Backcountry Trails in Banff

On this page you’ll find everything you need to know about the backcountry trails in Banff including trail guides for hikes I’ve done, gear lists, booking information, maps, and more.

If you’re looking for day hiking guides and Banff travel resources, visit this page.

More helpful Banff resources

MY BANFF TRIP PLANNER

WHERE TO STAY

BANFF WITHOUT A CAR

I keep this page updated regularly with my latest backcountry gear setup.

How to Book Backcountry Trails in Banff

First things first – in order to hike the Banff’s backcountry trails you must book the campsites in advance. Here’s everything you need to know about booking Banff’s backcountry campsites:

Reservations must be made in advance on the Parks Canada website
Reservation day (when the sites become available to book for the year) typically happens in January, but the exact date changes year-by-year
Popular campsites fill up within minutes of reservations opening, so it’s highly recommended you plan your backcountry trips in advance and book everything in January
If you can’t get the site you want, sign up for cancellation notifications. I’ve used this site for cancellations and have been able to get Banff’s popular backcountry trails like Egypt Lake booked after reservation day

Advanced reservations are highly recommended for Banff’s front country campsites too.

How to Find Backcountry Trails in Banff

My Banff Map

I’ve marked 100+ named and unnamed hiking trails, every backcountry campground, and every trailhead in Banff on this map.

Each pin comes loaded with my own personal photos, trail stats, booking links, and information from external guides.

I designed the map to help you plan your trip to Banff and make finding information about the backcountry easier.

The map also has activities, viewpoints, every restaurant and hotel, parking spots, public bathrooms, important transit hubs + marked

DOWNLOAD BANFF MAP

In addition to using my Banff map to find backcountry trails in Banff you can also take advantage of Alltrails. Alltrails is a popular platform in North America for finding and logging hikes. It’s free to use, but purchasing their membership allows you to download offline maps and track your location via satellite. I purchase this membership every year.

When to Hike Banff’s Backcountry Trails

Banff’s summer season is short. As a result, the best time of year to go backcountry camping in Banff is in July and August.

It’s possible to go backcountry camping in Banff outside this period, however weather varies greatly year to year in the shoulder seasons. Lower elevation trails like Lake Minnewanka may be ready as early as late May, whereas higher elevation backcountry trails like Egypt Lake may not be snow free until the end of July/early August. Depending on how late the snow falls, you may be able to continue backcountry camping in Banff until early October.

Some of Banff’s backcountry sites are open year round for winter camping, but this requires totally different gear and training. I’ve personally only backcountry camped in Banff during the summer months. Even in late spring or early fall temperatures steadily drop below zero overnight.