"Thompson's mounding on Cleopatra was famously shaped to resemble a reclining woman -- railway executives made him tone it down."

Commissioned by the Canadian National Railway to answer the rival railroad's course at Banff, Jasper Park opened in 1925 after 200 men and 50 teams of horses cleared boulders from raw wilderness. Many call it Stanley Thompson's finest routing: fairways aimed at distant peaks to guide both eye and strategy, and a set of par 3s considered among the best collections anywhere — led by the downhill 9th, 'Cleopatra', framed by Pyramid Mountain. The lakeside crescendo on Lac Beauvert closes the argument.

Architecture pilgrims (plenty rank it above Banff), families doing the Canadian Rockies, and anyone who wants to study Thompson's short holes at full power.

The 9th, 'Cleopatra' — a plunging par 3 with Pyramid Mountain behind, every bit the equal of Banff's Devil's Cauldron — and the Lac Beauvert peninsula holes 14-16: two tricky short par 4s and a par 3 that use the lakeshore perfectly.

Friendlier than Banff — more width, gentler carries, huge scenery, and elk on the fairways are likelier than a lost-ball meltdown. Very playable resort golf for newer players.

Not on the GSPro servers as of mid-2026; like Banff it lives in Foresight's FSX Play as an official Canadian Rockies release. Watch the GSPro server for a community build — Thompson courses tend to get made eventually.

Public resort course at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge; premium but not outrageous resort rates, with a season running roughly May to early October. Summer tee times go fast — book ahead.