March is late winter in the mountains, early spring at the lower elevations, so hiking really isn't much of an option. If you want to visit, then skiing (or snowboarding) would be a great thing to try. All the major ski areas (Lake Louise -- www.skilouise.com; Sunshine Villag -- www.skibanff.com; Mt Norquay -- www.banffnorquay.com and Jasper's Marmot Basin -- www.skimarmot.com) have good ski and snowboarding schools. Some also offer special discounts on "Discover Skiing" and "Discover Boarding" packages that include lessons, lift tickets, and equipment rentals; they want to get you hooked! And there are lessons for all ages; although 2 might be a little young, some ski areas also offer daycare.

There is are only two trains that run at that time of year - VIA Rail's Snow Train, which goes from Edmonton to Jasper, and VIA Rail's regular route which connects Toronto (and other points east) to Vancouver via Jasper. (There may also be train service from Edmonton to Prince Rupert via Jasper, but it doesn't look like that fits your itinerary anyway.) There is no train service to Banff in winter. Sorry.

In summer, the main route between Banff/Lake Louise and Jasper is the Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93). However, I would not recommend this to you for several reasons. First, the road seems to be closed for a day or two every winter due to heavy snowfall; this would really play havoc with your schedule should it happen during your visit. Second, you would need both winter driving and mountain driving skills to enjoy it (and possibly just drive it safely), should the weather and road conditions be favourable; since you're from Austin, it's not likely that you have that skill set. That means that the only practical route from Jasper to Banff in winter is to drive via Edmonton and Calgary, which would be about 9-10 hours driving in total, or to drive from Jasper to Edmonton (4 hrs), then fly from Edmonton to Calgary, and drive from Calgary to Banff (2 hrs), which will result in a slight time savings.

I strongly recommend going to Banff if you want to visit in March; there is lots more for kids and non-skiers to do there (see Banff Family Travel -- tripadvisor.com/Travel-g154911-s401/Banff:Al… -- & Rainy Day Activities -- http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g154911-c14480/Banff:Alberta:Rainy.Day.Activities.html).

Of course, our Jasper expert may be able to make a stronger case for visitin Jasper since Krp329 is much more familiar with the area than I am.

Hello,

Thank you so much for the information and your prompt reply !:-)

If someone can help answer about Jasper I would really appreciate it.

-- What are some recommeded sites to see/suggested activities to do in Jasper in March ?

-- Are there other recommendations for travelling between Jasper and Banff/Calgary ?

We have heard so much about Jasper and Banff, so feeling a bit down thinking about having to skip the visit to Jasper (this was the only vacation time we could afford).

thank you.