Edmonton to Jasper by private chauffeur

Parks Canada places the Jasper east park gate 320 km west of Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway, Highway 16, and about 30 km west of Hinton. It describes Highway 16 as running through the park and being the main route to and from Jasper. That is the road this trip takes, and 320 km is the official figure for it.

It is a long day by any measure, and worth booking as one. Adding the 25 km from downtown Edmonton out to Edmonton International, or the same again from Villeneuve, makes the point: this is a transfer to plan properly rather than to arrange on the morning.

The route is arranged by quote, because online booking needs one end of the trip in Ontario and both ends here are in Alberta. Call or send the quote request, and the fare is fixed in Canadian dollars and agreed before you travel - on a journey of this length that matters more than usual, since an hourly meter would put every delay on your side of the ledger.

Two airports serve the Edmonton end. Edmonton International, about 25 km from the city centre, takes the airlines. Villeneuve, north-west of the city and run by the same organisation, is the general aviation field and exists partly to keep light aircraft off the main airport.

Parks Canada notes that the Icefields Parkway connects Jasper with the Trans-Canada Highway near Lake Louise and Banff, so a trip that begins in Edmonton and ends in Banff, or the reverse, can be quoted as well.

Typical drive time: about 4 h, traffic and weather permitting.