Jasper Alberta Facts and Climate

Jasper, Alberta is a municipality within Jasper National Park in Canada. It has a population of just under 5000 permanent residents.

Jasper Alberta Location
Jasper is located in Jasper National Park near the British Columbia/Alberta border at an altitude of 1,062 m.

Reached from the west and east by the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) and from the south by the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93), Jasper Alberta's townsite begins at the intersection of Connaught Drive and the Yellowhead Highway.

Jasper is 287 kilometers from Banff, Alberta, 362 kilometers from Edmonton, Alberta, 414 kilometers from Calgary, Alberta, and 863 kilometers from Vancouver, BC.

Climate of Jasper Alberta
orWeather in Jasper Alberta
(Temperature ranges and rainfall/snowfall)

Jan -7.8°C to -17.8°C Moisture: 2.4 mm/38.1 mm
Feb -0.6°C to -12.2°C Moisture: 2.2 mm/21.7 mm
Mar +3.2°C to -8.6°C Moisture: 3.2 mm/14.7 mm
Apr +9.6°C to -2.9°C Moisture: 12.7 mm/10.9 mm
May +15.6°C to +1.7°C Moisture: 30.3 mm/3.1 mm
Jun +19.2°C to +5.6°C Moisture: 54.8 mm/trace
Jul +22.5°C to +7.6°C Moisture: 49.7 mm/----
Aug +21.4°C to +7.0°C Moisture: 48.4 mm/0.1 mm
Sep +16.4°C to +3.2°C Moisture: 36.8 mm/1.1 mm
Oct +10.3°C to -1.0°C Moisture: 24.2 mm/5.4 mm
Nov +0.7°C to -8.5°C Moisture: 8.6 mm/24.6 mm
Dec -4.9°C to -13.6°C Moisture: 5.4 mm/32.7 mm


Basic History of Jasper Alberta
The first recorded visit to the Athabasca Valley was by surveyor David Thompson in 1810. The North West Company built a supply depot on Brule Lake in 1813, a settlement which later became known as "Jasper House" after North West Company clerk Jasper Hawes.

With the decline of the fur trade, Jasper House was abandoned in 1884. The Dominion government established "Jasper Forest Park" in 1907 with an area of circa 13,000 km². By 1911 the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway had reached Fitzhugh (now Jasper) Station. The Jasper–Edmonton road opened in 1928. In 1930, Jasper Forest Park was officially established as "Jasper National Park".

Tourist Attractions in Jasper Alberta
Jasper is known for its mountain climbing, hiking and whitewater rafting. During the winter it becomes a popular ski location with a medium sized mountain resort, Marmot Basin. Recent years have seen less snowfall and warmer temperatures resulting in a shorter ski season.

Jasper's Government
The Municipality of Jasper, Alberta is unique because of it being situated completely inside a National Park. Governance is shared between the Municipality of Jasper and the Parks Canada Agency.

The Specialized Municipality of Jasper was formed by the Province of Alberta on April 1, 2002. The Municipality of Jasper operates under an agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage, giving it authorities over all municipal matters with the exception of land use planning, development and environmental matters.

The town's population as of 2005 was just under 5,000 residents, although this number fluctuates greatly due to the summer workforce which supports Jasper's strong tourism industry. Jasper Alberta is one of the few towns with a "Right to Reside" law which stipulates a need to live within the town. This law limits Jasper's growth and development within a National Park.

The economy of Jasper Alberta is partly based on tourism in the National Park. Many tourists remark on the presence of elk and other ungulates in the town. Elk often come into Jasper's townsite and graze on resident's lawns, and open townsite areas.