Campgrounds in Alberta, CA near NPs

[JQgolf]

Just starting to plan trip to Yellowstone/GTNP, to Glacier, Waterton Lakes NP, Banff, and Jasper areas of southern Alberta. Driving 36FT class A towing small SUV. Will we be able to get into and find large enough sites in the NP campgrounds, with or without hookups? Are there any RV parks near these major NP.s? Our only previous trip was in SUV and tent camping and we didn't notice if they could handle big rigs.

[JQgolf]

thank you for info so far. Anymore? Looking for help on the drive down from Jasper to Portland?

[fanrgs]

We used the Oroville, WA-Osoyoos, BC border crossing last year so we could drive through the gorgeous Okanagan Valley with its vineyard-covered hills and big, natural (glacial) lakes. Both towns are small and we had no wait to cross. From there, you can head west to Seattle at Wenatchee or keep going south toward Oregon. And the Riverside RV Park in Oroville was one of the nicer ones we stayed in on our trip.

The only campground we saw across the Icefield Parkway (93) from Whistler's was Wapiti. But we never drove through it, so I can't help there.

[JQgolf]

Yes we are staying at Whistler, but when I tried to look at their map, I think there were two loops on the opposite side of the road from the rest of the CG. We would also love to go to a Stampede once, but dealing with the crowds for CG's would not be fun. That's probably one where you book the following year while you are there this year!

Exploring possibility of taking hwy 5/97 down from Jasper to Washington and on down to Wenatchee, Yakima to Portland and avoid the border crossing at Vancouver and hassle of I-5 around Seattle. Anyone know this route down? Looks like it should be fine for 38ft MH? It appears to be just a few miles longer.

[fanrgs]

Sounds like you will be out of Calgary by July 1-14, but if not, you will be there during the Calgary Stampede. If so, campgrounds for miles around may be full just for that event, without even considering normal Banff-bound tourists. Of course, you can join the crowd and go to the Stampede while you are there.

If you are not in Whistler's at Jasper, you are likely to be in overflow, as there are few, if any, large motorhome sites in Wapiti or Wabasso.

While in Lake Louise, try to go over Kicking Horse Pass and visit the Spiral Tunnels pull-off and spectacular Takakkaw Falls. You won't regret the time it takes!

[Tothill]

JQgolf wrote:
Well, based on responses here and from time on the Canada park site, we have made reservations for Waterton Lakes and Jasper. In Jasper, there were no electrical sites available for a 38ft MH as of a week ago. So we have a dry spot, don't think it is in overflow but how do you know?
Still need to figure out what to do in Calgary for a couple of nights, Baniff and Lake Louise for a few nights each. Baniff and Lake Louise are still showing a lot of sites open. Since we are pretty well locked into our timetable by the resrv we already have, we may go ahead and get some for the other few nights on way up to Jasper. Once, we leave Jasper and head towards Vancouver by some scenic road, we plan on just finding what is available for one or two night stays. Will this work after July 4th weekend or will these areas going across and down to Vancouver be crowded too? We will get a provincial park guide when we get there.

July 1st is Canada Day and a big holiday all across Canada.

There are a great many campgrounds along the Trans Canada Highway from Banff to Vancouver. But trains travel along the route too.

If you travel through the Okanogan you will be in beautiful country. Lots of orchards, wineries and lakes to enjoy.

We travel this route every couple years and do not bother with reservations, but generally stop at Provincial Parks (no hook-ups) and stop early in the day.

Closer to Vancouver you may need reservations, we just head for the ferry and go home.

[JQgolf]

Well, based on responses here and from time on the Canada park site, we have made reservations for Waterton Lakes and Jasper. In Jasper, there were no electrical sites available for a 38ft MH as of a week ago. So we have a dry spot, don't think it is in overflow but how do you know?
Still need to figure out what to do in Calgary for a couple of nights, Baniff and Lake Louise for a few nights each. Baniff and Lake Louise are still showing a lot of sites open. Since we are pretty well locked into our timetable by the resrv we already have, we may go ahead and get some for the other few nights on way up to Jasper. Once, we leave Jasper and head towards Vancouver by some scenic road, we plan on just finding what is available for one or two night stays. Will this work after July 4th weekend or will these areas going across and down to Vancouver be crowded too? We will get a provincial park guide when we get there.

[trigley]

natgild wrote:
We are considering a similar trip in September. We tried to make reservations at Lake Louise Campground but it appears that they will not take reservations after September 2. I wonder if this means that there are not many people in that area at that time of year. Has anybody visited at that time of year? Do you think we could get a site on a first come-first serve basis???? We were hoping to spend about a week there. I get nervous driving that far without a reservation.

