canadian Rockies Camping
Canadian Rockies camping is a wonderful way to experience the mountain wilderness, but you will need to make reservations well in advance for most campgrounds.
For details on camping in specific regions, click through the links below:
Banff National Park
Jasper National Park
Yoho National Park
Kootenay National Park
Canmore
Kananaskis Country
Waterton Lakes National Park
We also provide details for campgrounds at these destinations:
Lake Louise
Mount Assiniboine
Lake O’Hara
Icefields Parkway
Canadian Rockies National Park Campgrounds
Campsites in Canadian Rockies national park campgrounds can be reserved through the PARKS CANADA RESERVATION SERVICE (877/737-3783). It’s strongly recommended that you reserve as soon as the system opens in March (check the website for the exact day and time reservations are accepted). Although a limited number of sites are available for those without reservations in each Canadian Rockies national park, they fill fast each day (especially in July and August). The official checkout time is 11 a.m., so if you don’t have a reservation, plan on arriving at your campground of choice earlier in the day than this to ensure getting a site.
Open fires are permitted in designated areas throughout all campgrounds, but you must purchase a Firewood Permit ($9 per site per night) to burn wood, which is provided at no cost.
Canadian Rockies Backcountry Camping
A backcountry permit is required for Canadian Rockies backcountry camping in national parks. The nightly rate is $10 per person and the reservation fee is $12 per booking. Sites at most popular backcountry campgrounds should be reserved through the PARKS CANADA RESERVATION SERVICE (877/737-3783) beginning in March each year for the upcoming summer season. The less-popular or more remote campgrounds are first-come, first-served. If you are planning on random camping, the only way to purchase a permit is in person at a park visitor center. Most campgrounds in the backcountry have pit toilets, and some have bear bins for secure food storage. Fires are discouraged, so bring a stove.
Canadian Rockies Provincial Park Campgrounds
Each of the Canadian Rockies provincial parks covered on this website provide camping facilities, usually only with drinking water, picnic tables, and pit toilets. The exceptions are Peter Lougheed and Bow Valley Provincial Parks in Kananaskis Country, where hookups and showers are provided. Campground operations in Kananaskis Country are contracted to private operators but ultimately come under the auspices of the Alberta government. These campgrounds are always booked up well in advance, so if you know your travel plans, reserve through ALBERTA PARKS up to 90 days in advance of your arrival. This department is also in charge of other campgrounds on public lands, including those in provincial recreation areas along the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies. BC PARKS manages similar facilities on the west side of the divide in British Columbia
Canadian Rockies Commercial Campgrounds
Canadian Rockies commercial and municipal campgrounds operate in Canmore and Radium Hot Springs, at the entrance to Waterton Lakes National Park, and in Fairmont Hot Springs, Golden, and Grande Cache. They provide full hookups and have showers but generally lack the natural surroundings found in national and provincial parks. In Kananaskis Country, the privately operated MOUNT KIDD RV PARK boasts a tennis court, recreation room, spa, and sauna.
Camping at Fairmont Hot Springs