Marmot Basin ski area near Jasper National Park offers up some of the best Canadian Rockies ski vacations you can find. Of course, we’re all skiing and snowboarding fanatics here in Jasper so we sometimes wonder if our perception of what makes a killer Canadian ski resort is shared by all riders. So this season, we asked three vistors to the Rockies to let us know what they thought of Banff’s own Marmot Basin ski.

Going steep and deep in Marmot.

Steve Fowler, London:

“This is a smashing place to go to. I didn’t have any ski knowledge before I came here with my Canadian girlfriend but the instructors soon fixed that. I must admit that when I skied in Sunshine Village, the instructors were a bit more experienced but no big deal. We went in March this year. Even that late in the season, there was loads of snow, the sun shone and thankfully for me and my kamikaze skiing, the slopes were delightfully quiet!

With no experts flitting by me, I felt so much more comfortable pottering about at my own pace. This gave me the confidence to eventually become one of those mad skiers I originally feared!

There are some brilliant green and blue runs right at the top of the caribou chair and the views down the Rockies range was truly amazing. The highlight was that we never had to queue for lifts so we could keep on going until we dropped and renting the skis was so easy too. I thought it would be much more complicated. Awesome trip. Cannot wait to return.

Marmot gets amazing snowfall.

Taylor Lindseman, Ottawa:

Marmot is an amazing hill and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! I have skied all my life but have only snowboarded about 5 times. In Banff alone I have skied Sunshine, Norquay and now Marmot, and Marmot was by far my favourite. It is so darn huge with runs everywhere, and many of the runs are blues and greens which is awesome, especially when I was trying to get better with my snowboard.
There was tons of powder when we first arrived on the Saturday, by Sunday most of it was groomed but it was still a blast. Because Marmot is so sheltered, the weather was incredible too. I hate that feeling when your hands feel like they are about to fall off. Kind of takes away from the ski. I was staying with a friend in Edmonton and it really wasn’t far at all to get to. It definitely has my vote. .

Paul Kennedy, Banff:

For me, Marmot Basin takes the biscuit out of the ski hills in Banff. It is a great ski location for those who love friendly “real” people who are just out on the slopes to have some fun. The fancy skiers who seem to ski for social reasons seem to stay around the other hills instead and that’s just fine by me.

Lift lines are very small (2 or 3 minute wait on a Saturday afternoon) thanks to wide variety of skiing options provided on the mountain and off peak season, you can just stroll on. Bliss on a warm Sunday morning.

One of Marmot’s outstanding attributes is its dry snow. It makes skiing through powder a wonderful experience. For the skier looking for a bit more excitement, there is thin powder available on most runs and a game of cat and mouse in the trees is always fun (if a little dangerous!)

Click here for more info on Marmot Basin.

Getting a Jasper hotel for ski season

Ski season is one of the most popular times to visit here, and for this, Jasper hotels tend to get a bit crowded right now. The last thing you want it to make you trip out here, and get stuck driving around looking for a hotel. It may sound silly to folks who plan ahead, but some of us get so caught up in planning which runs we’re going to hit at Marmot Basin, we forget to take care of our other basic needs, like a hotel room.

But hey, if you’re reading this, you’re one step ahead. Step two: get on the phone and call one of the many fine Jasper hotels to make a reservation, before you find yourself shivering in a parking lot somewhere. Here’s a few great Jasper hotels we would recommend.

Whistlers Inn

Whistlers Inn of Jasper, Alberta is centrally located in the heart of the Jasper National Park townsite and within walking distance of all shops, and outdoor activities. This Jasper Inn boasts a cozy Jasper Canadian Rockies alpine atmosphere and features 63 spacious guest rooms for accommodation, many with breathtaking views of the surrounding Canadian Rockies ranges.

Website: Click here!

Mount Robson Inn

The Mount Robson Inn is a landmark Jasper hotel that with spacious rooms and suites, ski shuttle service, two outdoor whirlpools, and high speed Internet access. The on-site Mount Robson Steakhouse offers both breakfast and dinner menus. Make your getaway perfect by booking your room at one of finest Jasper hotels.

Website: Click Here!

Jasper Inn – Alpine Resort & Restaurant

Jasper Inn is set amid the breathtaking winter beauty of Jasper National Park and the awesome Canadian Rockies. The Jasper Inn Alpine Resort & Restaurant of Jasper, Alberta, gives you exactly that.

They offer the finest of resort hotels, services and amenities as well as endless ideas for how to make the most of your visit.

Canadian Rockies guest ranches let you live your cowboy dream

Have lifelong dreams of becoming a cowboy? Canadian Rockies guest ranches offer you the chance to live the life of a cowboy, and the Three Bars Guest Ranch is one of the best.

Come live the cowboy life at a guest ranch.

At Three Bars, they’ve been doing guest ranching for three solid generations by the Beckly family, and two members of the Beckly family are full time professional horse trainers, so you know you’ll be getting some solid horses, and some knowledgeable wranglers to help you out.

