Reservable backcountry camping information

Jasper National Park

  • General backcountry camping information

    Operating season (nights):
    • Year round
    Reservable period (nights):
    • ATHABASCA RIVER: Year-round
    • ATHABASCA PASS TRAIL: Year-round
    • CHABA: Year-round
    • FRYATT VALLEY: Year-round
    • JACQUES LAKE: Year-round
    • SATURDAY NIGHT LAKE LOOP: Year-round
    • GERALDINE LAKES TRAIL: Year-round
    • BRAZEAU: Year-round, except during seasonal caribou closure
    • MALIGNE PASS: July 8, 2022 to May 1, 2023, except during seasonal caribou closure
    • SKYLINE: July 8, 2022 to May 1, 2023
    • TONQUIN VALLEY: Year-round, except during seasonal caribou closure
    • MALIGNE LAKE: June 6, 2022 to Oct 31, 2022, thaw out dependent. December 12, 2022 to March 31, 2023, freeze up dependent
    • NORTH BOUNDARY: Year-round, except during seasonal caribou closure. No access to the west side of the North Boundary via Mt Robson trailhead due to 2022 season trail closure in Mt Robson.
    • SOUTH BOUNDARY: Year-round
    • FIDDLE RIVER: Year-round
    Reservable percentage:
    • 100%
    Kiosk hours:
    • N/A
    After hours registration:
    • N/A
    Check in time:
    • After 2 pm.
    Check out time:
    • Before 11 am.
    Quiet hours:
    • 11 pm - 6 am.
    Maximum length of stay:
    • Maximum user nights per campsite is 3 with the exception of Snowbowl, Tekarra, Curator, Hidden Cove, Fisherman’s Bay, Coronet Creek, Surprise Point, Jonas Cutoff, Four Point, Maligne Pass, Avalanche and Geraldine Lakes, where the maximum stay is 2 consecutive nights.
    Maximum persons per site:
    • 4 people
    Maximum camping units per site:
    • 1 tent per tent pad
    Fire policy:
    • Fires are permitted in designated fire rings except on the Skyline, Tonquin Valley, Geraldine Lakes, Watchtower, and Jonas Cutoff, where fires are not permitted.
    Alcohol and Cannabis Policy:
    • Alcohol consumption is permitted in backcountry campgrounds. Please keep in mind that backcountry campgrounds are shared spaces and many hikers choose to go to bed early and wake up early to start their day. Please be mindful of your neighbours and respect quiet hours.
    • Click on the following link for information on cannabis consumption in Jasper National Park: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/securite-safety/cannabis
    Pet policy:
    • Dogs are permitted in the backcountry, except on the Skyline trail, Watchtower, Tonquin Valley, Jonas Cutoff, Maligne Pass, and Poboktan.
    • Pets must be kept on a leash at all times. They must not be left unattended. You must pick up after your pet at all times.

    Backcountry camping locations

  • Fees

    • For information regarding camping fees for Jasper National Park please see our Fees page.
  • If there is no vacancy for your dates

    • Jasper National Park does 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 front country campgrounds.
  • Require additional information?

    Reservation service:

    Backcountry information:

    • Backcountry information can be obtained by calling 780-852-6177 x 2 during business hours from 9 am - 5 pm MST.

    General park information:

    • Park information can be obtained by calling 780-852-6176 during business hours from 9 am - 5 pm MST.

    For information and reservations for group camping:

  • 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.

Date modified :