Camping in Jasper was surprisingly a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be! Considering my last camping experience was at the Oxygen festival years and years ago, I thought that camping with bears would be much worse, but it turns out, camping at Oxygen was! If you are looking for a cheaper way to travel and still see the sights around Alberta, then camping is SUCH a great way to do it. Lets be honest, seeing all the sights can be expensive, if you planning on doing a lot of paid activities that is.
We have camped several times in Jasper and loved it every time. It was made all the more pleasant by having clean bathrooms and hot showers on the campgrounds. There is nothing nicer than after a day out hiking, having a hot shower and sitting around the campfire with a beer.
I am by no means an expert on camping but I have compiled a short list of tips that may help any first time visitors camping in Jasper. Things I wished I had known when I first went camping. I definitely recommend it, it is LOADS of fun.
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1. Getting There
As with most National Parks in Canada, you have to pay an entrance fee. The daily pass for a group is $20 per day. You can also buy an annual pass for $139.40. These prices are at the time of writing this but you can check the most current prices on the Jasper National Park Website.
2. Reserve Your Site in Advance
During the summer these campsites sell out FAST, so be sure and book in advance. One site will cost you roughly $28 a night, this at the time of writing this, but you can check the current rates on the Parks Canada website. It is good to note that if you cancel there is a cancellation fee that you will have to pay. Each site allows three items only. By this I mean, either two tents and one vehicle, or one vehicle and two tents. There are campground staff that check to make sure people are abiding by this rule.
3. Try To Get A Site With A Fire Pit
What’s camping without a fire pit?! After a long day of hiking or canoeing you will be grateful of the fire. When you are choosing your site you can narrow your search to show you sites with or without fire pits. If you do opt for a fire pit, then you will have to pay for a fire permit, which will cost an additional $8.80 per day.
4. Bring A Hatchet
This could probably be the most important thing on the list – bring a hatchet. Large sticks are provided, but you will want to cut some starter sticks to get the fire going much quicker. We had no hatchet the first time we went, so we just smoked our neighbours out of it for a while before the fire eventually lit!
5. Wapiti vs. Whistler Campground
These are not the only campgrounds in Jasper, but they are the only two that we have stayed at. These were our preferred campgrounds as they have showers and not all campgrounds in Jasper do, so remember this when you are reserving!
You are surrounded by lots of other campers and…maybe some bears… The sites are usually a comfortable distance apart, so you are not on top of your neighbours. Some sites are separated by trees, which offer more privacy, but it is very hard to tell exactly what the site is like until you get there.
Wapiti I found is much more private and sheltered by trees than Whistler campground, and so Wapiti is the one we preferred and went back to every time we went camping in Jasper. However if you are camping with kids, Whistler campground has a playground.
Both sites are well equipped with clean bathrooms, hot water, and shower facilities. Wapiti campground even has hand dryers!
6. Bring A Tarp
You will want to sit around the fire in the evening and this is no fun if it’s raining. So do like our friend Martin and buy yourself a 50ft tarp and you will be sure to keep yourself dry while you sit around the fire enjoying a few beers! OK, so you may not need one this big normally, but a large tarp is good if there are a group of people.
7. Don’t Forget the Bear Spray…
You will be told on arrival to the campground how important it is to have all your food and drink either properly disposed of or kept in your vehicle when you are away from your site. Every time we have gone camping, we have been told that there was a bear on the campground but he never came to visit us, thankfully! So having bear spray with you is definitely sensible.
Also, you are planning on going hiking, it is recommended that you bring bear spray with you.
8. And The Bear Bells
Some people also bring bear bells. The idea of bear bells is so the bear will hear you coming and hopefully move away, rather than been suddenly surprised by you. They prefer to avoid people, so the idea is they will move away from the noise. This is completely optional but it is encouraged to have both bear bells and bear spray.
9. Bring Extra Blankets
If you are one of those people who is always cold,then it is a good idea to bring some extra blankets. It’s better to be prepared, right?! It can get pretty cold in the tent at night, so you may need more than just a sleeping bag.
10. Plan Ahead
If you are going to Jasper, then you are going because you enjoy the outdoors. Whether it is kayaking, hiking, white water rafting or enjoying the Miette Hot Springs, there is plenty to do. It is definitely important to know that some of these activities may not be very close to some of the campgrounds, so you may have a bit of a drive to get to your planned excursion. In this case be sure and remember to check out driving distance between them if you are trying to squeeze lots in!
It is also worth nothing that you should book your chosen activities ahead of time too. Like white water rafting for example, these can book up, especially in the peak season. So if you want to be sure to get your spot, particularly if you are booking for a group, then book early!
11. You Don’t Have to Cook Over the Camp Fire!
If you are camping for a couple of nights, then take one of those nights off from camp fire cooking and go into Jasper town to check out all the restaurants! We headed to Karouzos Steakhouse, really great food and a menu to suit everybody.
If you are looking for a good breakfast, then definitely go to Papa George’s Restaurant. They have the NICEST breakfast burrito on their menu.
12. Enjoy Your Surroundings!
Last, but most importantly, relax and enjoy your surroundings. You are camping somewhere really special so don’t forget that! Have a mug of hot chocolate or a wee hot whiskey, but just enjoy the fact that you are lucky enough to be camping in the Rockies!
