How to Book a Parks Canada Campsite – An Ultimate Guide
Are you new to camping at Canadian National Parks? Looking for a crash course on how to book Parks Canada campsite efficiently?
You have come to the right place! John and I have been camping in Canadian National Parks for the last 5 years (the last 3 with our Teardrop Trailer “Nellie”).
We love Canadian National Parks and have actually visited (and camped) in ones all over the country.
From Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island all the way to Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, it has been an amazing experience!
The parks are beautiful with a variety of landscapes. From the badlands in Saskatchewan to lush forests and gorgeous lakes in Banff, you will find it all.
There’s also a variety of camping experiences to be had, from tents and RVs to some pretty darn unique roofed accommodations!
By booking a popular Parks Canada campsite can be stressful and require plenty of advanced planning.
Ready to learn everything there is to know about how to book a Parks Canada campsite (and more)?
Let’s get started!
When to Reserve Your Campsite
Picking your camping dates as soon as possible is pretty important when trying to get the campsite you really want.
Peak vs. Off-Peak Camping Seasons
Let’s be honest—booking a campsite during the peak summer months (July and August) can be tough.
This is especially true if you have your eyes on a popular park like Banff, Bruce Peninsula, or even Point Pelee.
July and August are prime camping season because kids are off school, the weather is perfect, and families want to enjoy everything Canada’s National Parks offer.
If you’re flexible with your timing, consider camping in the quieter months (May, June, September, and October).
Shoulder-season camping usually means less competition for popular sites.
Now that John and I have a trailer, we typically camp between May and November. We especially enjoy camping in the fall.
The parks are less crowded, bugs are mostly gone, and the weather often stays warm enough to enjoy outdoor activities comfortably, even going to the beach!
Understanding the Booking Window
Parks Canada begins launching reservations for the coming camping season starting in January.
Each park is different, so knowing when your park opens its booking window is super important.
This is especially the case for the most popular parks, as the sites are usually gone a few hours after opening time (if that).
So be sure to mark this reservation date on your calendar and set reminders—you don’t want to miss it!
I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. Forgetting to reserve early can mean settling for different dates or choosing another park altogether.
🌳 Insider Tip: Canada’s most popular National Parks for camping are – Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Waterton Lakes, and Kootenay, all located in the gorgeous Canadian Rockies.
Key Dates and Times
So along with knowing the date you need to book your campsite, you will also need to make note of the time when the booking window opens.
Parks Canada opens their booking times at 8 am local park time (8:30 am in Newfoundland).
This can be a very early morning if you aren’t booking sites in your own time zone!
This means at exactly 8 am local park time, you need to have your campsite selected, reservation details ready, and your cursor hovering over the booking button.
I’m not kidding or exaggerating here.
Even with careful planning, I’ve still missed out on my top campsite picks more than once.
Be ready with backup options—you might need them!
Honestly, you have a better chance of securing a ticket to a Taylor Swift concert than a spot at a popular campground these days!
How to Use the Parks Canada Reservation Website
Using the Parks Canada reservation system is pretty easy, once you get the hang of it.
In fact, if you know how to use the Ontario Parks reservation system, it’s basically the same.
Setting Up Your Parks Canada Account
Before you can book a campsite with Parks Canada, you’ll first need to set up an account.
Your account tracks your current and past reservations, stores receipts, and saves helpful details like your vehicle licence plate or trailer size.
This makes it easy to re-book favourite campsites or quickly check the details of an upcoming trip if you can’t quite remember which site you have booked.
🌳 Insider Tip: I would definitely recommend creating your account BEFORE booking your first campsite. Because items are only held in your cart for 30 minutes, you may lose your booking if it takes you too long to create your account.
The website may be a little confusing to navigate when creating your account. Because of this, we are providing a step-by-step guide:
➡️ Step 1: Go to the Parks Canada Reservation Website
Visit https://reservation.pc.gc.ca/
➡️ Step 2: Select “Sign In”
Click the “Sign In” button at the top of the green navigation menu.
➡️ Step 3: Choose How You Want to Sign In
- You can easily sign in using your existing Facebook or Google login
- Use GCKey (available for everyone and easy to set up).
- Sign in through one of the available banking partners.
