Are you considering staying at the HI Jasper (or any hostel, for a matter of fact), but not sure if it’s suitable for families?
We’ve had the pleasure of staying at the Hosteling International (HI) Jasper hostel, with our two 2 boys (aged 2 and 4 years old at the time), and it turned out to be an amazing experience.
We wanted to take a few minutes to share our experience with you, so you could decide if this was the best place for your family to stay while visiting Jasper National Park.
HI Jasper is one of the 3 HI hostels in Jasper National Park. There are also two HI wilderness hostels in Jasper:
- HI Beauty Creek Wilderness Hostel,
- HI Mount Edith Cavell Wilderness Hostel,
- HI Maligne Canyon Wilderness Hostel and
- HI Athabasca Falls Wilderness Hostel
Today’s HI Jasper review will be broken down into the following categories:
- Location in Jasper
- Cleanliness of the Rooms
- Friendliness of the Staff
- Shared Spaces
- Price
- Our Final Verdict: Is It a Good Option for Families?
Let’s dive in!
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HI Jasper Review for Families
1. HI’s Location in Jasper
It was our first time in Jasper National Park, so Emilie and I weren’t sure what to expect. When we arrived in Jasper, we didn’t stop anywhere before reaching the hostel.
So, at first, we weren’t sure what was around or whether we’d need the car to visit the town.
We were pleasantly surprised that the HI Jasper hostel was almost centrally located. By “almost,” we mean that the hostel isn’t a part of the downtown, but it’s a stone’s throw away. It’s only a short walk downtown.
In fact, we thought the distance from this hostel to the main downtown area was perfect: it was close enough that both of our boys could walk, but not so far that they’d get exhausted doing so.
Plus, it was just off the beaten path enough that we could see some wild animals, like elk, roaming around. Every time we drove into town or walked, we saw these beautiful animals from a very close (but safe) distance.
Finally, this hostel was only a short drive from some awesome kid-friendly hikes such as:
- Maligne Canyon
- Athabasca Falls
- Valley of 5 Lakes
- Old Fort Point
These were AMAZING hikes with the kids, and we couldn’t recommend them any more highly.
For families, we’d 100% recommend HI for its location.
Score: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
💡 Pro-Tip:
If you’re driving to town from the hostel, turn right as you’re leaving the parking lot. It’s an extra 2-minute drive, but you won’t get stuck waiting for a train (it was a very busy track blocking access to the town when you turn left).
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2. Cleanliness of the Rooms
When some people hear the word “hostel,” they immediately think of the backpacking days in their early 20s. That also comes with fun memories of hangovers, dirty sheets, and gross bathrooms.
At least, that’s been my experience.
But the HI was incredibly clean in all the shared spaces. HI Jasper hostel is a very clean modern hostel.
We had a private 4-bed dormitory that shared a closed bathroom and shower with another suite.
Note:
The HI Jasper also offers private family rooms with an en-suite bathroom, making it one of the best family hostels in Jasper. We booked our trip the day before, so no private family rooms were available.
So while we can’t talk about the rooms’ cleanliness year round, we found it immaculate.
In fact, I had to pull one of the staff members aside to let her know it wasn’t necessary to clean our bathroom every day we were there (since it was just us). Otherwise, someone would’ve come by and cleaned the shared bathroom, sinks, and floors each afternoon.
Again, in terms of cleanliness, we were impressed. Frankly, it was as clean (or cleaner) as most hotels we’ve stayed at in the past.
Score: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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3. Friendliness of the Staff
This one is pretty straightforward but worth mentioning. The staff at the hostel were awesome, which you’d probably expect from a nature and mountain town like Jasper.
They were laid back, but not lazy; polite, but not overly “chatty,”; and were fast to help when we lost a room key or had questions about the town.
They also have a small cafe where the staff tends to go above and beyond.
Now, to be fair, the town we’re living in isn’t known for its customer service. You know how sometimes you go to a coffee shop and order something, but the barista makes you feel like you’ve got some nerve to bother them?
Yeah, it sometimes feels like we’re in a town where that’s considered normal.