If you really want to get into the cowboy vacation, check out their special guest ranch vacation week packages. They even have one where you can go along on a real cattle round up and live the life of the old west cowboys for a week.

Of course, maybe not everyone from your group has the interest in being a cowboy that you do. That’s ok, because Three Bars offers a load of other activities, such as rafting, golfing, mountain biking and hiking to make your vacation complete.

Enjoy a themed vacation week on a Canadian Rockies guest ranch

Canadian Rockies guest ranches a wide range of activities for your vacation. But Three Bars Ranch takes things a step further with specialty weeks, focused on themes that create special vacations. Check them out below.

Calgary Stampede, July 9 – 18

Living the cowboy life at Three Bars Guest Ranch.

Each July, Calgary hosts the world’s greatest rodeo, the Calgary Stampede. The Stampede is 10 days of the best in rodeo, music, chuck wagon racing, and carnivals. Three Bars Ranch is about 4.5 hours from the festivities, and on the way you’ll pass through beautiful Banff National Park. The Calgary Stampede is an excellent way to open or close your Canadian Rockies dude ranch vacation, and Three Bars can help set up your tour of it.

Cranbook Pro Rodeo, August 13, 14, 15

In August Cranbrook, British Columbia hosts the Pro Rodeo Circuit on Friday and Saturday night, with a Sunday afternoon show. Three Bars recommends the Friday night rodeo as a way to wrap up your Rockies dude ranch vacation. Guests arriving August 15 can get to town a early and spend Sunday afternoon enjoying the rodeo before checking in at Three Bars Ranch, which is only 10 minutes away.

Woman’s Only Week, May 30 – June 5

Ladies, get in touch with your cowgirl side at Three Bars Guest Ranch this summer! Great for friends, mothers and daughters, sisters, or individual travelers who want to come out and make friends. The women at the Three Bars Ranch put together an week packed with activities just for you cowgirls. Naturally, you’ll have all the horse time you want, with some special time just to help you connect with your horse with lessons. When you’re not riding, there’ll be local wine tasting, a cooking class and a fun shopping trip.

Cattle Drive Weeks, June 13- 19 and September 5 – 11

Just about every grownup was once a kid who ran around with a cowboy hat on and rode a wooden horse. Twice a year Three Bars Ranch invites guests to join Three Bars its cow boss, Terry Knudson, and the rest of the Three Bars ranch hands on a real western cattle drive. Three Bars is home to 150 cows on a summer range with pastures from 20,000 acres to 40,000 acres in size. This, ladies and gents, is a real ranch. For summer, the cattle are out on the open range. In order to keep the cattle eating fresh grass, every six weeks they’re rounded up and moved to a new pasture. This is where you finally get to live your cowboy dream. Come along on a Three Bars cattle drive and get ranch experience you’ve always dreamed of.

Find your family’s dream vacation at a Canadian Rockies guest ranch

Most families are a group of people with a variety of interests, and on a Canadian Rockies vacation, they may each have an idea of what the perfect activity is. That’s where the guest ranch comes in. Canadian Rockies guest ranches offer a huge variety of family vacation activities, in one organized location, making sure everyone is happy.

Fun for the whole family on Canadian Rockies guest ranch vacations.

One of our favorite family-friendly guest ranches in the Canadian Rockies is the Three Bars Guest & Cattle Ranch in Cranbrook, British Columbia. Here, kids can be kids in the wide open space of the ranch, where they can go horseback riding, catch critters and enjoy a classic s’more roasted on a campfire. And adults can be adults, enjoying activities such as some of the best golf Canada has to offer.

Three Bars works hard to make its activities programs as flexible as possible, so that everyone has a good time.

“There’s not many places where you can ride together as a family in the morning, all have lunch together, dad plays a round of golf in the afternoon, mom goes riding, and the kids go on a raft trip, and everybody’s back together for dinner, and then maybe they get together for an evening activity,” Tyler Beckly, whose family has run the Three Bars Guest Ranch for three generations.

“What’s unique about our program is that we allow people to do everything as a family,” says Tyler. “Go on family rides, hike together and river raft together. The kids are welcome to join a riding program while the adults choose another activity, or an adult-only ride. We are small so that we can allow for custom vacations.”

Rather than having a rigid set of kids programs predetermined for them, kids on Three Bars Guest Ranch basically build their own program.

“Usually on Monday the families ride together, and the kids stick with their parents,” Tyler says. “By Tuesday the kids have ditched their parents and are off doing things together.”

Typically several families will be vacationing at Three Bars at any given time, so Beckly notes there’s usually groups of kids around the same age. Because only guests staying in the Three Bars cabins can take advantage of their activities programs, the kids tend to mix and mingle and make new friends. It’s like summer camp for the whole family.

Kids must be at least 6 to participate in riding and activities programs, but they’re are welcome at the ranch. There’s an outside play area and petting zoo for them to enjoy feeding sheep and goats and gathering eggs. Three Bars wranglers can lead them around the arena on horseback, with a parent beside to make them comfortable.

