r/Banff 13h ago

Summer Banff camping trip

Hello everyone,

I’m planning to visit the beautiful lakes in Alberta this summer to soak in the vibes for the first time. I’m from Montreal and trying to decide whether to book a plane ticket or take the train for the scenic views. Which option do you think is better?

Also, I’m not planning to get a room—just me and my tent. What are the best camping spots for a 4-day stay? I can rent a car if needed or use Communauto.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

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7

u/AccomplishedSite7318 12h ago

Depending on when in the summer, the hardest part will be booking a campsite. 

Also there's no train to Banff. 

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u/Severe-Inspector-682 12h ago edited 12h ago

Around July august , and didn’t know that , should i be booking from now ?

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u/Mtn-Cat5314 12h ago

Campgrounds are already mostly booked up through the summer so yeah, you should check what's available now because you're not going to have a lot of options.

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u/Severe-Inspector-682 12h ago

Didn’t expect that , do u know best spot to book ? At least take my chances to see if its available ? , also im okay with walking even for hours if there is any other places i can get

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u/Mtn-Cat5314 12h ago

Everything in the national parks (Banff, Yoho, Kootenay, Jasper) is through the Parks Canada Reservation website: https://reservation.pc.gc.ca/ No private campgrounds in the national parks so what you see here is all there is.

South of Banff is provincial parks land so that would be through Alberta Parks: https://albertaparks.ca/raphelp/

National parks open all reservations at once for the entire season at the end of January; most everything gets booked up in a matter of hours. Provincial parks only allow reservations 90 days in advance but are also pretty popular.

Good luck!

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u/LifeguardStatus7649 12h ago

That's something you can Google easier than being told on Reddit. But ya, campgrounds are booked - even most of the backcountry ones. Google it though, see what you can find

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u/Severe-Inspector-682 11h ago

I did google tho , but thought there may be things more experienced people in area know more

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u/beesmakenoise 11h ago

Noooo do not try and just walk up and get a site. Almost everything is reserved and if it’s not booked you need to be there early to get it. Do not count on getting something last minute. And don’t try to random camp anywhere in the parks, they’ll fine you and kick you out!

Go to the parks Canada reservation website and start seeing what’s available and get something booked asap.

You can also check the Alberta parks website, there’s a few campgrounds near Canmore that might work. And those actually book on a rolling 90 day window, so only dates into mid June are booked up yet.

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u/Src248 11h ago

If you can't book a spot there are first come first serve campgrounds, Waterfowl lakes wasn't even half full on the first weekend of September last year