Everything I read talks about needing to get a camp site by 11:00 AM otherwise campsites may be filled. (Currently Waterton, Banff, and Kootenay are first come first serve - no reservations). I am driving up from Montana and it will be impossible for me to get to Banff before mid/late afternoon unless I stop (early) at Waterton and overnight and then go up early, early from there to Banff. What do campers do that arrive later in the day? Are there no overflow camp sites near by? I am tryng to plan my itinerary which begins by flying into Kalispell, Montana, arriving about 2:00 PM. I considered staying in Glacier N.P. in Montana, moving my way up to Waterton early in the morning, kind of hop-scotching my way up. Even then, the drive from Waterton to Banff is rather lengthy to get there in the morning. But I really wanted this trip to make a bee-line up to the Banff area from the get-go. I am not looking for much in the way of services in a camp ground so services is not an issue. Just need water perhaps. I am looking for some logistical guidance to plan this out so I don't waste time getting to my objective but also don't want to get caught short late in an evening figuring out where we will camp. I don't really mind going from Glacier to Waterton and from there moving my way up. They are beautiful places. But I wanted to devote my time further north. Are there campsites between Waterton and Banff that are would likely be available late in the day in August? I had obtained some guidance previously but it was based on flying into Calgary whch costs about twice what it costs to fly into Kalispell. Any help would be appreciated.

Hello JustDoIt,

Mount Kidd RV Park is a private park that accepts reservations in Kananaskis Country. I have not been to it myself, but have seen very favourable reviews of it at the Open Roads Forum.

Boulton Creek is a provincial campground in Kananaskis Country, and it too accepts reservations.

You could use one of these campgrounds as a base from which to make a morning dash for Banff.

Fortunately Jasper National Park is offering reservations at 4 campgrounds, if I remember the number correctly, in the 2005 summer season.

But the ideal place to ask these questions is the Open Roads Forum, which is a forum for RVers.

http://www.rv.net/

Hope that helps.

Park Canada is implementing an online campgound reservation system for three month in advance reservation. start for Jasper NP was Mar 22. Start date for Banff NP will be Aug 2005.

Regards Tom

check this site occassionally for possible reservations for banffhttp://www.pccamping.ca/parkscanada/en/
not having reservations, drives me crazy about the national parks. however, if you are camping and don't need the services, chances are you will get a spot as long as you aren't arriving on a friday or saturday. we've stayed at tunnel mountain campground and the non-service area never got full until very late in the day. kananaskis provincial park is very nice and none option to stay there for a night or two before entering banff.
as mentioned though, the people who are lining up at 8:00 a.m. for campsites are people who want a particular campground or who want full service for their rv's. during the weekdays, if you arrive in the afternoon, you should be ok. but, use the reservations service if you can.

There is a fairly large overflow campground right outside of Waterton. If you chose to head to Banff from the border, by heading out on Highway 3 to Highway 22, you will go past Lundbreck Falls which also has ample overflow and isn't too long a drive from Kalispell. You could also head into the Crowsnest Pass, only a few kms. past Lundbreck -- There there is Hiawatha Campground which is very large and has showers or you could drive straight to Blairmore, AB -- Lost Lemon will take reservations.

http://www.crowsnestpass.worldweb.co...y/Campgrounds/