Columbia ice fields

I have boondocked at the Columbia Icefields parking lot on two occasions for free (Interpretive Centre) as no one bothered me or anyone else there in an RV.... it's not really advertised but it is the only overnight destination to park an RV there without paying while stopping short of saying to encourage people to do so....pretty sure if one would stay multi days at a time they would stick out with officials.

Weather fronts do howl thru there pretty bad at times as I spent the night there in Sept. 2012 and Sept. 2013....

Sept 2013 - Interpretive Centre parking lot -Columbia Icefield- Jasper Nat'l Park Alberta :



Sept. 2011 I was thinking of spending the night there but it got so cold with heavy drizzle rainfall, close to zero visibility, smelling snow type moisture in the air I decided to move on and head to lower elevation ground and just push it to Jasper for two reasons :

Potential snow with delayed travel...

Seeing Jasper for the first time on a potential clear day and hit the tram ....

Boy, did the latter work perfect....it was totally clear the day after pushing it to Whistler's campground in Jasper - was clear as a bell until 20 minutes on the upper terminal ....as the Icefields Parkway had closed from the Columbia Icefield to I believe the Sunwapta Falls area gate for a day.

Sept 2011 - Whistlers Mountain -upper terminal- Jasper Nat'l Park Alberta :

Cumminalong; Your rig is far too big to fit in the Wilcox creek campground located just south of the icefields BUT, there is an overflow camping area beside the icefields interpretive centre/hotel. If you don't mind dry camping (no water or sewer or power but there are a couple of outhouses) it is worth staying there one night. The views are stupendous and the interpretive centre worth a good visit. It is usually cold and breezy at night and literally is a parking lot so be prepared for that.

There are no other campgrounds nearby which would take your unit. Wilcox sites are too small and the icefields campground is for tents and small vans/campers only, no trailers.

We camped there in 32 fifth wheel thought it was great for a night or two, busy as heck during the day, but peaceful at night.
Self registering, we back up at far end disconnected and took two parking spot, so did others, nobody never bothered us.

You can camp in designated areas only within the park.

They have a very large parking lot which is big rig friendly. I would just use that the see what you want to see and then go on up to Jasper. Your stop at the Icefield's discovery center should only last three or four hours at most. The most time will be consumed waiting on your ticket to the glacier walk if you do that. You can see our blog entry for Jasper here for our 2015 trip. Picture "Banff to Jasper 19" shows the trams out on the glacier and was taken from the parking lot.

We wish that we would have dry-camped at the Icefields, which was much more interesting than the CG in Jasper. We got water at the CG before the Icefields, but there was no room for us there to spend the night.

I do not believe camping is allowed at the Icefields. There is, if I remember a campground south of them.
I would stay the night close by.

Sorry forgot to mention that we are in a 35ft 5er Thanks

Sorry forgot to mention that we are in a 35ft 5er Thanks