On a crisp day in September, I wake early to walk down a path I鈥檝e walked countless times before. In the east end of Jasper, Alta., the mountain town appears much the same as it ever was, just two months after the wildfires that devastated one of Canada鈥檚 most famous tourism destinations. Behind the Forest Park Hotel, a thick stand of trees 鈥 entirely escaping the fate of their southern neighbours 鈥 gives way to snow-dusted mountaintops, where clouds cling low in rocky crevices.
Bighorn sheep graze near the edges of the townsite, and I step gingerly to avoid a pile of fresh elk droppings in the pathway, evidence of the town鈥檚 most photographed residents. Across the road, Canada geese fly in formation over train tracks, where Via Rail sped through yesterday, making its first stop here since July. And , the cherished mascot, still stands sentinel near the centre of town.
But on the west side, it鈥檚 a different reality. Toothy black gaps, where buildings once stood, punctuate the main street. Many gift shops and restaurants remain shuttered due to water damage. In the adjoining residential area, entire blocks were consumed by the blaze. Taped to safety fences, surrounding melted lawn mowers, charred cars and building foundations, are handwritten letters and drawings from locals to the homes they lost.
Damage wrought by July鈥檚 wildfire, as seen on the west side of the Jasper townsite. Entire residential blocks were consumed by the blaze.
Jessica Wynne LockhartWhen the 33,000-hectare wildfire swept through in late July, it destroyed one-third of the town鈥檚 buildings. Likely caused by lightning and fomented by dry conditions and strong winds, it was the largest fire in the national park in a century, forcing approximately 5,000 permanent residents and 20,000 visitors to evacuate.
Only in early September did officials reopen Jasper to tourism. I arrived shortly afterwards to see how the town was recovering. What I discovered is what still stands to be lost if tourists don鈥檛 begin to return to Jasper.
On my first night in town, I had dinner with Naji Khouri, Tourism Jasper鈥檚 director of destination development. As we tucked into plates of bison and wild boar meat loaf at , one of the most beloved eateries here, we discussed the town鈥檚 reliance on tourism.
A bird鈥檚-eye view of the Jasper townsite, before the wildfires this summer.
Tourism JasperIn the peak travel season, Jasper鈥檚 population swells to about 12,000 people, most of them working for tourism companies, including hotels, tour operators and attractions. Following the fire, more than half of Jasper鈥檚 businesses and could not survive more than two months without support, according to a survey co-conducted by the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta.
Khouri told me that tourists aren鈥檛 just needed for the economic recovery. They鈥檙e also critical to helping Jasper鈥檚 residents find a sense of normalcy and purpose. 鈥淲e need tourists for the social recovery,鈥 he says.
At press time, to cater to the visitors they hope will return sooner than later. And despite the closed shopfronts, there鈥檚 still plenty to do in the 11,228-square-kilometre park, only roughly three per cent of which was affected by the fire.
on what has reopened to date, which includes the Miette Hot Springs, Athabasca Glacier and some of the park鈥檚 most popular trails. The , a popular annual event, will go on this month (in a scaled-down form).
There are even new developments. For lunch, I cosy up in , a restaurant and distillery that debuted in September. Offering flights of small-batch Canadian whisky and a menu heavy on comfort foods, including brisket smoked in-house, it鈥檚 poised to draw the apr猫s-ski crowd after a day at the resort, which will open for winter once snow hits the slopes.
In town, many businesses have reopened. One newcomer is the Maligne Range, a restaurant and whisky distillery that debuted in September.
Jessica Wynne LockhartBut while Jasper is very much open for business, its biggest challenge isn鈥檛 about convincing visitors that there are reasons to return 鈥 it鈥檚 about convincing them that the town wants them there.
After residents first returned to Jasper to assess the damage in mid-August, officials told The Canadian Press that tourists would not 鈥be welcome for the foreseeable future.鈥 But thanks to clean-up and restoration efforts, and the reopening of businesses that support the tourist economy, visitors can safely return sooner than initially expected.
鈥淯nfortunately, there鈥檚 a lot of misinformation and speculation out there,鈥 says Estelle Blanchette, founder and owner of , who lost $200,000 in cancelled bookings due to the fires. 鈥淧eople are saying, 鈥楧on鈥檛 go to Jasper; let them grieve.鈥 But we rely on the tourism economy. If tourists don鈥檛 come back, our workers can鈥檛 work.鈥
Writer Jessica Wynne Lockhart with Jasper the Bear. The town鈥檚 cherished mascot was unscathed.
Courtesy of Jessica Wynne LockhartThe destruction wrought by the wildfires also offers tour operators an opportunity to teach people about the ecology of Jasper National Park. In the spring, for example, Blanchette will launch a hike through fire-affected areas; visitors will learn about the regenerative role of fire in old-growth forests, and how it was traditionally managed by the area鈥檚 Indigenous people, before they were forced to leave when the national park was created in 1907. Another Jasper company, , is running an Ecology of Fire tour, which explores the adaptive response of the area鈥檚 flora and fauna to fire.
鈥淧eople are going to be really interested in the post-fire recovery in Jasper National Park,鈥 says Joshua Ibelshauser, an interpretation co-ordinator at Parks Canada. The agency鈥檚 own spring programming is being developed with this in mind.
Ibelshauser says they anticipate spring will bring vibrancy and new life, including pyrophytic species, or plants that only emerge after fire, such as purple fireweed. Along the 鈥 this is the area of the park with the greatest visible damage, where blackened tree stumps dot ridgelines like porcupine quills 鈥 shoots of green life are already springing up.
The fire has also started to reveal secrets that were once cloaked in dense trees, transforming a familiar destination for return visitors. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen lakes that I didn鈥檛 even know existed and different aspects of the mountains. Once it鈥檚 covered in snow, I think it鈥檚 going to look magical,鈥 says Blanchette.聽
It may not be the Jasper we remember or have seen in pictures. However, it鈥檚 already beginning to transform into something more resilient.
I hike with Max Darrah, co-owner of the guiding company , to a lookout along the edges of Patricia Lake. We鈥檙e less than a five-minute drive from town, but we鈥檙e surrounded by nature that was untouched by the fires or by the outbreak of pine beetles that have plagued Jasper in recent years. It鈥檚 the perfect vantage point to look down on where the fires swept across 鈥 destroying much of Rockaboo鈥檚 shop in the process.
Patricia Lake in Jasper National Park is surrounded by nature that was untouched by the wildfire.
Jessica Wynne LockhartDarrah points out a nearby cluster of varied vegetation. 鈥淭his is the montane-type ecosystem that we鈥檙e shooting for, versus a monoculture of pine,鈥 says Darrah, who previously worked for Parks Canada.
He鈥檚 referencing the way the park looked like prior to the suppression of fire in the past century. (Before Jasper became a national park, on average, as a natural part of the environment.) The area once supported more diverse and resilient ecosystems and habitats for wildlife, including grasslands, open forests and more deciduous trees.
Moments pass in silence as we look out across the landscape. Finally, Darrah speaks up. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice standing here and looking out and knowing that Jasper鈥檚 still here. The town鈥檚 still here. The mountains are still here,鈥 he says.
鈥淭here is a temptation to throw in the towel and step away,鈥 he adds, 鈥渂ut you walk down the main street and see how many businesses are family-owned. It鈥檚 the community that keeps me here. Jasper will be forever changed by this experience, but it pulls us together.鈥
Jessica Wynne Lockhart travelled as a guest of , which did not review or approve this article.
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