Visit the Three Bars site, or call them at (877)-426-5230 and be sure to check out their guest ranch specialty weeks.

Try a Canadian Rockies guest ranch on your next vacation

Looking for an active vacation with a variety of activities? Consider a Canadian Rockies guest ranch vacation. Guest ranches, also known as dude ranches, concentrate a wide range of activities in one place, taking the headache out of planning your vacation, and allowing you to do more with your time.

The Three Bars Guest Ranch lodge.

Here at JasperNationalPark.com, we highly recommend The Three Bars Guest & Cattle Ranch in Cranbrook, British Columbia for exactly this reason. Three Bars, which specializes in family guest ranch vacations, offers hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing, tennis, river rafting and lots more.

And of course, there’s the horseback riding. Tyler Beckly, who represents the third generation of Beckly’s to run this ranch, notes that some guest ranches have a bad reputation for the quality of horseback riding they offer. But he points out that at Three Bars Guest Ranch, they have a team of expert horse trainers.

“We’re very good at what we do,” says Tyler. “Both my father and my younger brother are professional horse trainers, and they show all over the world. A lot of people when they think of a dude ranch, they think of low-quality horsemanship, and that’s obviously not the case here.”

Tyler’s trained guides, known as “wranglers,” on Three Bars Guest Ranch, all start off with a solid background in horsemanship, and are all Dude Ranchers Association certified when it comes to horse activities, so you know you’re in good hands. These same horse guides are also well-trained in the other Canadian Rockies that Three Bars offers, so you won’t have to necessarily start over with a new guide with every activitiy.

Beyond activities, you’ll get a chance to mellow out in front of a campfire, in a hot tub or in the heated pool. At the cozy main lodge you can participate in group activities. All guests stay in well-appointed private cabins, giving everyone their own space and some privacy.

You’ll find the Three Bars Guest Ranch between Banff National Park and Glacier Park, a great place for accessing much of the beauty of the Canadian Rockies. This part of the Canadian Rockies offers quiet nature, pristine water, idyllic meadows and unbeatable mountain views.

Visit the Three Bars site, or call them at (877)-426-5230, and check out their specialty guest ranch vacation weeks.

If you think sightseeing in the Winter is impossible, think again!! Those waterfalls in the Summer are now beautiful towers of frozen ice, and the mountains just get that much more majestic covered in a thick layer of powdery snow. A sightseeing tour with SunDog is a must! Our sightseeing tours take guests to the most exceptional locations for photos, wildlife viewing, and Ice-walks! Learn about the fascinating natural and human history of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Experience sightseeing tours in Jasper in small personalized luxury vehicles equipped with large viewing windows for optimal viewing opportunities. Enjoy the comfort of a SunDog sightseeing tour in the majestic Canadian Rockies.

• Half Day Train Journey
• Heli-Snowshoeing
• Canyon Ice Walks
• Dog Sledding
• Heli-skiing
• Jasper to Banff Winter Tour
• West Edmunton Mall
• Winter Wildlife Tours

If roaring waterfalls, emerald lakes, alpine meadows and snowcapped peaks are on the list of things to do, then a sightseeing tour with SunDog is a must! Our sightseeing tours take guests to the most exceptional locations for photos, wildlife viewing, and nature walks! Learn about the fascinating natural and human history of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Experience sightseeing tours in Jasper in small, personalized luxury vehicles equipped with large windows for optimal viewing opportunities. Enjoy the comfort of a SunDog sightseeing tour in the majestic Canadian Rockies!

• Half Day Train Journey
• Maligne Valley Sightseeing and Boat Cruise
• Columbia Icefields
• Jasper Tramway
• Wildlife Discovery Tour
• Mount Edith Cavell Walk and Hike
• Heli-Hiking and Sightseeing
• Whitewater Rafting in Jasper
• Jasper to Banff Tour

JASPER, Alberta – See Canadian Rockies wildlife in its natural habitat on a guided sightseeing tour. Sundog Tours offers wildlife sightseeing tour packages that set off into the wilderness of Jasper National Park in search of native Canadian wildlife.

The tour stops at Maligne Canyon for a short hike to observe the roaring Maligne River as it crashed by through a series of waterfalls and rapids. The tour continues on to Medicine Lake and finally Maligne Lake. As you travel through Maligne Valley, be on the lookout for big horn sheep, mountain goats, osprey, eagle, elk, moose, deer, and bear.

On this tour your will discover the natural splendor and wildlife sightings of Jasper National Park. The wildlife sightseeing tour offered by Sundog Tours departs twice a day and lasts for approximately 3 to 3.5 hours.

Website: Click Here!

JASPER, Alberta – Tours offers roundtrip packages from Jasper to Alberta’s capital, Edmonton, for a day of shopping and amusement park entertainment. Satisfy your shopping urges at the largest mall and entertainment center in the world.

Sundog’s full day tour departs daily from Jasper for Edmonton. Enjoy four hours of exploration through the 800 shops and restaurants located in the mall complex. For thrill seekers, check out the amusement park or if you want to relax hit up the water park.

Website: Click Here!