The best camping near Bow Valley Provincial Park

Whether your camping style requires a fully serviced campground site with modern amenities or a thoroughly rustic backcountry site far away from the rest of the world, one of the campgrounds in Bow Valley Provincial Park will fit the bill. The area doesn’t attract as many tourists as nearby Banff National Park, but it’s just as beautiful and is an excellent Canadian Rockies respite not far from Calgary, Alberta. There are plenty of alpine hiking and biking trails, plus pretty riverside scenery and lakes for paddling.

• Best for equine camping: Jewell Bay Campground, complete with corrals and hitching rails.
• Best for windsurfing: Lac des Arcs Campground beside Lac des Arcs.
• Best for families: Willow Rock Campground, with a playground, showers, and flush toilets.
• Best for water activities: Three Sisters Campground has a hand launch area for non-motorized watercraft.

1. With its proximity to Calgary and Banff, Bow Valley campgrounds fill up quickly on weekends, particularly long weekends. You can reserve up to 90 days ahead of time, so if you are hoping to snag a spot during high demand times, get your reservation in quick!
2. First come, first served access may be limited pending the time of year.

Being in the mountains means colder weather and snow later in the spring and earlier in the fall than at lower altitudes, so even in the summer, make sure you are prepared for cooler temperatures. Front country camping ends when summer does, but Jewell Bay Backcountry Campground is open four seasons. The equestrian campground only closes mid-April to mid-June for the annual elk run.

• Alberta Provincial Parks are free to enter, you don’t need a permit to get in. There is a fee to reserve campsites and nightly fees for camping though. 
• Water is available at each campground (handpumps, mainly) Bringing your own drinking water is a good idea and definitely recommended. 
• Bow River Campground and Lac des Arcs Campground both have disabled access.