Comparing the towns of Banff and Jasper is like comparing cowboy cousins.
Banff is the glitzy Rhinestone Cowboy, while Jasper is the hard-working ranch hand.
Consider this: Banff gets almost twice as many visitors (4.5 vs 2.5 million annually), has a more Instagrammable downtown, gets frequent celebrity visitors, has more boutiques, galleries, loads of fine dining and luxury resorts and a fancier reputation than its smaller cousin.
On the other hand, Jasper still feels a bit gritty, industrial (still a train town), and a bit wilder with frequent wildlife visits in town.
Jasper is far less busy and feels small and ‘down home.’
Jasper is a working tourist town, whereas Banff is a gentle dab of posh amidst an epic landscape.
Why Glitz? Why Grit?
As they say in real estate, it’s all about “location, location, location.”
Jasper is a four-hour drive from Edmonton’s airport, while Banff is just 90 minutes from Calgary’s airport.
“Historically, our distance from a major urban centre and the international airport was our biggest weakness,” said James Jackson, president and CEO of Tourism Jasper.
Banff, being close to a major airport, with shuttles running from the airport directly to town, makes visiting the town easy for international tourists, who make up nearly two-thirds of visitors.
Also, locals from Calgary can make easy day trips to Banff for meals, shopping, hiking, or skiing, whereas a 3 to 4-hour one-way drive makes a day trip to Jasper less likely for Edmontonians.
Banff has an advantage over Jasper due to its proximity to three other notable National Parks: Yoho, Kootenay, and Jasper itself. Banff is also near the expansive mountainous area of Kananaskis, making it an ideal base for day trips to these and other nearby parks.
On the other hand, Jasper is more isolated from nearby parks, with both the border of Banff National Park and Mount Robson Park in BC more than an hour’s drive from town.
Another reason for Jasper’s ‘delayed development’ is who oversees development permits.
In Banff, planning control has fallen mainly to the municipal government since 1990. In contrast, in Jasper, Parks Canada is still in charge of development permits, which is a slower and more controlled process. Although negotiations for more autonomy in development decisions are underway in Jasper
While some may see Parks Canada‘s development control as a hindrance, Jasper mayor Richard Ireland considers it a positive that his town has dodged tourism development pressures.
Jasper locals cherish this authenticity, striving to keep the town from becoming another overdeveloped tourist haven.
“The sort of unofficial motto of Jasper — and I’m going back 30 years and more — was ‘Not Another Banff,’” remarked Jasper’s mayor, Richard Ireland.
This sentiment echoes the town’s desire to preserve its unique character, even as it grapples with increasing visitation.
Grit Has Its Disadvantages
On the surface, Banff might seem more worldly and travelled than Jasper, but Jasper’s charm is that it is quieter, more laid back and less busy than its famous cousin.
Jasper has less than half the number of residents, 4,100 compared to Banff’s 9,600. All those day-trippers from Calgary and hoards of international tourists constantly clog up Banff’s roads and parking lots, causing some roads to be shut down to private vehicles.
In Jasper, parking is easier to find, and there is a wide variety of roads just out of town to explore landscapes that seem isolated and wild (e.g. the Maligne Lake, Marmot Basin, Moab Lake, Mount Edith Cavell, Pyramid Lake, Celestine Lake, and Miette Hot Springs roads)
Jasper is a much bigger park. It’s almost twice the size (11,000 square kilometres) versus Banff at 6,641 square kilometres. So, if you are into backcountry exploration, it is easier to find yourself alone in Jasper.
If wildlife interests you, professional wildlife photographers in the know claim Jasper Park is the better bet for seeing fur and feathers up close.
But which town you prefer is really a matter of personal taste.
For most of us, both towns are worth a visit but for very different reasons; sometimes we want glitz, sometimes grit.
And these mountain towns offer us both!
