Jasper National Park

The powerful Athabasca Falls, about 20 miles south of Jasper town, are reached by a short, easy and fenced (for safety) trail.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

With the tip of the Andromeda Glacier pointing toward them like a slice of a giant meringue pie, a group at the Columbia Icefield considers this very special part of Jasper National Park.

Horseshoe Lake, a favorite of swimmers who sometimes dive off its rocky outcrops, also draws a variety of paddlers to its placid waters.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

A moose, undistracted by a prying lens, enjoys a light lunch. Seven species of hoofed mammals (including rarely seen caribou) freely roam Jasper National Park.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

Fearless visitors venture out to the tip of the Glacier Skywalk, which hangs confidently above the Sunwapta Valley.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

An elk does a quick security check before returning to grazing along a Jasper National Park roadway. Elk are commonly seen through much of the park — including in campgrounds and hotel areas.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

Jasper’s pressure-free ambiance is reflected in people ambling along Connaught Drive, one of the town’s primary (and few) commercial streets.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

A waterfall, one of many surging along this trail, surges through Maligne Canyon, whose limestone walls and walkways tell a unique geological story.

Tourists pose at the edge of the Columbia Icefield, source of six glaciers and among the essential sights in Jasper National Park.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

A view of Jasper town from the Jasper SkyTram shows how compact the national park’s commercial area is.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

A black bear — they rarely menace humans in Jasper National Park — feeds on fresh greens. Grizzly bears also are present but are more skittish — and more dangerous. Best to keep your distance from both.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

Of the Canadian Rockies, few peaks are more distinctive, and probably none is more beloved, than Jasper National Park’s Mount Edith Cavell. The name honors a British nurse who saved many lives during World War I but was executed by a German firing squad in 1915.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

The Icefields Parkway, 144 miles of magnificence that connects Jasper with Lake Louise, has been called one of the world’s great drives.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

Oarsman Mike Gere of Jasper Raft Tours — with faithful dog Ginger riding point — guides his craft through the swift current of the Athabasca River. Rapids turn more choppy and splashy, and more fun, just ahead.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )

The snow-frosted Canadian Rockies within Jasper National Park sparkle, as seen from a viewing platform on Whistlers Mountain reached via the Jasper SkyTram.   (Alan Solomon/Chicago Tribune )