jasper national park | travelforkids

Jasper National Park is one of the seven Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks and is a hiker's paradise, with over 600 miles of trails. It's a spectacular wild area where bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, mountain lions, wolves and wolverines roam free. There's plenty of great hikes for kids, but it's also best to stick to trails. After all, the bears and wolves live here - you're just a guest.

Maligne Lake - Maligne Lake Chalet Lodge, overlooking the lake, relax on the deck with a drink or a meal and plan out your next adventure:

Maligne Lake boat cruise - Take hour and half boat cruise to Spirit Island. Spectacular scenery of sparkling turquoise lake surrounded by snowy mountains. Reserve boat cruise in advance.

Miette Hot Springs (Fiddle Valley) - These are the hottest hot springs in the Canadian Rockies. There are two hot pools here, plus a cool pool as well, all supervised by lifeguards, but accessible only in the warmer months. Bring a picnic and make a day of it, taking time to follow the "Pocahontas Trail"(a self-guided trek to the mining ghost town) or up to Ashlar Ridge for a spectacular view.

Go camping - There are ten campsites in the park, you can camp in wilderness areas, or close into Jasper. In the summer, make camping reservations well in advance.

Hike onto Prehistoric Ice (Columbia Icefields) - The Athabasca, Stutfield and Dome glaciers Divide are known collectively as the Columbia Icefield. The enormous field of prehistoric ice melts into rivers running to the Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans.

For a more up-close-and-personal experience, even little kids can make the hike from the public parking lot up to the ice on their own. Peer down into blue ice fissures – but use caution, people have been known to fall into crevices.

Take the Ice Explorer tour (mid-April to mid-October). The Ice Explorer is a huge bus rollers that goes right onto the glacier - safe and comfortable.

Take the Ice Explorer tour to the Athabasca Glacier, including stop at Glacier Skywalk. Tour begins at Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre, hop on the Ice Explorer to drive to the glacier, then walk out on the ice! Tour is 3 hours, ticket good for any time on the day you select, kids discounted rates.