My Top 5 Wildlife Spots in Jasper National Park
#1 Maligne Lake Road
My first choice in my top 5 wildlife viewing locations would have to be Maligne Lake Road in Jasper National Park. We have driven up and down this road more times than I can remember. It’s an easy drive with many wonderful scenic views, hiking trials, rest areas with washrooms, and of course wildlife! The road takes about 45 minutes each way without stops. At the end of the road there is a Maligne Lake you can take a boat cruise… but this article is about wildlife.
We have seen deer, elk, mountain sheep, black bear, grizzly bear, and lots of moose! There were caribou in this area but they haven’t been seen in a long time and we personally have never seen them in that area. Every time we have driven Maligne road we have seen animals. Highly recommend this spot and it’s a must if you want to see wildlife. Need directions? Been here before? Please leave a review: Maligne Lake Road
#2 Town of Jasper
The town of Jasper is an easy way to see wildlife. There are some trails to walk around, shops, restaurants, cafes, gift shops the visitor centre and much more. But one of the coolest things about the town of Jasper is the elk that frequent the area. They regularly walk through the town! What an amazing sight. One of the most frequent places we see them is all around the edges of the town and where Connaught Drive and the Yellowhead Hwy meet.
This is at the North East end of the town. Please remember that these are WILD animals. They are dangerous! KEEP YOUR DISTANCE and do not feed them. We have see so many people get way to close. Durning the months of September to late October it’s rutting season and the male moose can get aggressive, this time of year is even more crucial you keep your distance. You usually can get close enough inside your vehicle to get great pictures of these animals, this keeps you safe as well as them. Been to the town before? Please leave a review: Town of Jasper
#3 Yellowhead Hwy
This is one of the areas that most travellers naturally dive through when coming to Jasper National Park. This road is a great place for scenic views, hiking areas, rest-stops and of course wildlife. Please remember that this is a highway so BE CAREFUL when pulling over to take pictures or to see something. Too many times we have seen cars hanging out onto the road or stopped blocking traffic. You are in the National Park still but it’s a major pass through for semi trucks and regular traffic.
On this road we have seen a lot of wildlife, such as, bear, coyote, elk, deer, mountain goat, and mountain sheep, lots of mountain sheep! The best place to see the mountain sheep are just after you start to head east on the Yellowhead Hwy as you leave the town of Jasper. Then the other two great locations are about a 30 minute drive going east. There are two cliffs sections, there is about 5 minute drive between the two locations. We have always seen them at one or more of these locations every time we go. Please remember mountain sheep are usually out in the day. As night comes they leave a to their night time spots out of sight. There have been wolf spotted along this road as well, we have not seen them ourselves but some lucky people see them. What do you think of this part of the park? Leave a review: Yellowhead Hwy
#4 Goats & Glaciers Scenic Viewpoint (Goat Lick)
If you want to see Mountain Goats in Jasper National Park one of the best places we have found is at the Goats & Glaciers viewpoint. Head down the Icefields Parkway and it’s around a 25 minute drive from Jasper give or take 10 minutes. It is a rest-stop so has a washroom and garbage. There is a short path up to a viewpoint which has a wonderful view.
The Mountain Sheep can been seen on the cliffs at the top or across the road from the parking lot. I have been told the best time to see them is early morning to mid afternoon. We have only seen them at this spot a few times but they are there more often than anywhere else that we have seen. Regardless if you see them or not it’s a really nice drive and a nice scenic view. Not to mention you never know what wildlife you will see along the way! Seen Mountain Sheep at this location? Please let us know! Here
#5 Just About Anywhere
One of the great things about Jasper National Park is that every corner your turn, every trail you walk there is a good chance you will see wildlife in one form or another.
Black Bear Maligne Lake Road 2020
Traveling to Jasper is an adventure all to itself. We have driven and walked to a lot of places in Jasper and have been caught off guard many times when turning a corner and out of the blue there is a bear in the road or a moose… This is why we love this place and we like to share our experiences with you and hopefully hear from you about yours! Please join the conversation by posting your images and experiences on our site! Join now it’s FREE
Get involved! Leave a comment!
Comments