Camping at Silverhorn Creek Campground in Beautiful Banff National Park

Looking for more to explore during your stay at Silverhorn Creek Campground?
Take a short hike to Mistaya Canyon, or marvel at the view of Peyto Lake. For something a little further afield, take a guided walk across the incredible Athabasca Glacier, or follow these gorgeous hikes to Parker Ridge or Stanley Falls.

AMENITIES

• Vault toilets
• No water is available at the campground
• No electrical hook-ups
• No showers
• Fire pits and picnic tables at all sites
• Firewood available and included in the required campfire fee (except during a fire ban, when your campfire fee will be refunded)
• Garbage & recycling bins
• No cell service

ABOUT THE SITES

• Silverhorn Campground has a total of 45 sites.
• Campsites cost $19.75 CAD per night.
• An additional nightly campfire fee of $11.00 CADmay be added. This charge includes unlimited firewood, which is available at the campground, and will be refunded if there is a fire ban.
• Silverhorn Creek Campground is a self check-in campground. This means there is no camp host or ranger stationed at the campground. A roster listing the reservations for the next several days is posted at the information kiosk near the vault toilets.
• Stock up on food, water, and gas ahead of time. Silverhorn Creek Campground is far from town. Fortunately, gas and food are available at Saskatchewan River Crossing, 25 kilometers north of the campground on the Icefields Parkway. It may be the most expensive gas in Canada, but when in need you’ll be grateful it’s there.
• Be bear aware. Never leave any food, coolers, or scented items unattended. Rangers drive through the campground daily to make sure the rules are followed, and will move unattended food items into bear boxes and issue a friendly reminder if you forget.
• There is some road noise, but not much. Although close to the Icefields Parkway, the campground is well protected from the road. We easily forgot we were so close to the highway, and sites near the river may not hear it at all.
• Prepare for bugs. When we visited in August there were mercifully few mosquitos, but I suspect that isn’t always the case.
• There are no electrical or water hook-ups at Silverhorn Creek Campground.
• Most sites are out in the open, with little shade or privacy barriers. On the plus side, this means they offer fantastic mountain views.
• Campsites 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9, located by the woods, are some of the largest and most private sites. The mountain views from these sites aren’t as grand, but we loved the extra space.
• Tents are only allowed on gravel campground pads. This helps protect the native plants surrounding the sites.
• We stayed at site #2, a spacious pull through site next to the woods. It’s spaced well apart from neighboring sites, and we still enjoyed a mountain view. The site got plenty of sun, but proximity to the woods provided us with a great place to hang the hammocks.

HOW TO RESERVE YOUR SITE

• Advance reservations are highly recommended, and all sites can (and should) be reserved in advance during peak season. This means first come, first served sites are seldom available at peak times.
• Campgrounds in the Parks Canada system open for advance reservations by location on variable launch dates each year. In 2024, for example, campgrounds at Banff National Park, including Silverhorn Creek, open for reservations on January 26th. 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.
• Choose “Banff– Lake Louise” as the location when reserving online. This location includes all campgrounds located near Lake Louise and further north in Banff National Park.
• 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.
• Don’t worry if you missed launch day. Spaces may still be available, especially if your dates are flexible. Consider other campgrounds in the area as well.

FUN STUFF

• Check out Silverhorn Creek. It’s a shallow creek, and the banks are a fun place for kids to play and explore.
• Ride a bike. My kids loved looping through the camp and biking the short trail at the far end of the campground.
• Go on a nature walk. The same path the kids used for biking is also great for a walk and leads to a beautiful area along the creek.
• Bask under the night sky. On a clear night, the view of the stars from Silverhorn Creek Campground is incredible.

