BANFF NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 95

AROUND THE TOWN OF BANFF
Closest to town is Tunnel Mountain Campground, which is three campgrounds rolled
into one. The location is a lightly treed ridge east of downtown, with views north to Casca-
de Mountain and south to Mount Rundle. From town, follow Tunnel Mountain Road east,
to beyond the Douglas Fir Resort (which is within walking distance for groceries, liquor,
and laundry). If you're coming in off the TransCanada Highway from the east, bypass
town completely by turning left onto Tunnel Mountain Road at the Banff Rocky Moun-
tain Resort. Approaching from this direction, the first campground you pass is the park's
largest, with 622 well-spaced, relatively private sites ($28 per site), each with a fire ring
and picnic table. Other amenities include drinking water, hot showers, and kitchen shel-
ters. This campground has no hookups. It is open mid-May-early September. Less than
one kilometer (0.6 mile) farther along Tunnel Mountain Road toward town is a signed
turnoff (Hookups) that leads to a registration booth for two more campgrounds. Unless you
have a reservation from Parks Canada Campground Reservation Service (877/737-3783,
www.pccamping.ca ) , you'll be asked whether you require an electrical hookup ($32 per
site) or a site with power, water, and sewer ($38 per site), then sent off into the corres-
ponding campground. The power-only section (closest to town) stays open year-round, the
other mid-May-September. Both have hot showers but little privacy between sites.
Along Lake Minnewanka Road northeast of town are two campgrounds offering fewer
services than the others, but with sites that offer more privacy. The pick of the two is
Two Jack Lakeside Campground (June-mid-Sept., $32 per site), with 80 sites tucked in-
to trees at the south end of Two Jack Lake, an extension of Lake Minnewanka. Facilities
include hot showers, kitchen shelters, drinking water, and flush toilets. It's just over six
kilometers (3.7 miles) from the TransCanada Highway underpass. The much larger Two
Jack Main Campground (mid-June-mid-Sept., $22 per site) is a short distance farther
along the road, with 381 sites spread throughout a shallow valley. It offers the same fa-
cilities as Two Jack Lakeside, sans showers. The overflow camping area ($10) for these
and the three Tunnel Mountain campgrounds is at the beginning of the Lake Minnewanka
Road loop.
BOW VALLEY PARKWAY
Along Bow Valley Parkway between the town of Banff and Lake Louise are three camp-
grounds. Closest to Banff is Johnston Canyon Campground (early June-mid-Sept., $28
per site), between the road and the rail line, 26 kilometers (16 miles) west of Banff. It is
the largest of the three campgrounds, with 140 sites, and has hot showers but no hookups.