Jasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley. Jasper is approximately 362 kilometres (225 mi) west of Edmonton and 290 kilometres (180 mi) north of Banff, Alberta at the intersection of the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) and the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93).
The Municipality of Jasper, comprising the Jasper townsite known as the Town of Jasper[5] and a surrounding rural service area,[6] was established as a specialized municipality on July 20, 2001.[5] Governance is shared between the municipality and the federal Parks Canada agency.
Established in 1813, Jasper House was first a North West Company, and later Hudson's Bay Company, fur trade outpost on the York Factory Express trade route to what was then called "New Caledonia" (now British Columbia), and Fort Vancouver in Columbia District on the lower Columbia River.
Jasper National Park was established in 1907. The railway siding at the location of the future townsite was established by Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1911 and originally named Fitzhugh after a Grand Trunk vice president[9] (along the Grand Trunk's "alphabet" line). The Canadian Northern Railway also began service to Fitzhugh in 1912.[10] The townsite was surveyed in 1913 by H. Matheson,[10] and subsequently renamed Jasper after the former fur trade post. By 1931, Jasper was accessible by road from Edmonton, and in 1940 the scenic Icefields Parkway opened, connecting Banff and Jasper.
I visited the Rockies last year for the first time. There is something about being in the mountains that is awe inspiring.
The four caches you will need to visit are
GC52ZZY; Sydney
GC5302P; Queenstown
GC53064; Jasper
GC5306F; Cortina d'Ampezzo
And the Final is
GC51Z07; Alice Springs