Camping in Banff and Jasper
 

We will be tent camping in the Banff and Jasper area the last week in July and first week in August. We don't have any reservations made, and are wondering what to expect for availability. Is it a mad scramble everyday to get a site? Do we need to be to the new campground early in the morning to have any chance of getting a site? We prefer quiet, out-of-the way places, and don't care too much about services and amenities. Any advice would be appreciated. Recommendations for nice campgrounds would be great too. Thanks. Julie

Hi Julie,

We will also be camping in Banff, Jasper, and Yoho these next 2 weeks and received wonderful advice on this forum. Look back about 40 or 50 posts and you can read the excellent advice given. This is the peak season and we expect it to be crowded and will probably try to get to the campgrounds by 12:00 to be sure we get a place. The weather looks like it will be sunny which will be good news.

Karen
New Orleans

I think you will find the campgrounds that are near Banff and Lake Louise to be full early. Weekends are usually the worst time of it.

I have two suggestions. South of the town of Banff, which is surrounded by the national parks, there is a very good Alberta park known as Peter Lougheed.
It will not be as crowded as Banff.

Otherwise, I suggest you drive over Vermillion Pass to Kootenay National Park. It does not draw the crowds that Banff does, and it has a couple of camping areas.

One of the problems with sites along the trans Canada highway is that two of the areas in Yoho NP are not open at the moment.


The camping area at Lake Louise is large, but as you might well imagine it is also heavily used. There is an overflow area between Banff and Lake Louise, but it looks to me like it is mostly a flat field used by RV's and pickup truck campers.

Mount Sarrail CG in Peter Lougheed is tents only according to the park information.

If you can carry your stuff a short distance, I have some other suggestions.
If you are backpackers, there are lots of suggestions.

Karen, thanks for the tip to look back farther in the posts for good camping info. I missed those, and you're right, there's lots of good stuff. Bob, many thanks for your tips too. We are backpackers, but are not going equipped to backpack this trip. We are definitely willing to carry our stuff a short distance though, so if you have suggestions for that, I'd love to hear them. Thanks. Julie

The campground at Mt. Sarrail has some carryin sites.
The sites at the Takkakaw Falls Campground are all carry in and tents almost exclusively. no RV's.

The time may be way too short now but Lake O'Hara is by reservation only, but it is the Holy Grail as far as I am concerned.
You must ride the bus, and pay the fees, but your chances at this late date are slim.

If you were able to walk a ways and carry your stuff, Laughing Falls in Yoho is a couple of miles up the river from Takkakaw. It is right on the banks of the Yoho River, which is a swift flowing snow and ice fed stream. But without your packs, I don't think you would want to lug the tent, stove, lanterns, and sleeping bags that far in your arms.

Hopefully Peter Lougheed will have space for you, but Takkakaw is going to fill early in my estimation this time of year. Like get there at 10 am and wait for somebody to leave.
July is when half of Calgary goes to the mountains!