➡️ Step 4: Create Your Reservation Service Profile
- After signing in, you’ll automatically return to the Parks Canada Reservation Service website.
- Complete your profile by filling out all required information, including your full name, email address, and contact details.
- Your email address must be unique—one email per account.
- You can always update these details later.
- Once you’ve filled everything out, click “Create Account.”
➡️ Step 5: Confirm Your New Account
- Check your email inbox for a confirmation message from Parks Canada.
- Click the confirmation link in that email.
- You’ll be brought to a “Success” page confirming that your account is ready.
➡️ Step 6: Start Booking!
Now you’re ready to start booking your campsites!
Finding a Campsite
Once your account is ready, the fun part begins—finding your campsite!
We usually start by checking out the map of all Parks Canada locations. It’s easy to narrow down your search by province or region and pick the parks that interest you most.
Just select “All Locations,” enter your camping dates, and hit search to see what’s available.
The map will pop up. You can then decide on where in Canada you would like to visit, and which park specifically.
If you already have a park in mind, just select it from the “All Locations” drop-down menu.
Next, enter your camping dates and the number of people (you can adjust this later if needed), and choose whether you’re camping in a tent or a trailer.
You can also choose the type of camping you want—Frontcountry Camping, Parks Canada Roofed Accommodations, or Backcountry Camping.
There’s an option to add extra search filters too.
I usually skip this part unless I’m specifically looking for sites with electricity. Otherwise, I leave everything set to “No Preference.”
🌳 Insider Tip: At certain parks, the maximum length of stay is either 7 or 14 nights for campsites booked between July 1 and the Saturday of the Labour Day long weekend. Outside of these dates, the maximum stay is 23 consecutive nights.
Booking Your Site
Depending on the popularity of the park that you choose and the time of year that you wish to make a reservation for, you will experience 1 of 2 scenarios in the booking process.
Understanding the Parks Canada Queue-It System
The Parks Canada Queue-It system used to be the only scenario that you would encounter, regardless of the park.
But in the last year or so, this policy seems to have changed. In fact, we didn’t encounter it while trying to book a popular park for this year (2025).
The Queue-It system is basically a virtual waiting room.
If you logged into the Parks Canada reservation system on a launch date, up to half an hour before the window opened, you would be put into the waiting room.
When the window opened, the system would assign everyone a random position in the virtual queue.
If you arrived AFTER the window opened, you would be put at the end of the queue.
You would be told by way of a pop-up how many people were ahead of you, and roughly how long it would take before your turn would come up.
And just to give you an idea of what you might be up against, I had over 4000 people in the queue ahead of me one year. It took roughly 25 minutes before I could finally make my reservations.
When it was your turn, the reservation page would open and you would have 30 minutes to make all your reservations.
While this was not fun, it was a little more fair.
In some parks, I was able to get my choice, while with others, I was forced to change my dates in order to get the park that I wanted.
Nowadays, this virtual waiting room is only used for the most popular and sought-after parks (as determined by Parks Canada), during the high season.
The second scenario, which we surprisingly got flung into this year, is what you would experience with the Ontario Parks reservation system.
This is when you hit the “Reserve” button on your selected campsite, and hope that you get the spot.
Of course, chances are, you will instead watch as the majority of the campground map goes “Red” leaving you to scramble to try different sites until you either a) score one, or b) run out of options and have to maybe try different dates or parks.
That REALLY sucked! I hadn’t mentally prepared for that scenario!
🌳 Insider Tip: If you end up in the virtual waiting room and subsequent queue, stay logged in and DO NOT refresh your browser! You will lose your place in line!
Completing the Payment Process
Once you are successful at scoring a site, you will be taken through the booking process.
I have included screenshots of the entire process below. The last screen (which I have not included) will be your “Successful Booking” screen.
I have removed my info for obvious reasons.
Understanding Campsite Details and Amenities
Figuring out what all the symbols on the campsite maps mean, is pretty easy.
Knowing what kind of camping accommodations exist in each park is also pretty helpful.
Checking Amenities
Once you have chosen a park to stay in, take a look below the map. You will find a Legend that explains what all the symbols on the campground map mean.
The map will show you which sites are available, which are electric or non-electric sites, and what amenities, like beaches, bathrooms, hiking trails, etc, are nearby.
