Banff National park this summer?

[cruiserjs]

Expect to camp in Banff N.P. this summer? Be warned:
http://www.thecragandcanyon.ca/2017/03/01/banff-np-experiences-massive-jump-in-number-of-campsite-bookings

[sellis1053]

DaveG39 wrote:
I stayed at Tunnel Mountain Trailer court this past summer. I started in January for reservations since initially full. After several web site visits I obtained a site which, I guess, was from a cancellation. Just keep trying. If not, there is an overflow area at Lake Louise which I found to have many available sites in July, though are dry camp.

How early in January did you try to make a reservation?

[gkenworth]

I just booked a site in Tunnel Mountain village 2 for the long weekend in May. (Usually the worst gong show when camping in Canada cause its our first chance to camp after the long winter). Surprised there were lots of sites available.

[crosscheck]

crosscheck wrote:

fanrgs wrote:

crosscheck wrote:
Glacier NP (BC) is one of my favourites but it is not in the Canadian Rockies but rather in the Selkirks which are part of the Columbia Range. These have very different rock formation (volcanic) than the Rockies and are separated by the wide Columbia Valley.

Dave

Guess it depends on which definition of "Rocky Mountains" you are using. This is the physiographers' definition from Encyclopedia Britannica:

"Canadian Rockies, segment of the Rocky Mountains, extending southeastward for about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from northern British Columbia, Canada, and forming nearly half the 900-mile (1,500-km) border between the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The Mackenzie and Selwyn mountains farther north along the border between the Northwest and Yukon territories are often included in the Canadian Rockies. To the west, the Rocky Mountain Trench (a geologic depression) separates the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies from the Columbia Mountains, which include the Cariboo, Selkirk, Monashee, and Purcell mountains and are also often considered part of the Rocky Mountain system."

Got that info from Wikepidia. You will have to look it up but it says that the Columbia Mountains which are made up of the Selkirks, Purcells, Monashees and Caribou Mts. and are geologically distinctly different from the nearby Rockies and are separated by the Columbia Valley. It also says that Glacier NP is made up of the northern Selkirks. Them English types from Encyclopedia Britanica don't know anything about their former colonies.

Dave

I just read Wikipedia again and now I understand the confusion. In Canada, the Columbia Mountains are considered separate from the Rockies but in the States, their counterparts south of the border (Cabinet and Salish) are considered part of the Rockies.

Dave

[crosscheck]

fanrgs wrote:

crosscheck wrote:
Glacier NP (BC) is one of my favourites but it is not in the Canadian Rockies but rather in the Selkirks which are part of the Columbia Range. These have very different rock formation (volcanic) than the Rockies and are separated by the wide Columbia Valley.

Dave

Guess it depends on which definition of "Rocky Mountains" you are using. This is the physiographers' definition from Encyclopedia Britannica:

"Canadian Rockies, segment of the Rocky Mountains, extending southeastward for about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from northern British Columbia, Canada, and forming nearly half the 900-mile (1,500-km) border between the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The Mackenzie and Selwyn mountains farther north along the border between the Northwest and Yukon territories are often included in the Canadian Rockies. To the west, the Rocky Mountain Trench (a geologic depression) separates the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies from the Columbia Mountains, which include the Cariboo, Selkirk, Monashee, and Purcell mountains and are also often considered part of the Rocky Mountain system."

Got that info from Wikepidia. You will have to look it up but it says that the Columbia Mountains which are made up of the Selkirks, Purcells, Monashees and Caribou Mts. and are geologically distinctly different from the nearby Rockies and are separated by the Columbia Valley. It also says that Glacier NP is made up of the northern Selkirks. Them English types from Encyclopedia Britanica don't know anything about their former colonies.

Dave

[fanrgs]

crosscheck wrote:
Glacier NP (BC) is one of my favourites but it is not in the Canadian Rockies but rather in the Selkirks which are part of the Columbia Range. These have very different rock formation (volcanic) than the Rockies and are separated by the wide Columbia Valley.

Dave

Guess it depends on which definition of "Rocky Mountains" you are using. This is the physiographers' definition from Encyclopedia Britannica:

"Canadian Rockies, segment of the Rocky Mountains, extending southeastward for about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from northern British Columbia, Canada, and forming nearly half the 900-mile (1,500-km) border between the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The Mackenzie and Selwyn mountains farther north along the border between the Northwest and Yukon territories are often included in the Canadian Rockies. To the west, the Rocky Mountain Trench (a geologic depression) separates the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies from the Columbia Mountains, which include the Cariboo, Selkirk, Monashee, and Purcell mountains and are also often considered part of the Rocky Mountain system."

[crosscheck]

fanrgs wrote:
Another approach might be to go to some of the lesser-known national parks this year. Parks like Yoho, Kootenay, and Glacier (BC, not Montana) are not Banff and Jasper, but are still nearby, are in the Canadian Rockies, and likely won't have quite the crowds of those two.

A little (well, maybe a lot) further away are national parks like Riding Mountain and Grasslands. But both are on the way to the Canadian Rockies from anywhere in the East, even for Americans. We really enjoyed the wildlife viewing at Riding Mountain in September 2015. It was uncrowded even on a mild, beautifully sunny fall weekend. And that gorgeous, clear lake is perfect for kayaking or canoeing, summer or fall.