NEARBY & NOTABLE

• Mistaya Canyon is a 15-minute drive north of Silverhorn Creek Campground off the Icefields Parkway. It’s a short downhill hike from the parking lot to this dramatic river gorge.
• Peyto Lake, best known for its overlook of the distinctive turquoise lake, is only 15 minutes south of the campground. It’s also the starting point for several longer trails.
• Bow Lake, located south of Peyto Lake, is yet another gorgeous Canadian Rockies lake. We skipped it due to bad weather during our stay, but caught a tantalizing glimpse on our drive in. Come here for kayaking or to take the hike to Bow Falls.
• The Parker Ridge Trail offers incredible views of the Saskatchewan Glacier and valley below.
• The Athabasca Glacier is your best bet for getting up close with a glacier. You can hike to the toe of the glacier, or take a guided walk onto the glacier with IceWalks.
• The Icefields Parkway is a destination unto itself. All the sights listed above are located along the Parkway, and there are more amazing waterfalls, lakes, and hikes to explore as you head further north.
• The hike along Beauty Creek to Stanley Falls, also along the Icefields Parkway north of the Athabasca Glacier, is a little further afield, but a real stunner.
• Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are only a 40-minute drive south of Silverhorn Creek Campground. We didn’t visit these lakes on our trip (too crowded), but this campground is a good home base if you plan to do so.

THE VERDICT

First things first: On a clear day, Silverhorn Creek Campground is drop-dead gorgeous. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so in awe of my surroundings at a public campground. And for a “primitive” campground, Silverhorn Creek isn’t what you might expect. The campsites are well kept with newer picnic tables, the road through the campground is paved, and the vault toilets are clean. What makes it primitive is really just the lack of available water. Fortunately, water is available at Waterfowl Lakes Campground, located just six kilometers to the north along the Icefields Parkway.

Perhaps because of the lack of water or because it’s so far from the towns of Banff and Jasper, Silverhorn Creek Campground isn’t as popular as some of the more “mainstream” national park campgrounds. But if you plan to visit in summer, expect that these campsites will fill up well in advance. I doubt there were any unreserved sites during our three-night stay, although there were a few no-shows.

As for our family, we would definitely stay at Silverhorn Creek again. When the sun comes out, camping in the Canadian Rockies doesn’t get much better than this.

We arrived at Silverhorn Creek Campground around noon, which has to be a new record for us. Unfortunately, our excitement over our early arrival was dampened when we discovered another RV parked in our campsite. Who was this mysterious camper, and why had they not departed before 11am, the official check out time? Worse yet, had they actually intended to claim our site?

Our campsite had a large parking area, so we pulled in while pondering what to do next. The RV appeared to be vacant. I unloaded a few supplies and began setting up camp, then went to check out the rest of the campground. It was then that Michael heard the faint sounds of a radio coming from inside the camper. Sure enough, someone was home. Thankfully, they weren’t trying to steal our campsite, but just looking for a place to rest. They willingly moved to another location so we could park our trailer in their place. Whew!

Tragedy averted, we finished setting up and had a simple lunch, then headed out to Mistaya Canyon and Peyto Lake. Sadly, the smoky skies obscured what would have otherwise been a picture-perfect view of the lake. But despite the smoke, we were graced with a lovely pastel sunset as the day came to a close back at Silverhorn Creek.

The following morning brought a drastic change in the weather. Ice crystals appeared on the camper walls and car windows, and the sky overhead was filled with roiling dark clouds. Despite their foreboding appearance, we drove north toward the Athabasca Glacier. This was the day of our scheduled ice walk, but I felt more than a little nervous as the rain pelted down.

Fortunately, the folks at IceWalks were understanding, and offered to switch our guided hike to the following day, which promised better weather. The rain finally cleared later in the day, providing sweet relief and mountain views as we cooked dinner at camp. I was a little embarrassed to find a friendly reminder at our campsite to stay bear aware; it turns out we had accidentally left a small cooler underneath our teardrop trailer before departing that morning. The ranger safely stowed it in one of the campground’s bear boxes, where it remained untouched by any ursine visitors.

The next day dawned bright and early, the blue sky scrubbed clean by yesterday’s rain. We were treated to a fabulous day for an ice walk and further exploring along the Icefields Parkway, including a hike to Stanley Falls. Back at camp, I reveled in the rugged beauty of the mountains.

The kids, never ones to quietly meditate in the glory of nature, quickly hopped on their bikes. J discovered a path to Silverhorn Creek, where he happily bounced along the rocky shore. T made another campground friend, and together they set out to explore the campground by bike and on foot. We enjoyed one final dinner around the campfire (followed by marshmallows, of course).

Sadly, the smoke returned the next morning. We packed up and prepared for our drive to Whistlers Campground in Jasper National Park, which would be our home for the coming six nights. Even with the haze, Silverhorn Creek Campground couldn’t completely hide its beauty. So long, Silverhorn Creek. I truly hope we’ll meet again.