Jasper National Park
Box 10 T0E 1E0 Jasper, AB, Canada

#BatWeek! What's for dinner? While some bats in the world eat nectar, other vertebrates, or fruit, all of Canada's bats, including the bat species in Jasper National Park, eat only insects. Without their food source in winter, the smaller bats in Jasper hibernate in caves, old mines, and buildings within their 100 km radius habitat, and the larger bats migrate. If you see a bat in winter in Jasper National Park, it’s a cause for concern. Please report any sightings of bats inside buildings or outdoors to Jasper Dispatch to help these insectivores survive this challenging time of year.

Do Not Disturb Seasonal closures in caribou habitat begin November 1. There are changes to the area closed in the Maligne-Brazeau Range based on evidence that no caribou remain in the Maligne. Boundary changes now allow limited opportunities for recreation, while maintaining a large area of the park free from human disturbance for four months of the year. Details here: parkscanada.ca/caribou-winter-access

Welcome to #BatWeek! Let’s go to bat for the bats and discover the importance of bat conservation with us. Did you know all bats belong to the order of Chiroptera, meaning hand-wing, and are the only mammal that can truly fly? These aerial acrobats represent over 1,300 species on earth! In Jasper National Park, you can find seven species of bat. Stay tuned for more about bats this week!

The elk rut continues in Jasper. Please, stay in your vehicle and don't confront an animal that is willing to headbutt a semi-truck. As always, be mindful of wildlife while driving, and stay in your vehicle around wildlife. https://www.pc.gc.ca//pn-np/ab//securite-safety/wapiti-elk Parks Canada / Sanne van der Ros

Snaring Campground has reopened for tonight, Saturday, and Sunday night. With gorgeous weather in the forecast, it is a great weekend to go camping.

Weather alerts for: Yellowhead Highway Snowfall with total amounts of 10 to 15 cm mixed with freezing precipitation is expected. Moisture from the Pacific continues to stream across Central Interior British Columbia today bringing significant snow and a risk of freezing rain to the Yellowhead Highway this morning. Weather in the mountains can change suddenly resulting in hazardous driving conditions. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow.... Road conditions are available at www.drivebc.ca. and www.511alberta.ca

Hello October! October is a great month to fill up on fresh air, colourful landscapes, and amazing dark skies. The month of October is dark sky month and we invite you to see the stars by celebrating the annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival October 16-25, 2020. View the schedule of events to learn how the festival will take place while prioritizing your safety during COVID-19. https://jasperdarksky.travel/ Parks Canada / R. Bray

Wild Wednesday Did you know red squirrels spend the fall building up food stores in piles called "middens"? All the food they'll need for the winter is stashed inside, including different types of cones, and mushrooms, which they dry on tree branches.

Mars, moon, and meteors; visiting the 10th annual #JasperDarkSky Festival in Jasper provided much to ponder of what lies beyond. Thank you to everyone who joined this year, and to Tourism Jasper for an incredible line up of COVID-friendly events these past two weeks. Let’s keep this momentum going by looking up, peeking into faraway galaxies, and celebrating the night sky all year-round. parkscanada.gc.ca/jasperdarksky Parks Canada / Sanne van der Ros

The winter magic has arrived a little earlier this year in jasper, and winter-like trail conditions exist already! Watch for slippery sections and wear proper winter footwear. If you plan on visiting popular landmarks like Maligne Canyon, Maligne Lake, Old Fort Point, Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls, be aware of winter hazards on the trail. Trails can be icy and slippery and we recommend wearing ice cleats if you plan on exploring any popular trails in the park.

Join thousands of Canadian youth to honour Residential School Survivors, their families and communities at an extraordinary virtual event to support and encourage meaningful Reconciliation across Canada. https://www.facebook.com/events/344943410247529/

Skating season is almost here in the Mountain Parks! With the cold weather the ice is forming fast. Skating on frozen lakes is a wonderful experience, but it can also be a dangerous one. Please be sure to arm yourself with safety information before heading out. Check out these links on ice safety to avoid getting in trouble while skating this season: https://bit.ly/2TjtzPl

With just two days until the Katmai National Park & Preserve #FatBearWeek, our contender's lack of salmon and incorrect species is showing... A for effort ?