Don't worry about a reservation is Sep't. Subject to the weather it can be the nicest time to visit. And in this country any time is subject to the weather.
Consider adding the Kananaskis to you trip. It can be a beautiful time to visit that area. You might be able to get a reservation at Mount Kidd. They have a 90 day window and you would almost certainly need a reservation for that campground. There are lots of other campgrounds in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park with limited services
If you can, you should plan on more than 7 days. With the Kananaskis, & 4 National Parks (Banff, Kootenay, Yoho & Jasper) there is a lot oi country to see. A few days longer also give you a better chance of getting some good weather.

[trigley]

That's why we don't want to have to make reserve. now for June and July. We are leaving here from Calif and will be stopping in Idaho, then Yellowstone and Tetons for a week or two, as well as Glacier, before even getting to Canada. We don't want to plan out every day and where we will stay each night.\end quote

As someone mentioned there are overflow areas near the major campgrounds in Banff and Jasper. These are really just big gravel pits.
If you arrive too late to get a spot take the overflow for the night then arrive at the campground early the next day. There are lots of people moving daily so you shouldn't have a problem. I would still avoid the long weekends.

[fanrgs]

natgild wrote:
We are considering a similar trip in September. We tried to make reservations at Lake Louise Campground but it appears that they will not take reservations after September 2. I wonder if this means that there are not many people in that area at that time of year. Has anybody visited at that time of year? Do you think we could get a site on a first come-first serve basis???? We were hoping to spend about a week there. I get nervous driving that far without a reservation.

The answers are "yes" and "yes". Fewer people are there after Labor Day, so they shut down the reservation system. The Lake Louise campground is open all year because people use it even during ski season. And they seem to do it successfully without reservations.

However, I did notice on the Parks Canada reservation site that, if you get there by September 2, you can reserve a site for any length of time. So, you could make a reservation at Lake Louise beginning on 9/2 for 7 days and they will honor it for the entire week.

We were in Banff and Jasper around mid-September a few years ago, but we stayed at Johnston Canyon rather than Lake Louise. There were plenty of sites available at both of those two campgrounds. The difference is that Johnston Canyon has no hookups and Lake Louise has electricity. That's a pretty important difference when it snows in mid-September (as it did when we were there!).

[natgild]

We are considering a similar trip in September. We tried to make reservations at Lake Louise Campground but it appears that they will not take reservations after September 2. I wonder if this means that there are not many people in that area at that time of year. Has anybody visited at that time of year? Do you think we could get a site on a first come-first serve basis???? We were hoping to spend about a week there. I get nervous driving that far without a reservation.

[JQgolf]

Thanks for additional comments on CG's and Canadian holidays. I didn't figure July 4th would be that special in CA, but I guess for those in US who live nearby, it would be. We will try to book those two or three big parks a little sooner or we'll learn more about no hookups with one battery! Still picking up maps, books, looking at routes and info on CG's.

[Dfresh]

I'd certainly make reservations, and probably farther in advance than the day of, day before. These parks are busy. Both Jasper and Banff. With a lot of campers, RVers, cyclists, tour-buses, and just vehicle traffic.

A number of the camp grounds, and Provincial Parks near me are already nearly full for the May long weekend (we started looking in Mar), some of the reservations were placed last year. You're probably taking your chances waiting until the day of. Whistlers just outside Jasper is a huge camp site, so you could get lucky there.

I'm not a shill either, but the All-Stays app for iPhone will show you campgrounds, what they have, how many sites, pet friendly, length restrictions (a number of Banff's campgrounds have restrictions) etc... for National Parks, Provincial Parks, Private sites, etc... it makes trip planning a bit easier.

[fanrgs]

Last August we made our reservations on-line for the campgrounds at Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff 4 days before we arrived in Jasper. There were a number of sites still available at Lake Louise and Tunnel Mountain, but we got one of the last two electric-only sites at Whistler's (and there were no full-hookup sites still available when we made our reservations). So, you may be able to wait on reservations until the last minute, but you do take a chance of not getting a site with hookups. However, there are overflow dry camping sites available at Jasper, so you should nearly always be able to find a spot to camp (except that week of July 1-4).

[profdant139]

By the way, try not to miss Yoho Nat Park -- it is near Lake Louise, much quieter campground, big rig friendly, and this was the view from our campsite -- and our trailer was right on the wild Kicking Horse River: