Booking dates and Times for Camping Alberta’s Parks

Alberta Parks and Parks Canada have bumped up their booking dates this year. I know it’s crazy to be booking summer camping in January or February, but  if you have your eye on a certain site or particular weekend it’s best to do so as soon as the reservation system goes live. I like to browse the campsites ahead of time, using the “photos” feature to look for that perfect secluded campsite for my family, then on opening day I can click right on the site I want without wasting time looking through each loop or campsite number.

The National Park system is already open for some campgrounds and other parks are only days away.

Here’s the basic layout of dates and times for all you happy campers wanting to ensure you get the exact site you want on the date you want.

National Parks in Alberta:

PARK: Jasper National Park- including Pocohontas, Wabasso,Wapiti, and Whistlers (including oTENTiks comfort camping)
DATE: Wednesday, January 13th, 8:00 a.m. MST. 
WHY: Jasper’s Whistlers park is one of our family favourites. Every campground in Jasper fills up for the weekends very far in advance. If you are looking for a long weekend, I suggest you refresh your browser right at 8am to start your search. Full service sites are in high demand anytime in the summer. Tenting sites do not fill up near as fast, but keep in mind not every site has a fire pit in the national park.

PARK: Banff National Park-  Lake Louise, Two Jack, Johnston Canyon, Tunnel Mountain
DATE: Some sites have already been released and the rest will be Thursday, January 14th, at  8:00 a.m. MST
WHY: Banff is incredibly popular and there are so many good reasons why. Two Jack Lake is particularly awesome in my opinion. These campgrounds are busy all summer long, weekends and weekdays.  But if you are looking to stay in mountains but away from the (bigger) crowds, other options include Bow Valley Provincial Park (see below) and Peter Lougheed PP which are both located in the mountains, before Canmore (and both will still book up quickly)

PARK: Elk Island National Park- Astotin Campground
DATE: Friday, January 15th, 2016 8:00 a.m. MST
WHY:  While Elk Island doesn’t have the popularity of the mountain national parks, Equipped camping is in high demand and is a great way to try out camping as a family without purchasing any gear.  These sites will fill up quite fast, especially for popular dates. Here’s a post on why you should add Elk Island to your list of places to discover this year.

PARK: Waterton National Park- Townsite Campground
DATE: Friday, January 15th, 2016 8:00 a.m. MST
WHY:  If you want to try out Waterton and don’t want to risk not having a site at the popular first come first serve  Crandell Mountian Campground, then this is your best option. Unfortunately, the campground is in the middle of the townsite and the sites are not private at all, buuuuuut the views, the ability to walk to anywhere in town you like, and the lake front location make it still a worthwhile visit.   If you’d like to Tipi Camp at Crandell Mountain, reservations open May 10th by phone. Here’s my post on what makes Waterton great.

 

The link to book all of the above through the National Parks System is HERE 

 

Alberta Provincial Parks-

The provincial park system is a bit different. Their system goes live in February. However, you can only book dates up to 90 in advance of your departure date. So if you are looking for May long weekend camping,  you can book on opening day. Then you can book up 16 days in a row.

Some dates to keep in mind when looking for a Provincial park to camp at-

Monday Feb 8 @ 9am: Group Camping – reserve for the entire season

Tuesday Feb 16 @ 9am: Comfort Camping – reserve for the entire season. If you are wanting to try out the yurts, the canvas wall tents at Dinosaur, the cabins at Lac La Biche, be ready to book on this day. Especially if you are looking for a long weekend or a extended period of time, you need to be on the computer by 8:59am ready to go.

Monday Feb 22 (timing by region): Regular Campsites– these are restricted to the 90 day window

South @ 9:00am—-Kananaskis @ 11:00am——–East & West Central @ 1:00pm———Northeast & Northwest @ 3:00pm

Then for the rest of the season you need to do some counting. For example, if you want to head out on June 30th to spend Canada day in a park, you’d need to book on April 1. If you are looking to head out for August long weekend, leaving on Friday July 29, you’d need to book April 30th. I found this handy calculator to do the math for you at this website HERE.

Our favourite provincial parks include Dinosaur, Writing on Stone, Crimson Lake,  Long Lake, Carson-Pegasus, Red Lodge, Sir Winston Churchill…just to name a few. We also love the Yurts at Pigeon Lake and the Cabins at Lac La Biche.  I have blog posts lined up for all these different campgrounds, but for now browse the Alberta Parks website, find something new and book early to avoid disappointment! This year our list includes  William A. Switzer, Crimson Lake (again! we love the beach here, our favourite in Central Alberta), Elkwood Campground at Peter Lougheed PP,  Jasper Park, and back to the badlands at least once. So much to plan 🙂

 

The link to book Provincial Parks is HERE.  Insider Tip- write the date and time to book your preferred site in your daytimer and or add it is an event on your phone with a alarm to remind you when it’s the right date and time to book. 

 

Happy Camping!