Camping at Kicking Horse Campground in Yoho National Park

Looking for more to explore during your stay at Kicking Horse Campground?
Marvel at magnificent Takkakaw Falls, paddle the aptly named Emerald Lake, or hike to the mighty Wapta Falls.

AMENITIES

• Flush toilets
• Free hot showers!
• Water available at restrooms and spigots placed around the campground
• Dishwashing sinks at restrooms
• No electrical or water hook-ups for RVs
• Picnic tables at all sites
• Fire pits at most sites — check the status when reserving, as some sites do not have fire pits
• Firewood available and included in the required campfire fee for all campsites with fire pits (except during a fire ban, when your campfire fee will be refunded)
• Garbage & recycling bins
• Limited cell service

ABOUT THE SITES

• Kicking Horse Campground has a total of 88 sites.
• Campsites cost $30.50 CAD per night.
• An additional nightly campfire fee of $11.00 CAD may be added when booking a site with a fire pit. This charge includes unlimited firewood, which is available at the campground, and will be refunded if there is a fire ban.
• Stock up on food, water, and gas ahead of time. Kicking Horse Campground is close to the small town of Field, but provisions in Field are limited. The larger town of Golden, located one hour to the west, is the best location for groceries and gas.
• Be bear aware. Never leave any food, coolers, or scented items out at your campsite unattended, or in tents.
• Prepare for bugs. When we visited in August it wasn’t too bad, but the mosquitos like to come out in the evening.
• There are no electrical or water hook-ups at Kicking Horse Campground.
• Most sites are partially or fully shaded. Size and distance from nearby sites varies, so check the description when you reserve.
• Campsites 77 through 89 are located in an open grassy loop. These sites are intended for RVs and trailers only, although they, like all sites at Kicking Horse Campground, are unserviced. They do not have fire pits.
• We spent our first night at site #87, one of the sites in the RV loop. While I prefer a site with more privacy, the views from this loop are spectacular, and there was a decent amount of space between sites.
• For our second and third nights, we stayed at site #39. This wooded site offered a bit more privacy and was conveniently close to the nearest restrooms and the amphitheatre.

HOW TO RESERVE YOUR SITE

• Advance reservations are highly recommended.
• All sites are now reservable in advance from the end of May through mid-October. This is new for 2024.
• Campgrounds in the Parks Canada system open for advance reservations by location on variable launch dates each year. In 2024, for example, campgrounds at Yoho National Park, including Kicking Horse, opened on January 23rd. Check the Parks Canada website for launch dates.
• On the official launch date, reservations for the entire camping season will become available.
• Create an online account with Parks Canada ahead of time so you are ready to reserve.
• On launch day, anyone logged into the reservation system in the 30 minutes leading up to the official launch time will be randomly assigned a spot in the reservation queue. In my experience, this relieved the pressure of having to log in at exactly the right moment, and the queue moved faster than I expected, but it can still be nerve-wracking. I actually booked the last available campsite at Kicking Horse Campground for my travel dates (and had the same experience with Snowforest Campground in Mount Revelstoke National Park)!
• Don’t worry if you missed launch day. Spaces may still be available, especially if your dates are flexible.

FUN STUFF

• Take a walk along the Kicking Horse River. It’s a bit overgrown in spots, but a short trail follows the impressively fast-moving river.
• Ride a bike. Multiple loops make the campground a great place to explore on bike.
• Play at the playground. For young campers, the playground at Kicking Horse Campground is a hit.
• Bask under the night sky. The RV loop offers prime star viewing on clear nights.
• Catch a presentation at the amphitheatre. Many presentations are kid-friendly and interactive.

NEARBY & NOTABLE

• Takakkaw Falls, one of Canada’s highest waterfalls, is only a 15-minute drive from Kicking Horse Campground. The name Takakkaw comes from the Cree word for magnificent, and when you see these mighty falls, you’ll understand why. This is also the starting point for many amazing hikes in Yoho National Park.
• Emerald Lake is just 20-minutes from Kicking Horse Campground. This gorgeous mountain lake offers paddling, swimming (for those who brave its icy waters), and hiking. It’s quite popular, so arrive early or come in the evening if you want to score a good parking spot.
• Wapta Falls is a half hour drive from the campground. A three-mile out and back hike leads to this impressive waterfall along the Kicking Horse River.
• Golden Skybridge is a little further afield, located an hour west of the campground in the town of Golden. This outdoor adventure park offers suspension bridges, ropes courses, one crazy high zipline, and more mountain thrills. It was a huge hit with my boys, and a fun, active alternative to our usual day hikes.
• Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are a mere 15-minute drive from Kicking Horse Campground. As the most famous lakes of the Canadian Rockies, this area sees far more crowds than even popular Emerald Lake. Reserve a shuttle in advance if you plan to visit.

