can report I survived relatively unscathed and ended up walking the glass three times at the direction and command of my teenage daughter who enjoyed the spectacle of my…”
Sail Maligne Lake with a guide to Spirit Island for glacier views, wildlife spotting chances, and history of Jasper and its Indigenous peoples.
“Sam and Seb were excellent guides. A really enjoyable tour.”
A 3-hour Jasper evening wildlife tour with hotel pickup, a small minibus group, and live commentary, built for dusk animal sightings.
“We had a great guide. We saw lots of elks around town and several moose on the tour. Very recommended!”
3-hour morning or evening wildlife watch in Jasper National Park with hotel pickup and an experienced guide on a comfortable minibus.
“Our guide Kelli was so great !! We saw some elk, deer and we had the chance to see a bear! Kelli put the bus in some really good place to let us take picture and enjoy this find. In addition, we had some explaination about the town, the forest and the wildlife.”
Jasper wildlife and Maligne Lake cruise with guided stops at Maligne Canyon overlook, Medicine Lake, and Spirit Island for one great day.
“Our tour guide, Jake, made our trip memorable. He was very personable, funny, and a fountain of knowledge. We even lucked out and saw some elk.”
Ride the Jasper SkyTram roundtrip to Whistlers Mountain, hike the Summit Trail for 360 views, spot wildlife, and learn from live guides.
“This adventure is totally worth it, the views are incredible and you get to climb on the top of a mountain!!”
Heated glass boat cruise on Maligne Lake to Spirit Island in Jasper National Park. Narration, wildlife spotting, and comfort for $86.79.
“Amazing views, friendly and knowledgeable crew, great experience. Even though it was raining and some of the views were covered with misty clouds, it was absolutely beautiful. It’s a can’t-miss experience.”
Wildlife scouting in Jasper, a Maligne Canyon walk, Medicine Lake stop, then a 90-minute Maligne Lake cruise to Spirit Island.
“Perfect!!! Jake was a top guide👍👍👍 Thank you very much for this great trip. Greatings from Sue, Elenor and Uli”
Ride Class II rapids from Athabasca Falls on a 3-hour Jasper adventure with gear, transport, and guide-led safety and stories.
“It was a great trip. Many thanks to Ellie, Ellie, and Ellie. You were all excellent host and guides.”
Jasper day trip to Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake, with Spirit Island photos by cruise in season or a guided hike option.
“Guide picked us up late and dropped us off early. Drove fast to get to the boat ride since we were late. Should have added another stop and spent more time at scheduled stops.”
Soft Class II rafting on the Athabasca River in Jasper, Canada. Small groups, round-trip transport, and Mile 5 views.
“We had no idea what to expect when we booked our girls rafting adventure. We recommend bathing suit under the wet suit, hat, and sunscreen. If you’ve never paddled with other people, either keep pace with the guy in front of you, or don’t paddle. You do get a bit wet, but it was so warm out that the splashes were welcome! Pleasantly surprised at the whole experience. Great guides who are friendly and funny! Don’t recommend dipping into the water over the edge of the raft unless you are capable of getting back in easily. Getting back in can be difficult, esp if you’re heavy. Rapids were mild so…”
Ride Canada’s longest, highest guided aerial tramway in Jasper National Park, then hike to Whistlers Mountain for wide-open views.
“The experience of jasper skytram itself was great, we see amazing view after take the ride. The annoy part is Viator booked our time in system by mistake. We booked 11:20am’s skytram on Sep 7 and the confirmation email also displayed same date and time. But when we arrived Jasper skytram, we’ve been told that it showed 4pm in system and there’s no way for us to take 11:20am’s skytram as we booked before. After discussed with manager on-site, we were allowed to take 12:15’s ride. Since it was our last day at Jasper, 1 hours delay did kind of mess up our original plan. We’ve been told the mistake…”
Ride the Icefields Parkway from Banff, tour the Athabasca Glacier by Ice Explorer, and end with the glass Skywalk and big views.
“This was a great day full of lots of stops along the way to see different sites. Transportation was comfortable and our guide Tina was amazing. Tina was knowledgeable and very easy to talk to. We had a fantastic day!”
Banff to Athabasca Glacier by Ice Explorer and Glacier Skywalk, with lunch and big Icefields Parkway views, from $291.17.
“It was pretty awesome being up on a glacier. We hit it on a warm day; hat, gloves, and warm coat were not necessary. I highly recommend this experience. We were able to FaceTime our grandson from the glacier and he was thrilled to see it.”
