We spent several weeks in the Lake Louise overflow area south of town. The campground fills up well before noon. We tried several times, but could never get in, even at 8 a.m., so we just stayed in the overflow... for free. From there you can drive the toad south to Banff, north up the Icefields Parkway, and along two routes down the west slope - Canada 1 down the Yoho, and 93 down the Kootenay. They were doing major construction on C1 just west of L. Louise, but we made several forays in the toad to see things like Takakkaw Falls, Emerald Lake, and the Natural Bridge. There are National Park campgrounds along that stretch, but get there early if you want a site, or check availability with the Park Service headquarters in the mall at Lake Louise.
North on the Parkway are several campgrounds that are easier to get into, albeit not as "fancy". We liked Mosquito Creek, where we parked right alongside the creek, surrounded by Bow Mtn. and other grand majesties, in a large wide open area well suited to big rigs - an overflow that fills up by evening, and the early bird gets the ideal spots, but none are bad. I caught trout in the creek and the Bow River just downstream. A resident black bear provided entertainment when he went through the campground each morning and back each evening like clockwork.
South of Golden, we liked watching para gliders from the mountain tops land in the field next to our site at Golden Eco-Adventure Ranch, and exploring the area, straining my vertigo taking photos from the paraglider jump platform, etc.
Fairmont Corp. owns almost all the camp spots at the hot springs, and sites are hard to come by and the RV parks noisy. We opted (lucked out) and got in over Canada's "Labor Day" holiday at Dutch Creek resort a mile or two south. The sites were quite large and relatively quiet. Dutch Creek was more of a river, and an osprey with chicks nested high on a post near camp, flying in with fish from Columbia Lake just downstream. We thought it neat to get photos of the small meandering stream out of the lake that becomes the mighty Columbia here in Portland.
Whatever you do, try to get over to Ft. Steele. You can try to get in at the Ft. Steele resort across the road, but we enjoyed the small family-run Ft. Steele Campground, a mile south and up a side road. It's an older place but was recommended by the fort's staff, and they treat guests like royalty and try to see to it you have fun. It's an easy jaunt in the toad into Cranbrook where you can find just about anything and stock up or get parts. But the best part is the fort itself. Descended from horsemen and blacksmiths, and raised on a farm, I loved watching the blacksmith at his forge and mingling with the superb draft horses that reminded me of my Grandfathers reminisces of homesteading the Alberta prairies. And don't miss the fresh whole wheat sourdough from the old time bakery.
Joel
Mosquito Creek, Takakkaw Falls, and Golden paraglider jump attached below. Click on each once for an enlarged version:
