Truck Camping in Jasper and Banff in May

I think you will enjoy Jasper very much in May. You will be ahead of the crowds and Jasper weather is usually ahead of the rest of Alberta in the spring. We used to camp at Jasper (just south of town in the winter campsite) in March in a tent trailer. Arriving from the Grande Prairie to the north, we experienced spring first at the sand dunes along Jasper Lake on the way in. Lovely walks there, careful not to disturb the elk too much. We picked a good weather day to go and stayed till there was a heavy snowfall. In May the walking trails should be open, though some will be wet or icy. Maybe snowy; cross country skis a good idea. Miette Hot Springs opens May 9. Wonderful location and that early you may be able to boondock in the parking lot after a warm dip in the pool. . It is a real treat to be up so high overnight. The campsite down near the highway will be closed. Use the big rest area just east of the park entrance if necessary.

hedge wrote:
yes, The may long weekend is probably the busiest weekend of the year for camping. as it's the unofficial start of the camping season. I usually avoid it.

That is not the answer I wanted to see. My estimate is that by the long weekend we should be near the bottom end of the Cassiar but that won't be known till much closer to the date.

Last time we got caught by the July 1st holiday. Spent the night in a supermarket lot. Real quiet. Everyone had gone camping.

When we visited that area and all along the Icefields parkway back in June of '08 I had outlined lots of hiking I wanted to do. Found lakes were still iced in and trails snowcovered... Some of the short hikes to popular tourist-type areas were open. I imagine in May you will certainly want skis or snowshoes!!! ST

Bring your ski gear. Sunshine Village is open on May long weekend! May Long weekend will be busy rain or shine or snow. You could camp at the overflow parking lot in Banff a couple miles west of town. With no services its like boondocking. Bring your warm clothing, the last few May longs have been rainy and cool.

yes, The may long weekend is probably the busiest weekend of the year for camping. as it's the unofficial start of the camping season. I usually avoid it.

Sort of a follow on question as we are planning to be in the area again this year but a little later in May. I see there is a holiday weekend starting May 19th. Are the parks busy overr that weekend? Reservations needed?

Weather
Highly Variable. Sometimes our largest snow storms come in May.
Trails Lower ones may be OK. Higher ones will almost certainly have considerable snow.
Other information posted is good.
Will be a scenic time with snow on peaks and wildlife usually more visable.
No boondocking allowed in National Parks. Opportunities outside the Parks.

I see you're from Denver. I'd expect camping in Banff and Jasper in early May to be like camping in the mountains of Colorado at the same time. Lower mountains but further north. How about taking some snowshoes (don't laugh, we've done it)? But you should avoid most of the bugs!

Tunnel mountain (Banff) and Wapiti (Jasper) have powered sites open year round. In fact we just camped at Tunnel mountain last weekend. Tunnel mountain isn't a great campsite (more like a parking lot) but it's very close to Banff and you can take the bus into town and see the sights.

Not a whole lot of boondocking in the parks that I'm aware of but just east of the parks their's lots. I spend a lot of time in the Nordegg area which is east of saskatchewan river crossing which is halfway between Banff and Jasper. Jasper and especially Banff are too busy and touristy for my taste.

Weather can be very unpredictable so I think I'd like to have powered sties so that you can depend on heat at least.

Expect cool weather & maybe not many people. We did Waterton Lakes around that time a few yers ago. The town was NOT even OPEN. Parts of the CG had been plowed. The power was on. No water. Nobody to take a camping fee. Did a few nights there free. Great! Only a couple others in the CG. Too cold to be sitting outside in the evening.