For example, we do not like to be directly adjacent to comfort stations, vault toilets, parking lots or garbage/recycling areas.
As “Nellie” has a full bathroom, we do not need bathroom facilities (or like the noise of people heading to use the washroom all night).
So we make sure to study the campground map and try to avoid these areas when possible.
Another handy way to check specific campsite availability is by using the Map feature. On your selected park’s reservation page, click the Calendar icon at the top-left of your screen.
This opens a scrollable calendar, letting you enter the dates you are interested in to see available campsites.
You can also select a specific campsite to quickly see when it’s free.
Roofed Accommodations
If you are more of a “Glamping” rather than “Camping” kind of person, then Parks Canada may have the perfect solution.
Many parks offer a variety of unique roofed accommodations. They will show up in the Legend as a house or geometric shape rather than the usual circle or triangle.
Here is a list of the roofed accommodations available in Canadian National Parks (not all are available in every park):
1. oTENTiks
A cross between a tent and a cabin, these structures have a wooden floor, beds, lighting, and a heat source. Most also have decks with furniture and a BBQ.
2. Historic Stays
Unique overnight accommodations in historic buildings or landmarks. Many of these accommodations are cottages with full amenities.
3. Yurts
Round, insulated shelters with beds, furniture, and heating. They’re comfortable in all seasons and often located close to washrooms.
4. Rustic Cabins
Simple, no-frills cabins without electricity or running water, are designed for campers wanting basic comfort but still seeking a rustic experience.
5. Cabins/Bunkies
Fully enclosed shelters with beds, basic furniture, heating, and usually electricity. Cabins vary from rustic to more modern, depending on the park.
6. Equipped Camping
Sites are set up with a tent, sleeping pads, cooking gear, and other essentials. I found this to be brilliant! You get to have a real camping experience without investing in or lugging around gear.
7. Ôasis
A small, teardrop-shaped accommodation built on stilts. Complete with panoramic windows and sleeping space for two adults and two kids, this was one of our most unique camping experiences!
One thing to keep in mind is that these roofed accommodations cost considerably more than a campsite.
Group Camping Sites
Have a large group of friends or family that want to camp together? Then a group camping site is the perfect solution.
Many Canadian National Parks can accommodate groups of roughly between 15 and 50 people on their group camping sites.
These sites usually have a fire pit and picnic tables, with some even providing food lockers.
Group Campsites will usually have their own vault toilets as well.
Most, however, will not allow trailers of any kind.
Group camping sites need to be booked in advance.
Backcountry Campsites
Backcountry camping is perfect if you prefer a more rugged camping experience.
Sometimes called interior camping, this is when you park your car at a trailhead or access point and reach your campsite by hiking, paddling, or portaging.
Backcountry sites typically offer minimal or no amenities, meaning you’ll carry in your own food, water, stove, and camping gear.
However, a few parks provide basic comforts at these sites, such as tent pads, fire pits, or vault toilets.
How to Read Campsite Descriptions
Here’s something I wish someone had shown me when I first started booking campsites with Parks Canada.
After you’ve selected a park and found a campsite that looks good on the map, there’s a simple way to get extra information.
On the right-hand side of your screen, near the bottom, you’ll see a button labelled “View More Details.”
Clicking that will open up additional information about the campsite.
This includes helpful details that make it easier to know if it’s the right spot for your trip. Here’s what you’ll find out:
- Service Level: serviced or unserviced
- Service Type: Unserviced with on-site Fire Pit, Electricity with on-site Fire Pit
- Amperage: 15/30 Amps
- Accessible: Yes or No
- Firepit On Site: Yes or No
- Firepit Type: Elevated
- Water Service: Yes or No
- Sewer Service: Yes or No
- Pull-through: Yes or No
- Ground Cover: Gravel, grass, soil, sand
- Campsite Slope: Flat, moderate
- Fire Permit Eligible: Included or not included
- Walk-in Only: Yes or no
- Restrictions: Radio-Free Zone
- Electrical Service: Non-Electric or electric
- Picnic Tables: 1 or 2
- Cellular Coverage: Some coverage (dependent on the service provider), no coverage
- Wi-fi: Yes or No
- Distance to Washroom Facilities: Within 100 m / 328 ft
- Distance to Shower Facilities: Over 200 m / 656 ft
- Distance to Water Tap: Within 100 m / 328 ft
- Site Shade: Partly, full sun, full shade
- Privacy: Poor, fair, average, good
- Generator Usage: Allowed or Not Allowed
- Conditions: Above Avg. Vehicular Traffic, good, fair
- Distance to Playground: Over 200 m / 656 ft
- Site Width: 14.0 m / 46 ft
- Site Length: 7.3 m / 24 ft
- Overhead Clearance: 4.0 m / 13 ft
- Sub-Category: Nightly or Seasonal
Don’t forget to check out the campsite photos! They aren’t always the best quality, but they’ll still give you a good idea of what your site will look like.
