Camping and overnight accomodations

• Campsites do not have fire pits.
• All vehicles must fit on the gravel pad or park in a nearby parking lot, as we do not allow parking on the grass.
• On some sites, there are size restrictions on camping units (including tents) allowed on those sites. 
• Full service sites are pull-through sites.
• Electrical sites are back-in only.
• Walk-in tent sites only allow one tent per site.
• Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
• No washroom facilities are available in winter months.

Sites are available for the Townsite Campground by first come, first serve self-registration.

• Visitors who would like to arrive at the campground earlier may enjoy the rest of the park while waiting for their campsite to become available (a valid national park entry pass is required).

Check-out time: Before 11:00 a.m.

Quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Maximum length of stay: 14 nights

Maximum persons per site: 6 people

Maximum vehicles per site:

• Two vehicles: maximum one wheeled camping unit and one regular vehicle. We do not permit two wheeled camping units on the same campsite.
• All vehicles and camping unit must fit on the gravel or pavement pad, or park in alternate location nearby.

Maximum camping units per site: Two tents or one RV/camper and one tent. However, some sites may be restricted in size of camping unit, including tents. Some sites are tent only.

Generator policy: Generator use is limited to 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Amperage of power service:

• A section (full service section) has 15, 30 and 50 amp service.
• B section (full service section) has 15, 30 and 50 amp service.
• C section (full service section) has 15, 30 and 50 amp service.
• D section (full service section) has 15, 30 and 50 amp service.
• G section (electrical only section) has 15, 30 and 50 amp service.

Fire policy:

• Campfires allowed in shared kitchen shelters only - there are no fire pits on the individual campsites.
• Firewood is available for sale in the town of Waterton.

Alcohol ban: None.

Pet policies: Pets must be kept on a leash at all times. They must not be left unattended. Please keep all pet food stored inside. See Bare Campsite Program for more information.

Townsite Campground is located in the south end of Waterton Townsite at the end of Windflower Avenue (towards Upper Waterton Lake).

Townsite Campground GPS coordinates:

Latitude: 49.048746.
Longitude: -113.909336.
Street address: # 200 Vimy Avenue.

Townsite Campground: (246 sites)

• Electricity, water and sewer without firepit (drive-through): 109 sites
• Electrical only, without fire pit (back-in): 76 sites 
• Unserviced without fire pit (tent-only): 15 sites
• Unserviced without fire pit (walk-in, tent-only): 30 sites
• Accessible full serviced sites: 4 
• Accessible electrical-only sites: 2
• Fires only in common kitchen shelters.
• Sunny and open, few trees.
• Washrooms with hot/cold running water, showers and flush toilets.
• Communal water taps and dump station are available
• The walk-in campsites are located in the H section of the campground and are approximately a 5-10m (16-65 ft) walk from the parking area.
• Access to nearby hiking paths.

Free Wi-Fi is provided by the Waterton Community Broadband Network (WCBN) in the Waterton community. Enhanced Wi-Fi for streaming is available for a fee. If you have any questions or concerns you can email at info@wcbn.ca. Most restaurants and hotels in the Waterton village offer Wi-Fi access.

For information regarding camping fees for Waterton Lakes National Park, please see our Fees page.

In Waterton Lakes National Park, there are two non-reservable campgrounds, which operate on a first-come, first-served basis:

• Crandell Mountain Campground (129 sites – all unserviced). Located on Red Rock Parkway, 12 km from the Waterton community.

  Closed due to extensive infrastructure damage from the Kenow Wildfire.

• Belly River Campground (24 sites – primitive sites, unserviced, outhouses). Located on Chief Mountain Highway, 26 km from the Waterton community.

  Belly River Campground is open mid-May to early September.

There are several privately-operated campgrounds near the park. Visit the Waterton Chamber of Commerce website for more information.

Campground Reservation Service

To reserve your spot visit the Parks Canada Reservation Service website or call 1-877-RESERVE (1-877-737-3783).

General park information

Phone: 403-859-5133.

Email: waterton.info@pc.gc.ca

For information and reservations specifically for group camping (group = registered non-profit groups)

Belly River Group Campground (2 sites: primitive sites, unserviced, outhouses, no potable water). Located on Chief Mountain Highway, 26 km from the Waterton community. Group = minimum 25 persons.

Phone: 403-859-5109

Site specific

Guests select the specific campsite or accommodation when they make their reservation.

Operating season (nights)

The "operating season" is the nights that the campground is open. Sometimes the campgrounds are open for longer than the period for which they accept reservations. Any dates of the "operating season" outside the "reservable period" are dates that the campground operates on a first come, first served basis only.

Reservable period (nights)

Period in which the campground accepts reservations. Note that many campgrounds may be open longer than this, and would operate outside of these dates on a first-come, first-served basis.

Kiosk

The administration/entrance booth of a particular campground, this is where you “check-in” and register your arrival.

Vehicle

Car, truck, motorcycle, truck-camper, motor home or recreational vehicle. A motor home pulling another vehicle would count as two vehicles.

Camping unit

Tent, tent-trailer, truck-camper, trailer, 5th wheel, motor home or recreational vehicle.

Serviced site

Refers to a campsite offering electrical, water, and/or sewer hook-ups directly on the campsite.

• Fully-serviced sites offer electrical, potable water and sewer hook-ups.
• Unserviced sites do not offer these hook-ups.

The terms serviced and unserviced refer to the individual campsites; they do not refer to the washroom facilities or other amenities available at the campground.

Drive-through site

Campsite where the driver does not have to reverse their vehicle to exit (there is a separate entrance and exit to the individual campsite). Ideal for larger vehicles and trailers.

Walk-in site

Campsite which requires some degree of walking to access the site, and therefore requires a tent. Vehicle will be parked a short distance away.

Overflow site

Overflow campsites vary from park to park, and may range from a paved area to park a camping unit (not generally suitable for tents) to a more traditional, grassy site. They are unserviced and are not reservable.

Accessible site

A campsite which is accessible to guests with limited mobility.

Fire pit

A designated structure for campfires located on a campsite. Check availability, as not all campsites offer a fire pit. In some cases, only communal fire pits are available, and access is shared with other guests.

Fire permit

In some campgrounds, guests will require a valid fire permit to have a campfire. A fire permit may include firewood. Please refer to the ‘Fire policy’ section of the QRT for individual campground policies.

Firewood

In some campgrounds firewood is sold by the bundle, whereas in others a fire permit may give the holder access to the campground wood.

First-come, first-served site

Campsites that are available on a first come, first served basis only. These sites are only available to guests who are physically located at the campground. These sites cannot be registered over the telephone or online. These campsites may be available for only one night or for multiple nights depending on availability.

Shoulder season

While many campgrounds remain open outside of their peak season, the services offered during this period may be limited (please check with the park for more details).

Entrance pass

A valid National Park Entrance Pass is required for all visitors to the park.

Daily entrance pass

A daily Entrance Pass permits visitors unlimited entry to the specified park on a per day basis for the period of time indicated.

Annual/seasonal entrance pass

An annual or seasonal Entrance Pass pass permits visitors unlimited entry to the park for the period of time indicated.

Parks Canada Discovery Pass

The Parks Canada Discovery Pass permits visitors unlimited entry to the participating Parks Canada national parks and national historic sites across Canada, for a period of 12 months.