Jasper SkyTram Tickets: The Ride, the Season and the Summit Trail

The Jasper SkyTram is an aerial tramway up Whistlers Mountain, a 10-minute drive from the town of Jasper by Pursuit’s count. Two large cabins work the cables in turn, one climbing as the other comes down, and the ride from the lower station at 1,315 m to the upper station at 2,263 m takes about seven minutes, a climb of about 948 m. It opened in the summer of 1964, and Pursuit, the company behind the Banff Gondola and the Maligne Lake Cruise, has owned it since 31 December 2024.

The 2026 season runs to 25 October, weather permitting, though the hours page gives 26 October as the last day; until then the tram opens from 10 am to 6 pm, with the last ride up at 4:30 pm. After that it closes for the winter, and Pursuit has published 21 May to 11 October as its 2027 dates. Once the 2026 season is over, the calendar on this page can offer only 2027 dates.

The year on Whistlers Mountain

The 2026 season opened on 15 April. Early in the season Pursuit rents snowshoes at the upper station for the summit trail, in April and May as conditions allow. In summer it points to the alpine flowers near the upper station and to the hoary marmots, most often seen from June to August, whose warning whistle gave the mountain its name. Pursuit calls June to August its peak season and recommends booking ahead most strongly then. On 16-17 and 23-24 October 2026 it also runs Sun to Stars, an evening with the Jasper Planetarium that includes the ride.

Tickets: who sells them, and what they cost

Pursuit sells tickets on its website, banffjaspercollection.com, by phone and at the lower station, where it says day-of tickets are often available; it recommends booking online at least 24 hours ahead in summer. Booking partners sell the ride as well, GetYourGuide among them. This site is not affiliated with Pursuit, and the tickets on this page are booked through GetYourGuide.

When we checked in October 2026, Pursuit Collection’s round-trip ticket cost from US$57 a person and was rated 4.7 from 781 reviews. It covers the ride both ways with a guide on board, free parking while spaces last, GST and the destination marketing fee. Children under 6 ride free but still need a ticket from the booth at the lower station. The ticket has no free cancellation, and the national park pass, food and transport are extra.

Pursuit runs the tram on flight times, a Flight Up and a Return Flight. With a ticket you reserve both after booking, by following the instructions on the ticket; without them you take the next cabin with space. Pursuit suggests 90 minutes between the two, another hour if you eat at the Summit Café, and says staff at the top can move your return if there is room.

Above the upper station

The upper station has a boardwalk with viewpoints, a gift shop and the Summit Café on its second floor. Pursuit points out the town below and the meeting of the Athabasca, Miette and Maligne valleys, and says Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, shows to the west on clear days.

The summit of Whistlers Mountain is 200 m higher, at 2,463 m. Pursuit gives the trail as 1.4 km; Parks Canada lists the Whistlers Summit trail as moderate, 1.1 km one way with 150 m of climb, and allows an hour. Pursuit’s estimates for time at the top run from an hour for the ride and the boardwalk to 2 or 3 hours with the hike and the café.

By Pursuit’s account the tram is wheelchair accessible except for the café floor and the summit trail, and the visit is pet-friendly, though only service dogs may go into the café. It names hoary marmots, white-tailed ptarmigans, ground squirrels and pikas as regulars on the mountain, with bighorn sheep now and then, and asks visitors to keep their distance and never feed them.

Walking up from the valley

Parks Canada’s Whistlers trail starts off Whistlers Road and climbs 1,200 m in 6.8 km one way, rated difficult, with 3 to 5 hours up and 2 to 3 down. It passes under the tram’s cables near the mid-point tower and reaches the upper station 200 m below the summit. There is no drinking water on the way, and Parks Canada warns of avalanche danger in spring and fall while the upper part is under snow. The trail reopened on 1 August 2025 after the fire, and it is closed from 1 November to 15 May, a seasonal closure that protects caribou habitat in the Tonquin range.

Whistlers Road, the park pass and the fire

Whistlers Road turns off the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) south of town, past the Miette River bridge, and runs 4 km to the lower station, where the parking lot has spaces for buses and RVs. Until the end of October 2026, Parks Canada’s safety work on fire-damaged roads brings single-lane alternating traffic and stops to it, so allow extra time. Without a car, SunDog Tours runs a shuttle from Jasper hotels that Pursuit’s page points to; SunDog’s posted 2026 schedule ends on 12 October.

The ticket does not include the national park pass, and you need one to visit. Parks Canada’s 2026 day pass costs CA$12.25 for an adult, CA$10.75 for a senior and CA$24.50 for a family or group of up to seven in one vehicle, and youth 17 and under go free. It is valid until 4 pm the day after purchase; free admission under the Canada Strong Pass ended on 7 September 2026.

The SkyTram came through the July 2024 wildfire, which destroyed 358 of the town’s 1,113 structures, and reopened on 21 March 2025. What the fire changed, and what is open in 2026 covers the park and the town.

Coming from Banff, the road north is the Icefields Parkway, which needs a park pass even if you never stop. Banff to Jasper goes stop by stop, and the Icefields Parkway page has the tours along it.

Is the ride worth it?

That depends on the weather, and on how you would otherwise reach the top. The ride buys about 948 m of climb in seven minutes against a hike of 3 to 5 hours. The view is the point, so the forecast matters: one reviewer in August 2026 found little to do at the top beyond the summit hike and the restaurant, and called it a 90% recommendation on a day with a clear view. Pursuit’s listing suggests the morning or the evening, for the light and the smaller crowds. Next to the Banff Gondola, the SkyTram climbs further and has a summit trail above it, but runs only from spring to October; Banff or Jasper sets the two rides, and the two parks, side by side.

If you are in Jasper while the tram runs, up to 25 October 2026 or from 21 May 2027, and the forecast is clear, this is the ticket to book for the view from 2,263 m without three to five hours of climbing.

See dates for the Jasper SkyTram →

Four more things to book in Jasper

Maligne Adventures’ wildlife and sightseeing tour with a lakeshore hike (from US$77, 4.7 from 413 reviews) spends six hours in the Maligne Valley by minibus: a stop at Medicine Lake, then a guided walk of 2 to 3 km along the Maligne Lake shore. It includes no boat cruise. Pickup is at listed hotels, for their registered guests, or at the Two Brothers Totem Pole across from the Jasper Park Info Centre.

Jasper Food Tours’ downtown foodie tour (from US$112, 4.9 from 92) meets daily at 2:30 pm in front of the Visitor Information Centre at 500 Connaught Drive and walks to four restaurants in three hours, with a dish and an alcoholic drink at each. It is for adults only.

SunDog Transportation and Tours’ winter wildlife bus tour (from US$64, 4.6 from 113) is a morning drive through the Athabasca Valley with pickup only at 12 listed Jasper hotels. Its first listed date was 13 October 2026, and the operator says sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Rockies Heli Canada’s scenic helicopter tour (from US$195, 4.9 from 239) flies for 20, 30 or 55 minutes, the longest over the Columbia Icefield. Despite “Banff/Jasper” in its title, it leaves from neither town: the heliport is at the junction of the Cline River and Highway 11, near Abraham Lake, and the listing includes no pickup. The operator offers transport from Banff and Lake Louise by reservation.

For the Maligne Lake Cruise and the rest of the park’s tours, see what to book in Jasper.