So when we went to Jasper, we were thrilled to find the opposite was true. The people working at the cafe (and the front desk) were welcoming, polite, and offered to help carry our drinks/food over when they saw we were busy with the kids.
Was it like having white-glove luxury service at the Ritz Carlton? No, of course not.
It’s a hostel, and the staff has a lot to get done throughout the day. But our family felt very comfortable asking questions and were always greeted with smiles.
Score: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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4. Shared Spaces
As you probably suspected by now, we enjoyed our stay at the HI in Jasper. One of the things we loved was the shared spaces.
The HI Jasper hostel offer a great kitchen for guest to cook there own meals. It’s a big kitchen with all the pots and pans needed to cook.
There is also dinner table and booths to relax.
All of the guests there respected the common areas weren’t overly loud and cleaned up after themselves. They were all incredibly lovely to our kids, too.
A big reason for that, I think, is that this hostel doesn’t cater to the “party crowd” as much as other “youth” hostels you may have been to.
Instead, the place was filled with nature lovers, die-hard skiers, or older couples out for the weekend.
Score: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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5. Price
When it comes to pricing, each hostel is different. That’s because they tend to have more room options than your standard hotel.
We can speak to the price of our private 4-bed dormitory, though. This was one of the few places in town where we could stay for around $125/night including taxes, I believe).
The Canadian Rockies can be really expensive to visit. Plus, Jasper is a small town with limited accommodation options (not like Banff where you can find many different hotels on the main street). So with supply and demand, the price increase.
If it wasn’t for staying at HI Jasper, I don’t think we could have made this impromptu weekend away from Calgary to Jasper work within our limited budget.
Note: It’s possible to purchase a HI Membership for 25$ per adult (free for children). All members get a 10% discount on nightly rates for all HI around the world.
It’s not cheap, but Jasper isn’t known for cheap accommodation. We looked for a few options, and HI Jasper was the best quality-price we found… by far.
How does this stack up with other lodging options in the area? We thought it was a good balance of price vs. quality.
Sure, if we had booked in advance, we may have found a few cheaper options in town (though not many). That said, just by the pictures alone, it was clear that these other options would be like your traditional motel trucker stops.
On the other end were luxury cabins and lodges, which would be great for a romantic weekend, but were hard to justify for an impromptu weekend trip with toddlers.
We had initially planned to stay for one night. But the hostel was so affordable that we decided to extend an extra evening.
Score: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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Final Verdict: Is HI Jasper Good for Families?
So, here’s the thing: hostels are pretty much a coin toss for families. Sometimes they’re fantastic, sometimes they’re just kinda’ gross.
We thought the HI Jasper was a great place to take the family. BUT…
…there is one caveat: you should consider whether your family is right for a hostel. Here’s what I mean:
We got lucky because the hostel wasn’t at full capacity. That meant we didn’t have neighbors which is something that was important to me.
That’s because our kids can be pretty loud and tend to wake up early. On our first morning there, Noah (our oldest) woke up at 5:30 AM, ready to go. That meant he had to play quietly in the bottom bunk until around 6:15.
So he had to entertain himself, which also meant a fair amount of noise as he played with his action figures.
Then there are the frequent crises that you face with toddlers: loud screaming and crying when they’re over-tired from a long day of hiking.
You also might want to ensure your kids are ready to stay in a hostel with lots of shared spaces and less privacy.
I suppose I’m trying to say this: HI Jasper was perfect for families, but not every family will be perfect for HI.
It depends on how many kids you have and their ages.
Score: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Related Article – HI Jasper Review
We hope this review helped you decided if the HI is right for your family. If you enjoyed this post, you might also be interested in the following articles:
- Banff Winter:7 Activities to Do With the Family
- Planning a Trip to the Canadian Rockies
- HI Castle Mountain Wilderness Hostel : Our Honest Review
Emilie is the founder of Love Life Abroad. She helps moms plan epic road trips and outdoor adventures with their families. Because who said adventuring had to stop once we have kids? She’s based in the Canadian Rockies and shares her love for the region as well as other unique places in Canada & USA. She works with tourism boards and outdoor brands to inspire families to experience new unique destinations and outdoor activities.