THE VERDICT

Kicking Horse Campground is a great home base for exploring in and around Yoho National Park. The setting is gorgeous, there are a wide range of sites from which to choose, and (drum roll, please)… free hot showers! Nice new ones, too. The location is conveniently close to Trans-Canada Highway 1, but far enough from the highway to feel secluded. There can be some road noise from nearby Yoho Valley Road, but you won’t notice it at most sites, especially those close to the Kicking Horse River.

Some campsites at Kicking Horse Campground are fairly small, so be sure to check the description when you book. Most of the tent sites (basically all the sites other than those in the RV loop) are shady, and the trees provide some level of privacy even when the sites are close together. Most of these forested sites lack mountain views, but a walk around the campground reveals tantalizing glimpses of the surrounding peaks. The wide open RV loop offers the best mountain views.

For those looking to visit Lake Louise, Kicking Horse Campground is a good alternative to the more crowded campgrounds in Banff national Park. Reserve your site well in advance, or show up early to snag a first come, first served site. I don’t know when we’ll next make it up to the Canadian Rockies, but when we do, another stay at Kicking Horse Campground is definitely on the agenda.

It was a gorgeous late afternoon when we pulled into Kicking Horse Campground. The friendly gate attendant noted our teardrop trailer as he checked us in to site #87.

“If you come back tomorrow morning around 11, we might be able to move you to another site with more privacy,” he suggested. “Once we know if there are any vacancies. Right now everything’s full.”

“Sure,” I responded. Site #87 was literally the only available site when I made our reservation. Located in a large grassy field with no privacy between other sites, it’s not the kind of camping we usually go for.

At the time, I was happy just to have secured a site. And honestly, once we arrived at site #87, I can’t say I was disappointed. Just look at those Rocky Mountain views!

We set out to explore the campground, checking out the new shower building, the playground, and the brief trail along the Kicking Horse River. Back at our campsite, my younger son, T, quickly made friends with a boy from Calgary. We settled in around our gas fire pit for grilled cheese and chili sandwiches (followed by marshmallows, naturally). As the sky grew dark, we watched the stars slowly appear, and got an even closer view through T’s friend’s telescope.

Cleaning up was a breeze, and we made good use of the dishwashing sink outside the restroom. Anticipating our move to another campsite the following day, we chose not to set up our canopy. After all, we were here to explore Yoho National Park, and wanted to make the most of that opportunity.

After a morning visit to Takakkaw Falls the next day, we drove back to the campground to check out any newly available sites. Our pick was site #39, a cozy wooded site located conveniently close to the RV loop and T’s new friend. The kids were thrilled with their new home base, and would have happily spent the rest of the day playing at the campground. But once we made it out on the water at Emerald Lake, they agreed that sometimes the best adventures mean leaving the comfort of our campsite home.

Speaking of the best adventures, the next day turned out to be even better. Following a hike to Wapta Falls, we spent the afternoon at Golden Skybridge. Bridges, alpine coasters, and zip lines, oh my! Unfortunately, smoke from distant wildfires had settled over Yoho National Park and Kicking Horse Campground, but that didn’t dampen our boys’ enthusiasm.

We had more fun at the campground, too, learning about bears, wolverines, mountain goats, and sheep. A catchy song illustrating the difference between goats and sheep will live forever in our memories. Since I can’t share the melody here, you’ll simply have to visit for yourself to learn the tune.

On our third and final morning, we took our time packing up camp. It was less than a two hour drive to our next stop, Silverhorn Creek Campground, so why not linger? Even with the smoke, our stay at Kicking Horse Campground was fantastic, and a perfect introduction to the Canadian Rockies.