For a geologist and volunteer tour guide at Dinosaur Ridge near Denver, the fossils at Grasslands and its relative proximity to both the Montana border and to Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Royal Tyrrell Museum at Drumheller (superb!) are attractions. The star-gazing in the extremely dark skies at Grasslands is really just a bonus!

Haven't started planning yet, but we are excited about using our free Parks Canada Pass this fall.

Glacier NP (BC) is one of my favourites but it is not in the Canadian Rockies but rather in the Selkirks which are part of the Columbia Range. These have very different rock formation (volcanic) than the Rockies and are separated by the wide Columbia Valley.

Dave

[NCWriter]

First time for us in the Canadian Rockies this year. Glad we booked sites the first day from the sound of things, and we're looking forward to it.

[DaveG39]

I stayed at Tunnel Mountain Trailer court this past summer. I started in January for reservations since initially full. After several web site visits I obtained a site which, I guess, was from a cancellation. Just keep trying. If not, there is an overflow area at Lake Louise which I found to have many available sites in July, though are dry camp.

[Byrogie]

3) Postpone the trip to the NPs for another time and go visit some of the over 1000 Provincial Parks in British Columbia. Most of them especial further north will have plenty of campsites available. BC with an area of 944,735 Km2 makes America's second largest state(Texas) with an area of 695,662 Km2 look almost puny. So there is lots of area to explore.

Think about it.

Dave

BC has the best provincial parks for camping.

[fanrgs]

Another approach might be to go to some of the lesser-known national parks this year. Parks like Yoho, Kootenay, and Glacier (BC, not Montana) are not Banff and Jasper, but are still nearby, are in the Canadian Rockies, and likely won't have quite the crowds of those two.

A little (well, maybe a lot) further away are national parks like Riding Mountain and Grasslands. But both are on the way to the Canadian Rockies from anywhere in the East, even for Americans. We really enjoyed the wildlife viewing at Riding Mountain in September 2015. It was uncrowded even on a mild, beautifully sunny fall weekend. And that gorgeous, clear lake is perfect for kayaking or canoeing, summer or fall.

For a geologist and volunteer tour guide at Dinosaur Ridge near Denver, the fossils at Grasslands and its relative proximity to both the Montana border and to Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Royal Tyrrell Museum at Drumheller (superb!) are attractions. The star-gazing in the extremely dark skies at Grasslands is really just a bonus!

Haven't started planning yet, but we are excited about using our free Parks Canada Pass this fall.

[ReneeG]

crosscheck - good points. I like No. 3 since we've been up there and may just follow that advice. We're planning on September and dry camping since we are well equipped for that.

[crosscheck]

I wish I could wave my magic wand and ensure that all campers and visiters to Banff, Jasper, Yoho,Kootenay, Glacier(Canada) ,Waterton NPS this summer will get their wish of the perfect camp site every night during their stay for 2017. It ain't gonna happen. But here are a few observations and suggestions taken from last summers(2016) camping and hiking trips to some of these parks and it was the busiest summer I have ever seen.

1) Many of these campgrounds allowed for overflow campers virtually doubling the amount of groups. IE: Mosquito Creek= 32 regular sites with campfire ring. When we were there, the attendants were allowing campers along the creek, by the cook shack, and all around the grass circle where the registration was when all of the other regular sites were taken. This was observed at Monarch(Yoho) and Waterfowl Lakes CG and I am sure other CG in the NPs were practicing this also.

2) We were at Tunnel Mountain CG just after Labour Day(first weekend in September). All of the kids had gone to school and the place was almost deserted. September is a great month to see the Parks as is June. This was at the dry camping area. Full hook-ups might have been busier.

3) Pospone the trip to the NPs for another time and go visit some of the over 1000 Provincial Parks in British Columbia. Most of them especial further north will have plenty of campsites available. BC with an area of 944,735 Km2 makes America's second largest state(Texas) with an area of 695,662 Km2 look almost puny. So there is lots of area to explore.

Think about it.

Dave

[padredw]

We have our new passports, our entry pass to Canadian National Parks, and our reservation for Banff, July 27-August 1.

This will be our first RV trip to the Canadian Rockies--and, no doubt, our last, (I will be 85 in October,) but we are looking forward to it. We made our reservations over a month ago, and glad that we did. We knew nothing about the 150 anniversary or the free entry. We had made our plans and requested reservations before we knew anything about those special arrangements.

We are continuing to make reservations for the places we will visit on the way up to Banff and those on the way back.

[4runnerguy]

Unfortunately, we'll be there right over the Canada Day and the US 4th of July holiday. It's when we could make it work. We already have reservations for Johnston Canyon CG in Banff and Wapiti in Jasper. Having seen many of the popular "main" attractions, we'll be focusing on taking trails that are less well know. But think of it this way. In the summer, every camping spot is probably taken every day in a "normal" year, as is every motel room. There may be a lot of early reservation activity this year, but except for the non-reservable sites, there's not many places for people to stay. So they'll have to find someplace outside the park and drive in every day.

So just how early do you think the non-resevable sites fill before July 1? Can you imagine heading into the park on Friday, June 30th and hoping to find a spot that weekend?