Tree removals in Wapiti and Wabasso campgrounds this winter. With more than half of the trees affected by mountain pine beetle in Wapiti and Wabasso campgrounds, mechanical thinning and hand falling will be used to reduce the number of dead and dying trees in and around both campgrounds this winter. Recreational activities like walking or cross-country skiing will not be accessible. Parks Canada apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates the patience of the public an...d business community during these essential closures that will improve safety and the camping experience for years to come. Both campgrounds will be available for their regular opening dates in the spring of 2021. For more details: https://bit.ly/2Hw5sKJ

Parks Canada’s fire crew is still hard at work in Oregon! Finding and extinguishing embers and removing fuel before another fire starts are important tactic...s to control wildfires. Sophisticated technology, such as thermal imaging cameras, can be used to help identify these hot spots. Often, fire crews have to dig through layers of duff or cut deadfall to fully extinguish the embers. #Thankyoufirefighters #Thankyoufirstresponders Jasper National Park Grasslands National Park Rouge National Urban Park Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park Pukaskwa National Park Parks Canada NWT #PrinceAlbertNP #WoodBuffaloNP

Fun fact: Encompassing over 11,000 km2, Jasper National Park is the second largest dark sky preserve in the world! Ryan Bray

Happy World Rivers Day! Join us in celebrating the clean streams and rivers today in the mountain national parks. Did you know that the Columbia Icefield flows into three oceans? Check out the amazing journey of the Athabasca and North Saskatchewan Rivers at www.chrs.ca/en/heritage-river-story-maps.... Together, we can help keep Jasper’s headwaters free from aquatic invasive species by cleaning, draining, and drying your watercraft, beach toys and fishing gear before hitting the water. R. Gruys

Helipads were constructed to assist with the Excelsior wildfire operations in 2015. The helipad at the top of the Signal Fire Road was slow to recover to its natural state, so our Vegetation Restoration crew tackled rehabilitating this area this past summer. Loosening the top layer of soil allows vegetation to re-establish without needing to break through the hardened surface. Over 70 saplings were also transplanted to the area, adding to the seedlings naturally growing in the area. Transplanting larger saplings helps speed up the forest growth process, which will take decades to finish. #RestorationAction

It's the last day of National Forest Week Prescribed fires keep grasslands and forests healthy. They also improve wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of wildfires for communities. We have plans for four prescribed fires in Jasper, which require specific weather and site conditions to go ahead. Unfortunately, our cool and wet summer meant that the required conditions were not met.... Like outlining a shape before colouring it in, our fire and vegetation specialists have cleared an area that will act as a boundary for a future prescribed fire on Pyramid Bench. Parks Canada / Sanne van der Ros

"There's snow in them thar hills" Be prepared for a safe drive: Drive defensively Watch for wildlife Obey speed limits... Check 511.alberta.ca before leaving Snow tires are required after November 1 Have a safety kit in your car See more

Keep an eye out between Oct 21-25, for a good chance to see northern lights in Jasper National Park! Tips to spot the northern lights: Look north-east where they typically first appear. Go outside between 11pm and 1am, when the lights are most likely to display. ... Be out in the open, like on Pyramid Island, or on the shore of many lakes in Jasper. The Jasper Dark Sky Festival continues this week. Learn more: https://jasperdarksky.travel/ Ludovic Labbé-Doucet Sunwapta Falls

Keep bears safe and wild! As summer comes to an end, bears are in Jasper’s valley bottoms looking for food. Make sure to remove attractants on your property - compost, recycling, garbage, fruit trees, berry bushes and even bird feeders. 2014

Boat owners, don't forget today, October 20, is the deadline for removing watercraft from shorelines across the park. Parks Canada would like to thank boat owners who have already co-operated by removing their watercraft from Jasper National Park. The removal of these watercraft allows us all to be part of protecting and preserving the pristine beauty of our natural areas. Details of the Jasper National Park Shoreline Action Plan can be found right here Parkscanada.gc.ca/jasper-shoreline

It's National Forest Week Jasper’s vegetation restoration crew has been busy this summer planting trees! In total, 1,306 Douglas fir tree saplings found a new home at Wapiti, Wabasso, and Honeymoon campgrounds and at the Pyramid Bench to help restore areas impacted by the mountain pine beetle. Douglas fir is native to Jasper and is a fire-resistant tree species that helps diversify the forest in Jasper National Park. Parks Canada / Sanne van der Ros

It's National Forest Week Dead standing trees, called snags, create critical habitat for many creatures. Ants work their way through the wood, attracting woodpeckers to feed and then roost inside the snag. Bats and squirrels also enjoy these hollows for shelter and food storage. When walking through the woods in Jasper, look up, you may notice these wildlife trees.

