ESSENTIALS - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 559

areas set aside for overflow camping. Many of the campgrounds consist of nothing more
than picnic tables, drinking water, pit toilets, and firewood ($8 per site per night), but at
least one campground in each park has hot showers and full hookups. Each park also has
an area set aside for winter camping.
A percentage of sites in the most popular campgrounds can be reserved through the
Parks Canada Campground Reservation Service (877/737-3783, www.pccamping.ca )
for a nonrefundable $11 reservation fee. If you're traveling in the height of summer and
require electrical hookups, this booking system is highly recommended. The remaining
campsites in the national parks operate on a first-come, first-served basis and often fill by
midday in July and August.
Each of the road-accessible provincial parks covered in this topic provides camping fa-
cilities, usually only with drinking water, picnic tables, and pit toilets. The exceptions are
Peter Lougheed and Bow Valley Provincial Parks in Kananaskis Country, where hookups
and showers are provided. Campground operations in Kananaskis Country are contrac-
ted to private operators but ultimately come under the auspices of the Alberta government
( www.albertaparks.ca ) . This department is also in charge of other campgrounds on public
lands, including those in provincial recreation areas along the eastern slopes of the Cana-
dian Rockies. BC Parks ( www.bcparks.ca ) manages similar facilities along the other side
of the divide; camp fees range $14-28 per night.
Commercial campgrounds operate in Canmore and Radium Hot Springs, at the en-
trance to Waterton Lakes National Park, and in Golden, Mount Robson Provincial Park,
and Grande Cache. They provide full hookups and have showers but generally lack the
natural surroundings found in national and provincial parks. In Kananaskis Country, the
privately operated Mount Kidd RV Park boasts a tennis court, recreation room, spa, and
sauna.
Backcountry Camping
Backcountry camping in all national parks is $10 per person per night, or purchase an an-
nual pass ($70), valid for unlimited backcountry travel and camping for 12 months from
its purchase date. Before heading out, you must register at the respective park information
center (regardless of whether you have an annual pass) and pick up a Backcountry Permit
(for those without an annual pass, the cost is the nightly camping fee multiplied by the
number of nights you'll be in the backcountry). Many popular backcountry campgrounds
have quotas, with reservations taken up to three months in advance. The reservation fee