It took me less than a week to fall in love with Alberta – the province’s natural beauty, diverse community, and, of course, the mountains. During five fun-filled days, my fellow travel writers from across Canada and the U.S. climbed mountains, ate delicious, locally inspired food, and stayed in historic hotels, all expertly planned by Pursuit, a tourism company that has helped bring Jasper back to life. As a tourist, you would never know that just eight months earlier, large portions of the province were under a serious evacuation order.  

In the summer of 2024, wildfires broke out in Jasper, Alta, reaching more than 6,000 hectares within hours of the first reports., Nestled in the Canadian Rockies just a four and a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Calgary, Jasper was swiftly evacuated, along with the entire National Park. The town, nestled in the Canadian Rockies, is about a 4.5-hour drive from Calgary. Almost a month later, residents were finally permitted to re-enter the region, although they were returning to a vastly different landscape than the one they’d left.

Fire plays an important role in most boreal forest ecosystems, creating openings amongst trees, generating mineral-rich ash, and releasing and recycling nutrients into the soil. However, the Jasper wildfires in 2024 dramatically altered the land due to their large scale and rapid growth, which resulted from drought and strong winds.

During my visit, the remnants of burned-out forests were still visible. The ground wasn’t quite smouldering, and I certainly wasn’t walking in ash, but the destructive power of the wildfires was on display. 

Over the past year, the resiliency and tenacity of Jasper residents, Parks Canada staff, and the thousands of temporary workers in the region (including tourists) have been on full display, slowly but surely bringing Jasper back to life.

The Icefields Parkway is a 230-kilometre stretch of road with no cell signal that connects Jasper National Park and Banff National Park. It passes through the Columbia Icefield, a major source of water for three oceans, with iconic stops including Peyto Lake and Athabasca Falls, where our group of travel writers first saw the turquoise water peeking out from the ice walls.

In Jasper, I’d hoped to stop at the Jasper Brewing Company (I love a local beer after a long drive), but I was just days too early. While the brewing company didn’t experience any fire damage of its own, the business beside it, which was literally connected by a concrete block wall, was decimated by the fires. I managed to still snag a drink at the nearby sister distillery, Maligne Range, named aptly for the mountain range behind it. 

A bit outside of Jasper, we checked into Pyramid Lake Lodge, set on the (you guessed it) Pyramid Lake. Still mostly frozen, the property itself escaped any damage from the fire. During the winter months, the lodge rents out ice skates, snowshoes and fat bikes for loops around the lake. Having arrived in shoulder season, I couldn’t take advantage of the fat bikes, kayak, or paddleboard rentals offered in the summer, but there was still plenty of scenic forest to wander through. 

The song is by Theresa Bear Fox and speaks to the murdered and missing Indigenous women around the world, along with our own loved ones who may have passed on. The song, according to Matricia, promises us that we’ll see them again. Matricia allowed me to record her singing, which you can find on my Instagram (@angelicahaggert). 

As a group, we were too moved to ask many questions. Although she was happy to answer anything you wanted to ask. 

Anyone can book a fireside chat or plant walk with Brown. It was truly inspiring to be engaged in conversation with her about Indigenous culture and the beauty of Turtle Island, with the mountains glistening behind her. 

Before leaving Jasper, we strolled the town’s streets. According to Parks Canada, 358 of Jasper’s 1,113 structures were damaged in the 2024 blazes, but it was clear that the residents were eager to welcome tourists again. 

In every shop and restaurant, I was warmly greeted – even the never-stopping construction workers putting Jasper back together had a smile for me as I passed. Insurance companies have paid out more than $880 million in damages from the Jasper Wildfire, and the Canadian Government provided more than $2 million to help local businesses rebuild. Luckily, many Jasper landmarks escaped the flames, including the Athabasca Hotel, Jasper SkyTram, Jasper Station, Jasper the Bear statue, Jasper-Yellowhead Museum & Archives and Marmot Basin. 

It was a whirlwind and emotionally charged day in Jasper. Having only followed the stories of the wildfire from a distance, I was amazed at the region’s resilience. Jasper is rebuilding with the ongoing climate crisis in mind, eliminating features like wooden roofs and siding in its new structures, and mandating buffer zones of non-flammable materials around buildings. While they’re of course replanting many trees, coniferous trees cannot be planted within 10 metres of any building, as coniferous trees are more combustible compared to other tree species.

After a well-deserved rest at Pyramid Lake Lodge, it was time to head back to Banff via the Icefields Parkway, taking a short detour to walk out onto frozen Lake Louise. This spectacle is not something people can experience every day, so it’s well worth the 30-ish minute detour if you’re making the drive.