The incredible Parks Canada fire team is 6 days into their 2-week deployment in #Oregon . Each morning starts with a daily briefing where strike teams are g...iven their directions, reminded of safety procedures and updated on the fire’s progress. #Thankyoufirefighters #thankyoufirstresponders Jasper National Park Grasslands National Park Rouge National Urban Park Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park Pukaskwa National Park Parks Canada NWT #PrinceAlbertNP #WoodBuffaloNP

Wild Wednesday Forest creatures are hard at work preparing for winter. Who do you think has been stashing mushrooms in this tree?

What are you doing to celebrate National Tree Day today? Let’s take a moment and put your favourite tree in the spotlight. What do you appreciate about this tree? Have you planted a tree before? This summer, Jasper National Park staff planted 3,616 tree seedlings to help support species at risk and to restore specific areas. Support our partners who help us plant trees in Jasper National Park: https://www.tentree.ca/pages/about ... Parks Canada / Sanne van der Ros

It's National Forest Week While we know that forest fires are essential to forest health, it could have significant consequences for the community of Jasper. Jasper National Park has upgraded the fuel break on Pyramid Bench over the past few years. This barrier aims to slow the spread of a wildfire and acts as a line of defense from which responders can carry out actions to control a fire. https://www.pc.gc.ca//jas/visit/feu-alert-fire/restoration Fuel break on Pyramid Bench

Today is the first day of fall, and it's a great time to get out hiking: cool temps, colourful leaves, and quiet trails. Where in Jasper have you been exploring lately? Discover fall in Jasper National Park https://bit.ly/30dxAbZ

It's National Forest Week If you ever visited Jasper’s rugged treeline, you know that it’s a rough place to make a living. Take the whitebark pine, for example. Not only does it have to contend with harsh weather up there, but threats such as introduced white pine blister rust, climate change, mountain pine beetle, and historic fire suppression have put it on the species-at-risk list. While this tree species feeds bears, squirrels, and Clarke’s nutcrackers, it also slows e...rosion and snow melt. To help recover this endangered tree species, Jasper National Park staff planted 2300 blister-rust resistant seedlings last week, some in partnership with Robson Provincial Park staff. Let’s hope that the seedlings thrivel! To learn more about the whitebark pine and Parks Canada’s recovery work, visit https://www.pc.gc.ca//jasp/nature/conservation/eep-sar/wbp

With Labour Day behind us and being well into September, we reflect on a unique summer. Despite a later opening due to COVID-19, we saw a high number of Canadian visitors who came to enjoy Jasper National Park. While it was stressful at times, we want to show our gratitude on #WorldGratitudeDay for the park staff and the businesses in Jasper’s community who worked very hard to ensure everyone’s safety during this global pandemic as best as possible. If you plan on visiting us this fall, please wear a mask or a face covering on Jasper's downtown sidewalks and in all public indoor spaces. We’re still #InThisTogether. https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/jasper/visit/covid-19-info

Starting today, September 21, Parks Canada will undertake remedial work on a section of Highway 16, 10 km east of the Jasper townsite. The section of highway damaged by flooding earlier this summer will be repaved. Work is expected to be completed Friday, September 25, 2020, weather permitting. Motorists can expect single-lane alternating traffic all day.... Speed reductions to 50 km/h can be expected in work zones with traffic control personnel on-site. Be prepared to stop. Expect delays of up to one hour. For the most up-to-date road information, check www.511.alberta.ca or dial 511.

This year's National Forest Week (September 20-26, 2020), focuses on Healthy Forests, Healthy Future. This week, we will showcase how Jasper National Park staff helps the forest be healthier for a better future. Check out the Canadian Institute of Forestry website for upcoming events: https://www.cif-ifc.org/upcoming-events/

Today is World Cleanup Day! If you live, work, or visit Jasper National Park this weekend, we invited you to join millions of people across the world to pick any litter you notice on the streets, trails, parking lots and shorelines. You can also join likeminded volunteers at Maligne Canyon top parking lot on Sunday, September 20 at 9 am to clean up our beloved Maligne Canyon. All gear is provided (vest, buckets, pickers, gloves, etc.).... Let’s see your pictures of your cleanup efforts this weekend! https://www.worldcleanupday.org/