Camping at Whistlers Campground in the Canadian Rockies

Looking for more to explore during your stay at Whistlers Campground?
Check out the amazing hikes at Edith Cavell Meadows, the Valley of the Five Lakes, and Maligne Canyon, or head to Maligne Lake to experience one of the crown jewels of Jasper National Park.

AMENITIES

• Flush toilets
• Free hot showers
• Sinks for dishwashing
• Drinkable water available at all washrooms
• Picnic tables at all sites
• Fire rings at some sites (verify when making your reservations)
• Free firewood available for all sites with fire rings
• Gravel tent pads
• Enclosed picnic shelters in case of bad weather
• Good cell service (we use T-Mobile)

ABOUT THE SITES

• Whistlers Campground has a total of 781 campsites. Some are unserviced, some have electrical hookups only, and some are fully serviced. Different loops within the campground feature different types of sites. For example, the O loop where we stayed hosts unserviced sites with fire rings.
• Whistlers Campground also offers oTENTiks, which are essentially furnished tent cabins. The nightly cost for oTENTiks is $133.25 CAD.
• Some campsites include fire rings, while others do not. This, too, is arranged by loop. If you want a fire ring, choose a loop that includes them, otherwise look for a loop that does not.
• If your site has a fire ring, you will pay an additional $11 CAD per night. This includes the cost of firewood, which must be gathered from the free firewood pile at the campground. Outside wood and gathering dead wood is not allowed. If there is a fire ban, the firewood fee will be refunded.

• Whistlers Campground is open from roughly early May through mid-October.
• Unserviced campsites cost $30.50 CAD per night without a fire pit, or $41.50 per night with a fire pit.
• Campsites with electrical hookups cost $36 CAD nightly without a fire pit or $47 with a fire pit.
• Fully serviced campsites cost $42.50 CAD without a fire pit, or $53.50 with a fire pit.

• Whistlers Campground lost most of its tree canopy due to a pine beetle infestation several years ago, but the trees are slowly growing back. If you want the shade and privacy trees provide, check the individual campsite photos provided on the Parks Canada reservations website ahead of time. Google maps is also helpful, but keep in mind that not all photos will be up to date. Generally speaking, loops on the west side of the campground tend to have more trees.
• Many campsites are small, but size also varies. Again, check the description when you reserve.
• We stayed at campsite #9O, an unserviced site with a fire ring. I chose this site because in the photos on Parks Canada’s reservation website it appeared to have good tree cover and privacy. It is also conveniently close to the playground and amphitheatre, which is ideal when camping with kids. All in all, we were very happy with this site.

HOW TO RESERVE YOUR SITE

• Advance reservations are highly recommended, especially if you want a particular type of campsite. Fortunately, because Whistlers Campground is so large, there are often some last-minute campsites available. Two other large campgrounds, Wapiti and Wabasso, are located not too far down the Icefields Parkway from Whistlers, so give them a try if Whistlers is full.
• Campgrounds in the Parks Canada system open for advance reservations by location on variable launch dates each year. In 2024, for example, campgrounds at Jasper National Park (including Whistlers) open for reservations on January 30th. 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, although there were a few times I literally booked the last available campsite for my dates at smaller campgrounds (Snowforest in Mount Revelstoke and Kicking Horse in Yoho). The queue also moved faster than I expected.
• Don’t worry if you missed launch day. Again, Whistler’s size means you may find available sites later on. Wapiti and Wabasso Campgrounds are also likely to have some still available.

FUN STUFF

• Take a walk. A pedestrian/bike path stretches through the middle of Whistlers Campground, and is a great way to check out the other campground loops.
• Ride a bike. This same path is great for biking. Bike paths connect Whistlers with Jasper Townsite and other nearby locations, making it possible to do a lot of local exploring by bike.
• Play on the playground. There is a large playground near the amphitheatre, and a few small play areas elsewhere along the campground trail.
• Play in the field. The large open field between the playground and amphitheatre is popular for games of catch, Frisbee, and off-trail biking.
• Treat yourself to coffee or a Mexican meal. During our stay at Whistlers in 2023, two food trucks were open daily at Whistlers Campground. Li’l Bear, an outpost of Whistler’s popular Bear’s Paw Bakery, sold coffee and pastries, while Las Tres Marias offered tasty tacos and burritos.
• Attend an evening presentation. The amphitheatre hosts programs most nights in summer, many of which are kid-friendly, interactive theatrical presentations.

NEARBY & NOTABLE

• Mount Edith Cavell is a breathtaking place to hike in a high alpine environment. Come for Angel Glacier and stay for the pikas! It’s a slow winding drive from Whistlers Campground to reach the trailhead, but well worth the journey.
• The Valley of the Five Lakes is only a 10-minute drive south of Whistlers Campground along the Icefields Parkway. This relatively short and easy hike is very popular, so arrive early. The iridescent blues and greens of the lakes really shine on a sunny day.
• The Icefields Parkway showcases the stunning mountain scenery of the Canadian Rockies. Running from Jasper south to Lake Louise, there are numerous waterfalls, viewpoints, glaciers, and hikes to enjoy along this famous drive. Whistlers Campground is located at the north end of the parkway.
• Edith and Annette Lakes are two neighboring lakes near Jasper Townsite offering picnicking, swimming, beach access, and easy trails. While not as impressive as Maligne Lake, they’re a great place to kick back and relax.
• Jasper Townsite is the small mountain town within Jasper National Park. You’ll find all the basics here — groceries, gas, a laundromat, and many good cafes and restaurants. There’s also a national park visitor centre and gift shop.
• The Jasper Skytram whisks visitors up Whistlers Peak, located just behind Whistlers Campground. It’s fairly pricey, and since we didn’t always have the best weather we gave it a pass during our stay. But on a clear day, the views would be incredible.
• Maligne Canyon is a 20-minute drive north of Whistlers Campground. A hike through the waterfall-filled canyon in truly magical, if a bit overcrowded at times (as always, try to go early).
• Maligne Lake lies beyond Maligne Canyon, and is perhaps the crown jewel of Jasper National Park. It’s a long drive from Whistlers, but the scenery is superb. And the lake, well… I’m not kidding when I say this was the high point of our entire trip for me.

