With breathtaking views of glacial icefields, and the opportunity to explore all of Alberta from prairie flatlands to mountain peaks, an incredible RV travel journey awaits.
Here are five Alberta national parks to visit …
1— Banff National Park
Nestled into the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff National Park is known for turquoise glacial lakes, hiking trails, and plenty of opportunities to see wildlife from grizzly bears to golden eagles. It also serves as Canada’s oldest national park and has over 4.5 million visitors annually. The town of Banff has many restaurants with a variety of cuisines and hotels for RVers who want to make a pit stop.
The park is also 470 km southwest of Edmonton, 200 km west of Airdrie and has over 1,000 RV sites — Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court has full hookups, while Tunnel Mountain Village II has electrical hookups and flush toilets.
Lake Louise, which has sparkling and turquoise water, also has hookups. Two Jack Lakeside and Castle Mountain are also great spots with limited hookups and stunning mountain views. Moraine Lake, Lake Minnewanka and Vermilion Lakes have biking trails. Back in town, the Fairmont at Banff Springs is a stunning hotel in the area that has one of Canada’s top golf courses to play at.
2— Jasper National Park
Located in the Canadian Rockies in western Alberta, Jasper National Park spans nearly 11,000 square kilometers. The park is well known for the Columbia Icefield, home to the largest icefield in the Rockies. Elk, moose and grizzly bears also are frequently spotted, with the town of Jasper offering rustic restaurants and hotels alongside the Athabasca River Valley.
The park is also roughly 400 km south of Grande Prairie, 365 km west of Edmonton, and has over 2,000 RV sites. Whistlers campground is the largest with electrical and full-hookup options. Wapiti offers hot showers and electricity.
Pocahontas, Wabasso and Jonas Creek are smaller sites with basic amenities, with Wabasso offering electrical sites for small RVs. Pyramid Lake, Beauvert Lake, and Lake Edith and Lake Annette are great swimming lakes in the area. The Raven Bistro in town also has upscale dining with seafood and steak on the menu.
3— Waterton Lakes National Park
Nestled between the Canadian Rockies and the prairies, Waterton Lakes National Park shares its southern border with Montana, USA. It is well known for massive mountain peaks towering above the grasslands below with no foothills in between. It also has an International UNESCO Peace Park that forms with Montana’s Glacier National Park, serving as a global symbol of peace and environmental collaboration.
The park is roughly 290 km south of Airdrie, 550 km south of Edmonton, and features 300 RV sites. Townsite campground has roughly 45 electric sites with some first-come first-serve sites.
Belly River and Backcountry campgrounds are smaller in scale with limited or no options for hookups. Cameron Lake is known for paddle boarding, while Crypt Lake has a morning boat shuttle that traverses through the water. Waterton Park Cafe is a great spot for lunch, serving burgers, fries and sandwiches.
4— Elk Island National Park
Located in the prairie flatlands, Elk Island National Park is a quick jaunt from Edmonton and is only 45 km east of the city. The park is well known for its role in saving North American bison from near extinction by acting as a wildlife sanctuary. It is one of the only places that protects plains bison and wood bison, exporting disease-free herds to Banff National Park and globally to places like Russia.
At Astotin Lake, the park’s only campground, there are 75 RV and camping sites with no hookups or water. The campground also accommodates RVs of any length.
Tawayik Lake is also a great spot ideal for hiking and bird watching while Moss Lake is a popular loop trail for spotting moose and bison in the surrounding meadows. The U-Turn Local Eatery and Kitchen is a top destination for brunch and burgers on the way in the town of Ardrossan.
5— Wood Buffalo National Park
As Canada’s largest national park, Wood Buffalo sits on the border of northeastern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It is also recognized by the United Nations with a UNESCO World Heritage Site for having free-roaming wood bison to save the species from extinction. The park also has one of two known natural nesting sites in the world for the endangered, towering Whooping Crane.
It is located roughly 850 km northeast of Grande Prairie and has 20 RV sites with no hookups at Pine Lake campground. Additional rustic backcountry sites are available at Rainbow Lakes and Sweetgrass Station.
Pine Lake serves as the park’s top swimming destination in aquamarine water. Grosbeak Lake is also popular for sightseeing and hiking. RVers should bring food and water as there are no restaurants in the remote park.
For Traveland RV inventory in Alberta for Edmonton, Airdrie and Grande Prairie, visit travelandrvcanada.com.