Another helpful tip is to read the park and campground descriptions on the far right of the page.
We have discovered quite a few useful details there, especially about amenities like beaches or hiking trails.
Tips for Booking Popular Parks
While securing a great campsite at a popular park in peak season can feel like pure luck, there are definitely a few tricks you can use to boost your chances.
Book Mid-Week or in the Shoulder Season
I know this isn’t always possible, but flexibility really helps—especially for popular parks or prime sites like those near the water.
Booking your stay from Thursday to Sunday (instead of just Friday or Saturday) greatly increases your chances of snagging your top campsite.
We’ve managed to get some amazing spots in popular parks during mid-September. The weather was still perfect for the beach, but the crowds were smaller.
That’s a total win in my books!
🌳 Insider Tip – Try booking popular parks right at the cusp of shoulder seasons, and save the less busy parks for peak summer months.
Use the “Notify Me” feature
When you’re on the booking page for your chosen park, you’ll see a green “Notify Me” button at the top right.
Clicking this will allow you to set up notifications to your account.
The notifications will let you know if a site matching your dates, park choice, trailer size, or filters becomes available.
Parks Canada receives lots of cancellations, which means you might still land a great campsite—even if it was fully booked the first time you checked!
Use the System Time for Accuracy
It might sound a little silly, but having your computer clock perfectly synced with Parks Canada’s reservation system can actually help you snag your top-choice campsite.
I always keep the website’s “System Time” open when I’m booking. That way I know exactly when to hit the “Reserve” button—down to the second.
Of course, even with this trick, there’s still no guarantee you’ll get your first choice if someone else clicks faster!
You can find the Parks Canada “System Time” at the top of the reservation page, in the black bar near your shopping cart.
Just click on it, and you’ll see the current time displayed right down to the second.
Have Plenty of Alternative Options Ready
I can’t stress this enough—always have a backup plan!
We usually start by making a list of multiple campsites we’d be happy with at our first-choice park.
But we don’t stop there. We also pick at least two additional parks, each with its own list of sites as backups.
If this sounds excessive, trust me—it’s not.
This year (2025) has been especially tough for booking campsites. I’m guessing it’s because more Canadians are camping closer to home instead of crossing the border.
Believe me, I’ve shed plenty of frustrated tears after waking up at dawn, only to watch my preferred sites vanish in seconds, leaving zero availability for the entire park.
True story.
Parks Canada Fees Explained
There are a variety of different fees that you may encounter while making (or cancelling) your campsite reservations.
While some may not apply to you, we have broken them down below:
Campsite Fees
Since Parks Canada offers everything from fully serviced campgrounds to remote sites only reachable by canoe, their fee structure reflects that range.
In general, the more popular the park—or the more amenities it offers—the higher the cost.
And while I didn’t feel it necessary to provide fees for each park, here’s a general range:
🌳 Pro Tip – Always check the specific park page for exact rates.
Reservation fee (non-refundable booking fee)
On top of your campsite fee, you will also be charged a reservation fee of $11.50 per booking. This is for online reservations only.
If you choose to book your campsite over the phone, you will be charged a booking fee of $13.50 per reservation.
This applies whether you’re booking frontcountry, backcountry, roofed accommodations, or group sites.
Keep in mind that even if you book several parks at the same time, on the same receipt, you will still be charged a booking fee for each.
Cancellation or modification fees
If for some reason you need to change or cancel your camping reservation, you will be charged a cancellation or modification fee.