THE VERDICT

Whistlers Campground is big. That’s the first thing most people will notice upon arrival. I was expecting this, but even so, I was a bit awestruck by its sheer size. Fortunately, once you’re settled in at your campsite, it doesn’t feel so different from any other mainstream campground. Each loop is its own small unit, with its own restroom facilities (or washrooms, as they’re called in Canada).

These washrooms! They really steal the show at Whistlers Campground. Squeaky clean, with beautiful, modern appliances, they include men’s and women’s restrooms with flush toilets, sinks, dryers, large mirrors, and counters for your toiletries. The private shower rooms are free to use with unlimited hot water (although you have to frequently punch the button to keep it going). There are accessible and all gender restrooms as well. Each building has a large hallway so you can wait inside, and did I mention it’s heated?

The washrooms also include charging lockers for phones. Outside, large dishwashing sinks make dinner clean up a breeze. There’s just one thing that bothered me — a lack of accessible water spigots. The dishwashing sinks were the only place I could find to fill up on water throughout the campground. This isn’t a huge deal, but wouldn’t you think Parks Canada could have installed a few spigots around the washrooms for those refilling their canteens? Sometimes, campers had to wait for someone to finish their dishes just to fill a water bottle.

OK, so enough about the washrooms. How was the rest of the experience? Honestly, it was pretty great. We were fortunate to score a campsite surrounded by trees, which provided good privacy and made it feel less like we were in the middle of a veritable camping metropolis. Proximity to the playground and amphitheatre were a definite plus. Our campground neighbors were all considerate, and we happily spent six nights here.

I do have one final nitpick, however. The firewood at Whistlers was dumped into a giant pile with no cover whatsoever, which made finding dry wood a real challenge. When you’re paying $11 nightly for the privilege of having a fire, you expect quality firewood. Some of the other Parks Canada campgrounds have covered shelters for their wood. Whistlers Campground, here’s hoping that’s next on your list of improvements.

Smoke hung in the air as we pulled into Whistlers Campground on a Sunday afternoon in August. Our first stop was the registration centre, and if you notice the photo below and think, “Gee, that doesn’t look too smoky!”, keep in mind I took that photo the following Saturday. A lot can change in one week in the Canadian Rockies.

Registration was a breeze, and soon we were driving the paved campground road and on the lookout for loop #9. I chose this loop both because it appeared to have good tree cover, and because fire rings were included at the campsites. From this area of the campground, we had a great view of Whistlers Peak (and yes, I took took this photo later in the week as well, not the day of arrival).

After setting up camp, we headed out to explore. For the kids, this meant biking across the field that lay between our site and the playground. For the adults, this meant a short drive to gather firewood. It was a bit of a shock to discover the firewood station was nothing more than a tangle of splintered wood dumped between the trees. We walked gingerly through the pile, searching for dry wood. Considering the extra $11 CAD we were paying each night to have a fire ring, it was a little disappointing. Fortunately, we managed to find some decent pieces among the wreckage.

We also discovered Las Tres Marias taco truck. Now this was something unexpected, but in the very best way! Believe me, food trucks are not on the list when I consider what makes a good campground experience. But in a place like Whistlers Campground, it just seemed to fit. And those tacos tasted mighty good while we enjoyed the performance at the amphitheatre that evening.

Over the course of the next six nights, the weather turned from smoky to rainy and — at long last — joyously sunny. We spent rainy hours under the canopy, playing games and reading, but still ventured our for hikes to Maligne Canyon, Edith Cavell Meadows, and the Valley of the Five Lakes. We also headed into Jasper Townsite for a few more meals out than we probably would have otherwise… Not that I regret anything, those beaver tails were delicious!

On our final full day in Jasper National Park, glorious sunshine greeted us as we stepped outside the teardrop trailer. It was the perfect day for a guided rafting trip down the Athabasca River, followed by an amazing kayak trip on the incomparable Maligne Lake. Now this was Jasper, in all its majesty.

It was still sunny as we prepared to leave Whistlers Campground the following morning, although sadly the haze from the forest fires in British Columbia was beginning to return. We stopped in town for gas and coffee (two necessities when embarking on any long drive, if you ask me), pausing to admire the mountain view for one last time.

In leaving Whistlers Campground, we were also saying goodbye to the Canadian Rockies. Needless to say, despite the rain and the smoke, it was an incredible trip. And yes, we hope to return someday. I can’t wait to see how the trees have grown at Whistlers Campground. Oh, and the mountains… and the lakes… Truly, the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies is on full display in Jasper National Park. A week at Whistlers Campground is enough to whet the appetite, but will definitely leave you wanting more.