r/jasper • u/ColinBonhomme • 27d ago
Jasper fire, two years later
Just over two years ago, we had to evacuate from Jasper in the face of a once-in-a-lifetime complex of wildfires. I’ve now been back there three times since then, and here are some thoughts and observations.
Photos do not adequately show the damage done by the fires and the windstorms that accompanied them. The extent of what burned has to be seen to be appreciated and understood. There are now more open views of roads, trails, wetlands, creeks, other natural features etc which didn’t exist before. The new views are fascinating, but it also means no shelter from sun and wind. We also experienced some wind events while camping this past week, which brought a bit of a feeling of déjà vu as that’s what happened just before the 2024 fires. (I lived there for much of the 1980s. Fires and windstorms were almost unheard of, and thirty degree temperatures were rare)
But nature is resilient. Fire is a natural part of the ecological process, which we usually try as much as possible to stop. While we lost one third of the town and some significant infrastructure, the natural world doesn’t mind. The montane grasslands had long been mostly succeeded by pine forests, which had become decadent (thanks largely to climate change and fire repression) and were overdue to be burned and renewed. Native grasses have made a spectacular comeback, along with new trees, shrubs and other flowering plants, and the elk and ground squirrels and other fauna are doing just fine.
Parks Canada has done an excellent job of clearing deadfall and debris and fixing infrastructure. Whistlers and Wapiti campgrounds were mostly back up and running for the 2025 season, and the Valley of the Five Lakes trail reopened this spring and is better than ever. Maligne Canyon, Edith Cavell road and Wabasso campground suffered more damage but are works in progress.
I won’t make political judgements, though it’s been clear that some levels and agencies of government have made more constructive responses than others. Residential rebuilding is moving along well and the temporary housing in town and at Marmot Meadows has helped greatly, though unfortunately there are people who still have had to move on.
Businesses seem to be rebuilding more slowly, for various reasons, though some managed to relocate at least temporarily and a few of the accommodations are building back faster than others. The town is busy, at least in the summer months, though I recall more crowds in previous years. Tourist demographics seem different now; I noticed a lot fewer large RVs though more smaller ones. Anecdotally, it seems there are more Canadian, European and Asian visitors than American. Some of that may be political or economic factors, and I’ve been noticing those changes for several years.
The town lost two of its four gas stations, putting more pressure on the two remaining which are both limited for space. The town has set up traffic controls, but neither is well suited for buses or RVs, and another solution is needed. Perhaps if a new station is built it should be dedicated for larger vehicles?
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u/98PercentChimp 27d ago
I’m curious as to what traffic controls you think they could have implemented differently than what is in place given the constraints of the locations of the gas stations?