If you need to modify or cancel your reservation:
Modifications
Charges will apply if you make the following changes to your reservation:
However, there is no administration fee for:
Cancellations
Cancellations and changes can be made to your reservation up to 3 days before your arrival with a minimal penalty.
If you are making a change to your reservation (adding or removing dates), the fee that you will be charged is the difference in the value of your stay plus the non-refundable change fee for each transaction.
If you are just making a change without adding or removing dates, the fee will only be the non-refundable charge.
Cancellations or changes made less than 3 days before your arrival will incur a larger fee.
In this case, you will be charged (or refunded, whichever applies) the difference in the value of your stay, plus the non-refundable change fee, plus your first night of camping.
Park Entry Fees
Unlike Ontario Parks camping reservations, your campsite fee doesn’t include your park entry.
You will need to buy a day-use pass or a Discovery Pass for each day of your visit.
These entry fees go toward keeping the parks clean, safe, and maintained.
They help fund things like trail repairs, washroom upkeep, and visitor services.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the daily fees, just keep in mind that these can vary by park:
Daily Entry
- Adult (18–64 years): $8.00 to $11.00 per day.
- Senior (65+ years): $6.90 to $9.50 per day.
- Youth (17 and under): Free
- Family/Group (up to seven people in one vehicle): $16.00 to $22.00 per day.
If you’re planning to visit more than a couple of national parks or historic sites in a year, then we would definitely recommend purchasing a Discovery Pass.
The Discovery Pass gives you unlimited entry for 12 months and works at over 80 Parks Canada locations across the country.
Discovery Pass (Annual)
- Adult: $72.25
- Senior: $61.75
- Family/Group: $145.25
We have purchased the Family/Group Discovery Pass several times when we knew we would be road-tripping, and it has always been worth it.
You can order the Discovery Pass online in advance (it will be mailed to you) or you can grab one at most park gates.
Fire Permit Fees
Fire permit fees are another fee that will appear on your Parks Canada reservation receipt.
This fee pays for the maintenance of fire pits and the provision of firewood.
When we camped at Cyprus Lake in Bruce Peninsula National Park, we paid the fee. We were allowed to take as much firewood as we wanted during our stay.
And to be quite honest, it actually worked out a little cheaper in our case.
Since we were camping in September, the nights evenings were a little chilly, so we kept our fire going through dinner and until we went to bed.
Other Examples of Fire Permit Fees
- Banff National Park:
- Banff Campgrounds: $11.00 per day.
- Lake Louise Area Campgrounds and Banff Icefields Parkway Campgrounds: $17.00 per day.
- Jasper National Park:
- All Campgrounds: $13.75 per day.
Additional Vehicle Fees
Similar to Ontario Parks, your camping reservation allows for one vehicle (plus your RV if you have one) per booking.
If you have family or friends coming in separate vehicles, they will need to pay for the additional vehicle permit.
And just like many of the fees associated with camping in a National Park, the amount charged for the additional vehicle really depends on which park you are camping at.
At Bruce Peninsula, we would have been charged $13.25 per night. But someone camping in Banff National Park would be charged $15.75.
Backcountry Camping Fees
If you’re heading into the backcountry, there are extra fees to keep in mind.
Most Parks Canada backcountry sites charge per person, per night.
Prices can range anywhere from $10 to $25, depending on the park and the area you’re camping in.
There may even be a Grazing Permit included if you are arriving at your site on horseback!
You’ll also need a backcountry permit, which you book the same way as a regular campsite—just make sure to choose the backcountry option when reserving.
Roofed Accommodation Fees
The last fees we would like to include, are for all of Parks Canada’s roofed accommodations.
Because these sites are more than just a place to park an RV or pitch a tent, the fees to camp in one of these awesome structures are obviously much higher.
You can expect to pay anywhere between $70–$150+ per night, depending on the structure type and the park.
We have camped in a variety of Parks Canada’s roofed accommodations, and have absolutely LOVED the experience! Definitely worth the added cost!
Modifying or Cancelling Your Campsite Reservation
You can make changes to your Parks Canada camping reservations either online through your account or by calling 1-877-RESERVE (737-3783).
If you’re doing it online, log into your account, go to “My Reservations,” and find the one you want to update or cancel.
On the right-hand side, you’ll see two buttons—“Change Reservation” and “Cancel Reservation.”
