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Reservable backcountry camping information

Kootenay National Park

General backcountry information
Operating season (nights):
- Year round. CAUTION: Possible Avalanche Danger in some locations in Winter or Spring!
Reservable period (nights):
- Dates may change
- Year round
Reservable percentage:
- 100%
Kiosk hours:
- Banff National Park
- Kootenay National Park
- Yoho National Park
After hours registration:
- N/A
Check in time:
- After 2 pm.
Check out time:
- Before 11 am.
Quiet hours:
- 11 pm to 6 am.
Maximum length of stay:
- The maximum night stay is 3 nights at any campground.
Maximum persons per site:
- 4 people
Maximum camping units per site:
- 1 tent per tent pad
Fire policy:
- Fires are permitted in designated campgrounds, but must be inside the established fire rings.
Alcohol policy:
- Not applicable
Pet policy:
- Dogs are permitted in some backcountry areas. Dogs are not permitted in the Lake Minnewanka area from July 10 to September 15. Dogs are not allowed on any trips which include a shelter.
- Dogs are considered as either predator or prey by many wild animals. This can provoke confrontations with wildlife and may affect your safety, so consider leaving your dog at home.
- Dogs must be kept under control and on a leash at all times. They must not be left unattended. You must pick up after your pet at all times.
Important Notices:
- Banff, Kootenay and Yoho National Parks online reservations will open January 23, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. MST
- Before this time, backcountry reservations are available only by calling the park directly:
- Banff National Park Visitor Centre: 403-762-1556
- Lake Louise Visitor Centre: 403-522-1264
- Kootenay National Park Visitor Centre: 250-347-9505 (Opens May 1, 2020)
- Yoho National Park Visitor Centre: 250-343-6783 (Opens May 1, 2020)
Backcountry camping locations:
- For Banff National Park, please go to www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/activ/randonee-backpacking.aspx for specific backcountry camping locations and trip ideas.
- For Yoho National Park, please go to www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/arrierepays-backcountry.
- For Kootenay National Park, please go to www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/kootenay/activ/arrierepays-backcountry.
Backcountry camping descriptions:
- For Banff National Park, please go to www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/activ/randonee-backpacking.aspx for specific backcountry camping locations and trip ideas.
- For Yoho National Park, please go to www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/arrierepays-backcountry.
- For Kootenay National Park, please go to www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/kootenay/activ/arrierepays-backcountry.
Fees
- For information regarding camping fees:
If there is no vacancy for your dates:

Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks do not have backcountry sites available on a first come first served basis. If there are no sites available for the dates selected, you can either select different dates, or reserve a site in one of our frontcountry campgrounds.
Require additional information?

Reservation service:
- New!!! Banff, Kootenay and Yoho National Parks are excited to offer backcountry camping reservations online to their visitors for the 2018 season! Online reservations will open March 1, 2018 at 8 am MST
- Before this time, backcountry reservations are available only by calling the park directly:
- Telephone: 1-877-RESERVE (1-877-737-3783) 8 am to 6 pm local park time; or
- Website: Parks Canada Reservation Service
General park information:
- Banff National Park
- Kootenay National Park
- Yoho National Park
For information and reservations for group camping:
- N/A
Terms and definitions

Site-specific

Guests select the specific campsite or accommodation when they make their reservation. All front-country camping reservations made through the Parks Canada Reservation Service (PCRS) are site-specific reservations.

Operating Season (Nights)

The "Operating Season" is the nights that the campground is open. Sometimes the campgrounds are open for longer than the period for which they accept reservations. Any dates of the "Operating Season" outside of the "Reservable Period" are dates that the campground operates on a first come, first served basis only.

Reservable Period (Nights)

The "Reservable Period" is the nights for which you can make a camping or accommodation reservation. Note that many campgrounds may be open longer than this period, and operate outside of these dates on a first-come, first-served basis.

Kiosk

The administration/entrance booth of a particular campground, this is where you "check-in" and register your arrival.

Vehicle

Car, truck, motorcycle, truck-camper, motorhome, or recreational vehicle. A motor home pulling another vehicle may count as two vehicles.

Camping Unit

Tent, tent-trailer, truck-camper, trailer, 5th wheel, motorhome or recreational vehicle.

Serviced Site

Refers to a campsite offering either electrical, water, and/or sewer hook-ups or any combination of these services directly on the campsite. Fully-serviced sites offer electrical, potable water, and sewer hook-ups. "Unserviced" sites do not offer any of these hook-ups.

The terms "serviced" and "unserviced" refer to the individual campsites; they do not refer to the washroom facilities or other amenities available at the campground.

Drive-through Site

Campsite where the driver does not have to reverse their vehicle to exit (there is a separate entrance and exit to the individual campsite). Ideal for larger vehicles and trailers.

Walk-in Site

Campsite which requires some degree of walking to access the site, and therefore requires a tent. Vehicle will be parked a short distance away.

Overflow Site

Overflow campsites vary from park to park, and may range from a paved area to park a camping unit (not generally suitable for tents) to a more traditional, grassy site. They are unserviced and are not reservable.

Accessible Site

A campsite which is accessible to guests with limited mobility.

Firepit

A designated structure for campfires located on a campsite. Check availability, as not all campsites offer a fire pit. In some parks, a fire permit is required to have a fire.

In some parks, only communal firepits are available, and access is shared with other guests.

Fire permit

In some campgrounds, guests will require a valid fire permit to have a campfire. A fire permit may include firewood. Please refer to the ‘Fire policy’ section of the QRT for individual campground policies.

Firewood

In some campgrounds firewood is sold by the bundle, whereas in others a fire permit may give the holder access to the campground wood pile. Please refer to the ‘Fire policy’ section of the QRT for individual campground policies.

First-come, First-served Site

Campsites that are available on a first come, first served basis only. These sites are only available to guests who are physically located at the campground. These sites cannot be registered over the telephone or on-line. These campsites may be available for only 1 night or for multiple nights depending on availability.

Shoulder Season

Shoulder season refers to the season before and after the peak season. While many campgrounds remain open outside of their peak season, the services offered during this period may be limited (please check with the park for more details).

Entrance Pass

A valid National Park Entrance Pass is required for all visitors to National Parks that have entry fees.

Daily Entrance Pass

A daily entrance pass permits visitor’s unlimited entry to the specified park on a per day basis for the period of time indicated.

Annual/Seasonal Entrance Pass

An annual or seasonal entrance pass permits visitor’s unlimited entry to the specified park for the period of time indicated.

Parks Canada Discovery Pass

The Parks Canada Discovery Pass permits visitors unlimited entry to the participating Parks Canada national parks and national historic sites across Canada, for a period of 12 months.

Related links

Date modified :: 2020-02-04