Written by: Sarah (@adventures.of.blondie)
Securing a backcountry campsite has become increasingly hard along the most popular trails, with bookings needing to be secured when reservations open months before summer even begins. If you don’t have your summer reservations secured though, fear not! I’ve come up with a list of 10 spectacular backpacking trips which are less coveted and you can still secure a tent pad on!
These are 10 backcountry spots which still have availability for anyone hoping to hit the trail; they are maintained trails, located within the mountain parks, which require a camping permit. From easy to difficult trails, there is something for everyone, who doesn’t want to plan their summer 6 months in advance.
The 10 Best Backcountry Camping Trips In The Rockies
The Sawback Trail - Banff National Park
This multiday thru hike starts at the Mount Norquay Ski Hill and ends at The Lake Louise Ski Hill, for some reason, this backcountry gem is often overlooked and you can regularly pick up last minute camping spots along the trail. At 70 plus kilometres in length though, this is a week long undertaking. Many people opt to shorten the trip by either exiting or entering along the Johnston Canyon Trail.
Top Tip: Spend your last night camping at Wildflower Creek, it makes for a long last day but it is mostly downhill and then you don’t need to contend with trying to secure a spot at Baker Lake on the incredibly popular Skoki Trail.
Lake Minnewanka - Banff National Park
The mostly lakeside trail along the shore of Lake Minnewanka is home to numerous backcountry campgrounds. If you are looking for a one of two night trip, with big lake views, this is the trip for you! Look for availability at campground LM11, Mount Inglismaldie and beyond for a last minute summer trip. This is achievable for an overnighter as elevation change is somewhat minimal compared to a lot of backpacking trips in the Canadian Rockies.
One reason this trip likely doesn’t get booked up for the whole summer is that there is a Parks Canada restriction in place on the Lake Minnewanka Trail, so from July 10 to September 15 you must hike in tight groups of four or more and carry bear spray at all times.
The Elbow Loop - Kananaskis
For a multiday trip in Kananaskis, the Elbow Loop typically has great availability through the summer, especially at the Mount Romulus and Big Elbow campgrounds, Tombstone, which sits in the middle of the two and can also be accessed from the Elbow Lake trail has more limited availability but outside of weekends, you may get lucky. Even if you can’t get a spot at Tombstone, the long day between Mount Romulus and Big Elbow campgrounds is quite doable for experienced backpackers.
Jacques Lake - Jasper National Park
The Jacques Lake trail in Jasper is a perfect overnight trip, with plenty of opportunity to grab a spot as summer approaches. The 12km hike is on a well maintained trail and a lakeside campsite offers fantastic views. It is a peaceful and less well travelled area of the park in summer, so perfect for a quiet one night break.
Ribbon Lake and Ribbon Falls - Kananaskis
The Ribbon Lake trail follows a creek up through a valley before it reaches Ribbon Falls, if you are looking for a beginner friendly backpacking spot, this is a perfect place to spend a night. For those with more experience, the trail continues on to Ribbon Lake. However the trail does get considerably harder, with a chain section to help navigate a rock headwall before reaching the lakeside campground. Both campgrounds typically have excellent availability throughout the summer, so they are a great option for last minute planners.
Tonquin Valley - Jasper National Park
With one entry to Tonquin Valley still closed after the fires, Tonquin Valley is still showing a fair amount of availability. It is a long hike into the core area though from the Portal Trailhead at just over 20 kilometers. Although I’ve done it a few times, this is not a trail for first timers unless you get lucky a snag a spot at the Portal Campground on the way in, but reservations for this campground are super limited at this point.
Once into the core area of Tonquin, the Maccarib campground is the first one you will reach, for those with stronger legs it is a further 3.4km to the Amethyst Lake campground and 5 plus kilometers onto Surprise Point.
Jewell Bay, Kananaskis
A perfect beginner backpacking trip or for anyone short on time, Jewell Bay campground along the shore of Barrier Lake in Kananaskis, is a great option for a last minute trip. The hike is just under 4km but you can set up camp, lighten your pack and head up to Jewell Pass if you want a longer hike.
While you might struggle to get a spot here on a weekend, midweek it is a less popular camping spot and much easier to pick up a last minute spot.
Crandell Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park
It can be tough to get a spot at a backcountry campground in Waterton Lakes but the beginner-friendly Crandell Lake backcountry site typically has great availability midweek. This easy trail is a 2km or 3km hike in, depending on which road you decide to access it from. Lakeside backcountry camping doesn’t get much better than this.
Brazeau Loop - Jasper National Park
A few years ago a bridge got washed out on the Brazeau Loop, near Brazeau Lake, meaning in order to complete the circuit trail, backpackers needed to ford a fast flowing river. Since this is off putting to many people, campgrounds along the trail typically have good availability. The biggest hurdle to backing the Brazeau trail is that the two closest campgrounds to the trailhead do get booked up and then after that, everyone spreads out among the large amount of spots which can be accessed. If you can secure your first night though, you’ll enjoy many less busy and easy to book campgrounds.
Turbine Canyon, Kananaskis
Often overlooked in the Kananaskis Lakes area, the Turbine Canyon campground regularly has availability at the last minute, at 15km, it isn’t the easiest trip and most of the hike is in the forest. Your reward is a well maintained campground and the ability to see Turbine Canyon, a lesser visited spot in Kananaskis, out of range of most day hikers.
For anyone nervous about the distance, located at around 7km from the trailhead is the Forks campground, which also typically has great availability, so you can easily turn this into a two night trip if you want.