Summer Wildlife Viewing in Jasper National Park: Best Spots, Safety Tips & Guided Tours

There’s something unforgettable about seeing a wild elk step through a misty meadow at sunrise, spotting a black bear grazing on a distant hillside, or watching a bighorn sheep navigate a rocky cliff with effortless precision. Summer in Jasper National Park offers some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the Canadian Rockies, attracting nature lovers, photographers, and families from around the world.

As the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, Jasper is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife, including elk, moose, bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wolves, coyotes, and countless bird species. With vast wilderness, quiet valleys, and protected habitats, visitors have excellent chances of witnessing animals in their natural environment.

Whether you're planning your first visit or returning for another mountain adventure, this guide will help you understand what wildlife you might encounter, where to look, and how to view animals responsibly.

This guide answers the following questions:

• Is summer a good time to see wildlife in Jasper?
• How to see wild animals in the national park (safely)?
• What does a wildlife viewing tour include?

Is summer a good time to see wildlife in Jasper

The warmest months of the year are a great time to see multiple different species busily munching all the recently greened vegetation. Animals spend much of their time feeding in valley bottoms, meadows, wetlands, and along mountain slopes. Visitors commonly spot:

• Elk
• Black bears
• Grizzly bears
• Bighorn sheep
• Mountain goats
• Moose
• Coyotes
• Marmots and pikas

According to local wildlife guide Ross Pugh, Jasper's large valleys and diverse habitats support exceptional wildlife populations, making the park one of the best places in North America to observe large mammals in the wild.

For bear enthusiasts, late May and early June can be particularly rewarding as grizzlies often descend into valley bottoms during a short seasonal window sometimes referred to by local guides as "grizzly season."

Best Time of Day

Wildlife is typically most active:

• Early morning
• Late evening
• During cooler periods of the day

These quieter hours often provide the best opportunities for sightings and photography.

What Does a Wildlife Viewing Tour Include?

A wildlife tour offers much more than transportation to wildlife hotspots.

According to Ross, guides combine current wildlife sightings, years of local experience, and daily observations from other guides to locate animals and interpret their behaviour.

On a Typical Wildlife Tour You Can Expect:

• Transportation in a comfortable sightseeing vehicle
• Visits to prime wildlife habitats
• Stops at active wildlife viewing locations
• Interpretation of animal behaviour
• Photography opportunities
• Wildlife safety education
• Local stories and conservation insights

Because guides are constantly sharing information about sightings and animal movements, visitors often have better opportunities to find wildlife than they would exploring independently.

Ross emphasizes that tours aren't just about spotting animals:

Visitors learn where wildlife lives, how to view animals responsibly, and how to enjoy Jasper's landscapes safely on their own after the tour.

Here’s a few of Jasper’s best companies with wildlife-focused experiences.

SunDog Tour Co. — year-round wildlife tours include guided transportation on mini-coach buses with oversized sightseeing windows — some even slide open, enabling unobstructed photography. Guests can also touch genuine horns and furs from local specimens.

Maligne Adventures — highly rated wildlife tours are offered after sunrise or before sunset from May 2 to October 4. Complimentary pick-up is available from select accommodations.

Jasper Hikes & Tours Inc. — Wildlife & Hike experience starts around 7 am and ends mid-afternoon with a picnic lunch provided for an additional fee. Offered in May, June, and September.

Wildlife photography tours

Wildland Photo Tours — is perfect for shutterbugs. Their private wildlife-focused photo tours are capped at 3 participants, last four hours, and run in September and October.

Jasper Photo Tours — has windows that open and insider knowledge of the best spots. Three-hour tours include personalized instruction and insightful critiques.

Jasper Food Tours — E-Bike Safari Eco-Tour passes through areas inaccessible by bus to observe wildlife from a distance.

Further reading:

• Get tips from visiting photographer Seth Macey on how to ethically photograph wildlife.
• Get a taste of SunDog Tour Co.'s wildlife tour

Best places and times to see wildlife in Jasper

A good rule of thumb: if a stretch of road has a 70km/hour speed limit, it is likely a popular area with wildlife (though drivers should be aware that wildlife crossings are possible along any stretch of road). The following corridors are well-known wildlife viewing areas:

• Maligne Lake Road
• Icefields Parkway
• Highway 16, especially near Morro Peak and Disaster Point
• Medicine Lake

In summer, wildlife focus on eating enough to fatten up for winter. In fall, the elk rut brings clashing males into dramatic displays

How to stay safe when viewing wildlife

There are three keys to interacting with wild animals:

1. Never feed or bait animals.
2. Always keep your distance. At least 100 metres from bears and 30 metres from elk, deer, and moose.
3. Stay in your vehicle if watching from the road. Prevent wildlife jams by pulling over to the road's shoulder to observe wildlife.

Further reading:

• Bear safety tips
• Parks Canada's wildlife guidelines