FAQ Category: Campgrounds and Itineraries

Parks Canada only allows one tent per tent pad. Tent pads are generally small and will not fit more than one tent anyway.  

Parks Canada only allows a single tent per tent pad. If you bring two tents, you will need two permits. Up to four people can be on a single permit as long as they use one tent. 

You cannot “just show up and hike” the entire trail if you do not have permits. You can however do some sections of the trail with no, or few permits, such as Section B (you will still need an Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass). There are other sections that are also possible with just a Public Lands Camping Pass, and easy to book random camping permits, such as Section D, F, and G.

You need to get all of your required permits before you hike. If you missed out on one or two, there’s a few things you can do: 

• Check nearby campgrounds. It might not be your first choice, and might mean a longer or shorter day, but it can help fill gaps in your itinerary. 

• Keep checking. Reservations often become available. Parks Canada allows you to sign up for notifications (instructions at the bottom of this page), or you can use a service like Schnerp.  

• Hike an alternate route. For example, go through the Amiskwi valley if you can’t get camp spots along the Iceline Trail in Yoho.  

• If you really get stuck, you can always skip ahead. There may be more availability later in the season, so you can flip back and hike your missing section after you’ve completed most of your hike.  

Most Provincial Park backcountry campgrounds do not take reservations and have first-come first-served self-registration. The exceptions are in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park and on the Berg Lake Trail in Mount Robson Provincial Park where backcountry campgrounds reservations are required. For more detailed information on how to reserve a provincial park campground including links, telephone numbers and email addresses, check out our Permit page. 

The Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass is required to random camp on public land along the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta from north of Waterton Lakes National Park to Willmore Wilderness Park. The pass does not apply in Kananaskis area, national parks, provincial parks, wildland provincial parks, provincial recreation areas, wilderness areas and natural areas, which limits the pass’s applicability on the GDT to the southern half of Section B, Michele Lakes to Pinto Lake (Section E), and Willmore Wilderness Park (Section G).