JASPER
STAR TRAILS

the only
"off the Beaten path"
astronomy tour in Jasper

Tour Dates & Times

winter Sky Astronomy

Star Trails Tours

Jasper Star Trails offers a variety of programs throughout the year

After Dark Astronomy

2-hour guided journey through the night sky at beautiful Lake Annette. We’ll explore the wonders of the Milky Way and the ever-changing seasonal constellations. Using a variety of telescopes and binoculars, you’ll get a closer look at celestial marvels like the moon, star systems, planets, distant galaxies, and glowing nebulae.

Tour times vary by season, and transportation is not included. Discover the universe, one star at a time.

Solar Gazing and Aurora borealis talk

Introducing our latest experience daytime tours like never before. Witness the awe-inspiring surface of the sun and solar prominences live with the help of specialized equipment designed for safe solar observation. Also we dive into the captivating story of the Northern Lights, exploring their mysterious origins and the fascinating processes that lead to their formation. Our expert guides will share insights, into the best locations around Canada to experience this mesmerizing natural phenomenon in all its glory.

Private Astronomy Events & Group Presentations

Elevate your group’s experience with a private, customized astronomy tour or presentation. Perfect for large tour groups, corporate retreats, or special events, our expert-guided sessions explore the Milky Way, seasonal constellations, and celestial marvels like planets and galaxies. By day, enjoy safe solar gazing paired with a captivating Aurora Borealis presentation, or explore the night sky through high-quality telescopes. Indoor astronomy talks tailored to your group’s needs are also available. Let the universe inspire your next event.

Stargazing at Lake Annette – Tour Details
Meeting Point:
Meet us at the last parking lot at the end of the road at Lake Annette, just outside the Jasper townsite.
Transportation:
This is a self-drive event. Transportation is not provided. Please plan to arrive safely and responsibly.
What to Expect:
Observe the solar system, Milky Way, and deep sky objects through high-quality optical and digital telescopes.
Enjoy a laser-guided tour of constellations and celestial landmarks—so you can find them again and impress your friends!
Learn about astronomy technology and how we capture stunning space imagery.
Ask us anything! We love deep, meaningful conversations about all things space-related.
The full moon will wash away the Milky Way, but offers spectacular views of the Moon's surface.
In Case of Clouds:
We'll shift to a captivating indoor-style session covering:
The life cycle of stars
Archived images captured through our telescopes
The technology behind how those images are made
Duration:
Tours typically last 2 hours, depending on weather, guest numbers, and visible astronomical activity.
What to Bring:
Warm clothes (example, warm socks, thermal under garments, coat, mittens or gloves, toque)
Camping chairs (optional)
Warm drinks (No Alcohol or Nuts)
A camera or binoculars (optional)
Your curiosity!
Weather Policy:
In case of rain or snow, we’ll move to a nearby shelter for the lecture portion. Guests are welcome to return for a future clear night at no extra charge

Astronomy Tours

Info

About Jasper Star Trails

Jasper Star Trails is an independent astronomy experience dedicated to real stargazing and telescope viewing beneath Jasper’s stunning night skies.

Each tour explores the life cycle of stars, galaxies, and the universe, blending science with storytelling to bring the cosmos to life. Our knowledgeable guides create an engaging, conversational atmosphere, encouraging guests to ask questions and share in the wonder of space together.

Location & Accessibility

Jasper Star Trails is not a hiking tour — there’s no trail to walk. Our stargazing experience takes place in an open field beside Lake Annette, offering wide, unobstructed views of the night sky.

Parking is conveniently located nearby, just a short one-minute walk from our astronomy area, making it easy for guests of all ages to join and enjoy the experience comfortably.

Directions & Meeting Point

When you arrive at Lake Annette, follow the main road until it splits into three directions. You’ll see traffic cones and a Jasper Star Trails sign marking our setup area beside the middle parking lot in the open field.

There is also a stop sign at the entrance, we ask all ticket holders to wait there until one of our guides meets you and shows you where to park. This helps us keep the area organized and ensures everyone has a clear view of the night sky once the tour begins.

Please note that the parking lots closest to the field are closed to traffic during tour times to maintain a dark, quiet, and safe environment for our guests. White flashlights or phone lights are only permitted while entering and exiting the tour area, once the tour begins, we preserve night vision using red lights only.

Please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled start time so we can greet you and get you oriented before the tour begins. If you don’t immediately see our team, wait by the stop sign or cones and flash your headlights — we’ll come meet you right away and guide you in.

How to Dress

Even in summer, Rocky Mountain weather can change quickly, and nighttime temperatures often drop significantly. We recommend dressing warmly and in layers to stay comfortable throughout the tour.

Suggested clothing includes:

Warm socks and sturdy footwear
A toque (hat), gloves or mitts
A warm coat and thermal or long-underwear layers

Everyone experiences the cold differently, especially visitors from warmer climates it’s always better to bring extra layers just in case.

Lighting & Comfort

Please avoid using white lights, as they affect night vision. Red-light headlamps are welcome but not required. Feel free to bring a warm drink to enjoy under the stars, but please refrain from bringing food to the site.

Weather & Cloudy Nights

As much as we’d love to, we can’t control the weather and while clear skies offer the best viewing, our tours remain enjoyable and engaging even under partial cloud cover. Our astronomers are patient and experienced sky-watchers, skilled at finding gaps between clouds to explore constellations, planets, and deep-space objects through our telescopes and binoculars.

When the sky is completely overcast, we shift to our Cloudy Day Program, an interactive, educational experience where guests learn about the equipment we use, the history of telescopes, and how different optical systems work. We also share high-resolution images captured through our digital telescope cameras, offer tips on choosing your own telescope, and present an in-depth space talk on the life cycles of stars and other celestial wonders.

All guests receive a Rain or Cloud Check, allowing you to return for another stargazing experience anytime you’re back in Jasper — with no expiry date.

About Us

Joel and Matthew are pioneers of Dark-sky Preserve space tourism here in the legendary Jasper National Park. Join us as we pack up our telescopes, our curious minds and venture beyond the borders of the townsite of Jasper. We'll travel into the wilderness of the National Park and enjoy an evening of interpretive guiding as we explore the night sky all within the second largest dark sky preserve on planet earth.

We are passionate astronomers with over 20 years combined guided and technical experience, thousands of nights under the stars, touring over 50,000 humans from around the globe.

You'll experience breathtaking views through our several types of telescopes, distant star systems, galaxies, nebulas, planets, maybe a comet or some meteors, or if we're really lucky an epic display of northern lights.

We realize that the weather can play a significate role in astronomy, our program does not require completely clear skies. even in partially clear skies a lot of wonders are still visible. In the case of completely cloudy nights we still operate go into detail about the telescope equipment, software and have discussions about everything space, from recent discoveries, to the future space race and everything in between.