Keep in mind, that you can make changes or cance your reservation up tp three days before your scheduled arrival, without paying a penalty (other than the non-refundable booking fee).
Modifications
If you’re making changes more than three days before your arrival, a screen will appear showing available dates for your selected park.
Pick your new dates, click submit, and you’ll get a confirmation showing your updated reservation and any fees that apply.
From there, you’ll be taken to a payment page—just like when you made your original booking. Once that’s done, you’re all set.
Changing Occupant
If you can’t make your camping trip but don’t want to cancel or lose money, you have the option to transfer your reservation to another person.
You’ll need the new camper’s details, including their full name, address, phone number, and email address.
Log into your account and select the reservation you want to transfer.
Click “Modify Reservation”—do NOT select “Cancel Reservation.”
Next, choose “Occupant Information”, and then click the option “Someone else will be the occupant.” Fill in their details and submit your changes.
A dropdown menu will appear prompting you to enter all the details for the new occupant.
Once you’ve completed the transfer, the new camper will receive an email confirmation from Parks Canada with the reservation in their name.
**Please note: Even though you’ve transferred the reservation, it will remain in your account. The new person is simply listed as the site occupant.**
⚠️ The selling of Parks Canada reservations for profit is not allowed.
Cancellations
If you choose to cancel your reservation, you will be taken through a similar process which will lead to a confirmation page.
You will then be taken to a refund page which breaks down how much money you will be getting back.
Refunds will be applied back to the same credit card used to make your reservation and should appear back in your account in 5-10 business days.
Final Tips and Recommendations
Book Early!
As soon as your booking window opens—book your campsite immediately!
It might feel strange to be planning your summer camping in January or February, but that’s exactly when John and I sit down to map out our summer trips.
Since we usually bring our camper out in May, we have no choice but to start early.
Parks Canada bookings typically open early in the year, and sites go fast!
My point is—get organized!
Mark your reservation dates on the calendar, set reminders, and brace yourself for those early-morning bookings.
Seriously, don’t procrastinate!
Don’t Be Afraid to Book Less Popular Parks
Less popular parks don’t mean less beautiful! Many lesser-known Parks Canada locations are amazing.
While John and I haven’t officially camped at some of these quieter spots, we’ve hiked and explored quite a few during previous road trips.
Since many are farther away from major cities, they naturally get fewer visitors. Take advantage of that!
Smaller or lesser-known parks might have fewer amenities than the bigger, popular parks, but that doesn’t mean they’re not incredible.
Be Flexible
Like I mentioned earlier, always have a backup plan.
Staying flexible with your dates or park choices can really help reduce stress.
I’ve had to rethink and adjust our camping plans more times than I can count, but we always make it work.
Honestly, there are very few Parks Canada locations that we’ve visited and didn’t enjoy.
Wherever we end up camping, I know we’ll have a fantastic time!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No, you can only book one campsite per park per reservation. If you’re camping with friends or family and want multiple sites, each one needs to be booked separately.
No, Parks Canada only allows one campsite per reservation. If you’re planning a road trip and staying in different parks on different nights, you’ll need to make a separate reservation for each stop.
That said, if the parks you’re interested in all open for reservations on the same day, you can still book them back-to-back during your booking window—you’ll just need to complete each reservation one at a time.
Yes, but use their contact information when filling out the reservation so they can be reached if needed. Just keep in mind that the person named on the booking should be present at check-in.
Yes, most Parks Canada frontcountry campsites have a maximum stay of 21 nights per park, per calendar year. Backcountry limits can vary, so check the specific park for details.
It depends on the park and the season. Popular parks like Banff or Jasper can fill up midweek in July and August. Shoulder seasons and less-visited parks often have better midweek availability.
Final Thoughts
There you have it!
At this point, you should be a pro at navigating the Parks Canada booking system.
Once again, the most important advice I can give you is to book your site on the launch day for your park of choice.
Of course, don’t stress if your first choice isn’t available—Canada has many amazing parks worth exploring. And we definitely know this first hand!
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Related Posts:
- Ultimate Guide to Camping at Bruce Peninsula National Park
- How to Book a Parks Canada Campsite – An Ultimate Guide
- Ultimate Guide to Point Pelee National Park Camping
