Arrival
Where Banff's strength is its convenience from Calgary, Jasper's is its ease of access from Edmonton, with plenty of transport options and approaches, as well as a wide range of onward destinations. Driving time from Edmonton (362km) or Banff (287km) is around four hours; from Kamloops (443km) and Calgary (414km) it's about five or six hours. Vancouver is 863km or a 9hr 30min-drive away. Greyhound (tel 852-3926 or 1-800/661-8747) runs four buses daily from Edmonton (4hr 45min; $49.49 one-way) along the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy 16), plus onward services to Kamloops ($56.66) and Vancouver ($99.19) via scenic Hwy 5 (4 daily) and Prince George (2 daily; $49.06). Brewster Transportation (tel 852-3332 or 1-800/661-1152) operates five-hour services to Banff (1 daily at 1.30pm; $51) via Lake Louise ($44) and continuing to Calgary (1 daily; $71) and Calgary Airport (1 daily; $71; additional connections at Banff), and also runs day-trip tours to Banff, taking in sights on the Icefields Parkway; note, however, that weather can play havoc with Brewster's schedules in October and April (services finish for the year with the first bad snows). Both companies share the same bus terminal (daily 6am-8pm; outside regular hours, the terminal opens briefly a few minutes before bus departures), located in the train-station building at 314 Connaught Drive. There are also left-luggage lockers here and car rental offices for Hertz (tel 852-3886) and National (tel 852-1117). Be sure to have booked cars in advance if you're hoping to pick up vehicles at these outlets - all cars go very quickly, especially on days when trains come in from Vancouver and Edmonton . Other car-rental agencies in town are Avis at the Petro-Canada Service, 300 Connaught Drive (tel 852-3970) and Budget, Jasper Shell Service, 638 Connaught Drive (tel 852-3222). VIA Rail trains operate to Jasper from Winnipeg and Edmonton and continue to Vancouver (via Kamloops) or Prince Rupert (via Prince George). Coach- (second-) class tickets currently cost $175 to Vancouver including taxes; Edmonton ($125), Prince Rupert ($146 - excluding the cost of the overnight stay required on this route at Prince George); Prince George ($71); and Kamloops ($110). As this is the only scheduled rail route through the Rockies, summer places are hard to come by, but at other times there's little need to book a seat. Fares are considerably more than those of equivalent buses, and journey times considerably longer. Trains run Edmonton-Jasper (currently Mon, Thurs & Sat; 5hr 30min); Jasper-Edmonton (Mon, Wed & Sat leaving Jasper at 12.25pm); Jasper-Kamloops-Vancouver (Mon, Thurs & Sat at 3.30pm; 15hr 30min); Jasper-Prince George (Wed, Fri & Sun at 12.45pm; 5hr 15min) and Prince George-Prince Rupert (Mon, Thurs & Sat; 12hr 15min). The ticket office is open on train days only (tel 852-4102 or 1-888/VIA-RAIL, www.viarail.ca ). Note that you can experience a taste of the railway on a new arrangement that lets you ride the Jasper-Prince George service for two hours to Mount Robson where the train lets you off before continuing on to Prince George and then Prince Rupert. You can return to Jasper by coach with a guide and stop at some of the sights you've seen from the train. The trip departs at 12.45pm on train days (Wed, Fri & Sun), lasts four hours in total, and costs $79, including train ticket. For details contact Rocky Mountain Unlimited, 414 Connaught Drive (tel 852-4056 or 1-888/SUNDOG1, www.sundogtours.com ).
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