Edmonton to Jasper drive: stops, time and what is open

Edmonton to Jasper is 365 km west on the Yellowhead Highway, Highway 16: about four hours without stops, with fuel and food at Edson and Hinton and the mountains filling the windshield after Hinton. Inside the park the limit drops to 90 km/h and elk and bighorn sheep work the shoulders. Since the 2024 wildfire, check what is open before you plan the days: in October 2026 Maligne Canyon, the Mount Edith Cavell road and Miette Hot Springs were all closed.

Location: Jasper, Alberta

The drive, stop by stop

Stop	From downtown	Why stop
Wabamun Lake Provincial Park	69 km, 55 min	A beach and day-use area a few minutes off the highway
Pembina River Provincial Park	106 km, 1 h 15	The river valley at Entwistle: day use all year, a tubing take-out in summer
Edson	202 km, 2 h 10	Fuel and food at the halfway point; Highway 16 through town is being repaved until fall 2027
Hinton	287 km, 3 h 05	Fuel, the 3 km Beaver Boardwalk, and park passes at the visitor centre on Gregg Avenue
William A. Switzer Provincial Park	19 km north of Hinton	Lakes on Highway 40; Gregg Lake campground stays open all year
Jasper East Gate	About 15 minutes past Hinton	Buy or show a Parks Canada pass
Jasper Lake	Inside the park	The largest sand dunes in the Canadian Rockies, beside the highway
Jasper House viewpoint	35 km before town	A viewpoint over the site of the old fur-trade post
Miette Road	44 km before town	To Miette Hot Springs and Punchbowl Falls; closed for the season, the hot springs reopen in spring 2027
Jasper	365 km, about 4 h	The town, Pyramid Lake, and the base for the rest of the park

Drive times are from downtown Edmonton in light traffic, rounded. Status checked 25 October 2026.

Construction to expect: the Yellowhead Trail freeway work inside Edmonton runs through 2027, and so does the repaving of Highway 16 through Edson. Check 511 Alberta for closures and the webcams before you leave, and in winter for the road conditions.

What is open in Jasper

• Open in October 2026: the town and its services, Pyramid Lake and Pyramid Island, the Maligne Lake day-use area and Athabasca Falls. From October 28, Wapiti campground keeps 40 electrical sites open for winter, first come, first served.
• Closed into 2027: Maligne Canyon (no reopening date), the Mount Edith Cavell road (slope work through spring 2027), Miette Hot Springs (back in spring 2027), the Wabasso and Whirlpool campgrounds, and the Tonquin and À la Pêche caribou ranges until May 15, 2027.
• Seasonal: the Jasper SkyTram's 2026 season ended on October 25; its 2027 dates were not posted.
• Fire recovery work keeps moving things, so check Parks Canada's open and closed map the week you go.

A two-night weekend

1. 1 Friday: leave after work, fuel in Edson, and sleep in Hinton, three hours from downtown. Entering the park on Saturday morning means one day pass covers you to Sunday afternoon.
2. 2 Saturday: buy the pass at the East Gate and drive the last 48 km slowly. Pyramid Lake and the footbridge to Pyramid Island in the morning, then the Maligne Lake road in the afternoon, with Medicine Lake on the way.
3. 3 Sunday: Athabasca Falls south of town first, then home: the Jasper Lake dunes and the Jasper House viewpoint on the way out, and the Beaver Boardwalk in Hinton to stretch your legs.
4. 4 A Parks Canada day pass is valid until 4 p.m. the next day. Arrive in the park on Friday night instead and the weekend takes two, so a family or group pass ($24.50 for everyone in one vehicle) is the one to buy.

Without a car

VIA Rail's Canadian runs twice a week each way: it leaves Edmonton at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays and reaches Jasper at 6:30 a.m., and the return leaves Jasper at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays and arrives in Edmonton at 6:50 p.m. The Edmonton station is on 121 Street, with no city bus to it. SunDog Tours runs a bus every day of the year between Jasper, Hinton, Edson, West Edmonton Mall and the airport, from $89 an adult, and Jasper Transit runs four trips a day each way between Hinton and Jasper for $15.

Wildlife on the highway

Inside the park the speed limit is 90 km/h. Within 400 m of a road, a Parks Canada order in force through 2026 requires you to stay 100 m from bears, cougars and wolves and 30 m from elk, moose, sheep and goats, unless you are completely inside a legally parked vehicle, with fines up to $25,000. Pull over only where it is safe, put your hazards on, and never stop in a driving lane.

The official pages

• Jasper open and closed → What is open in the park now, after the wildfire. https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/visit/ouvert-fermee-open-closed
• Jasper bulletins → Closures, wildlife orders and road notices. https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/bulletins
• Jasper fees → Day passes, the Discovery Pass and camping fees. https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/visit/tarifs-fees
• Getting to Jasper → Road, rail and bus, from Parks Canada. https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/visit/rendre-gethere
• 511 Alberta → Highway 16 conditions, construction and webcams. https://511.alberta.ca
• VIA Rail: the Canadian → The westbound timetable through Edmonton and Jasper. https://www.viarail.ca/en/plan/train-schedules/toronto-winnipeg-jasper-vancouver
• SunDog Tours: Edmonton to Jasper → The daily bus, its stops and fares. https://www.sundogtours.com/package/jasper-hinton-edson-edmonton

Common questions

How long is the drive from Edmonton to Jasper?

About 365 km from downtown, roughly four hours without stops on Highway 16, the Yellowhead. Allow five with a fuel and lunch stop in Edson or Hinton, and more in winter or when elk are on the road inside the park.

Do you need a Parks Canada pass for Jasper?

Yes, to stop anywhere in the park: $12.25 an adult a day, or $24.50 for a family or group in one vehicle, in 2026. Passes are sold at the East Gate, the Hinton visitor centre and in Jasper, and a day pass is valid until 4 p.m. the next day.

Is Jasper open after the wildfire?

Yes. The town, Pyramid Lake, Maligne Lake and Athabasca Falls were open in October 2026, while Maligne Canyon, the Mount Edith Cavell road and Miette Hot Springs were closed, the hot springs until spring 2027. Parks Canada keeps an open and closed map for the park.

Can you take the train from Edmonton to Jasper?

Yes, twice a week. VIA Rail's Canadian leaves Edmonton at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays and reaches Jasper at 6:30 the next morning; the eastbound train leaves Jasper at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays. SunDog Tours also runs a daily bus.

Where should you stop between Edmonton and Jasper?

Edson is the halfway fuel and food stop, Hinton has the 3 km Beaver Boardwalk and sells park passes, and inside the park Jasper Lake's sand dunes sit right beside the highway. Pembina River and Wabamun Lake are short detours closer to Edmonton.