British Columbia/Alberta resources

The following resources may be helpful for your trip; they are the ones I personally use and refer to often.

Hiking trails

I love the Organic Maps app for offline navigation. Be sure to download coverage for BC and the Alberta side of the Rockies before using!

The AllTrails app is well used in British Columbia, especially for finding day hiking opportunities. Offline navigation is available on the Premium version only.

My website, offtracktravel.ca, has detailed hiking guides for some of BC's most popular day hikes and multi-day trips:

Trophy Meadows Trail, Wells Gray Provincial Park

Eva Lake Trail, Mount Revelstoke National Park

Glacier Crest Trail, Glacier National Park

The Rockwall (including Floe Lake), Kootenay National Park

Mount Assiniboine, Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park

Iceline Loop, Yoho National Park

Lake O'Hara, Yoho National Park

Lake O'Hara Alpine Circuit, Yoho National Park

Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park (paddling)

General maps

Free highway maps are available at Visitor Centres across BC and on the Alberta side of the Rockies.

I find the Backroad Mapbook series invaluable for off the beaten path trip planning and backroad navigation.

Four mapbooks cover all of southern BC (mainland) - Canadian Rockies, Kootenay region, Thompson Okanagan, Vancouver Coast & Mountains.

BC is criss-crossed by a huge network of unpaved industrial roads and the Mapbook helps to make sense of it all. I also find it helpful for locating hiking trailheads and free/low-cost Recreation Site campgrounds.

If you want to go beyond the beaten path, I'd recommend getting the Backroad Mapbook that fits the area you are most interested in.

The mapbooks can also be purchased at MEC, most local gas stations and outdoor stores in BC.

National parks

There are six national parks featured in this travel guide:

• Glacier National Park (BC)

• Mount Revelstoke National Park (BC)

• Yoho National Park (BC)

• Kootenay National Park (BC)

• Banff National Park (Alberta)

• Jasper National Park (Alberta)
  
  All of these parks are part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Park system.

  Like all national parks in Canada, there is a daily admission fee to explore these parks. This is called a parks pass and the daily cost is $22 for a vehicle with up to 7 passengers.

  If you're spending more than 6 days in the parks, it is better value to buy a Discovery Pass - an annual pass providing unlimited entry. This costs $151.25 for a vehicle with up to 7 passengers.

  The same pass is valid in all six parks - so if you pay for a parks pass or Discovery Pass at the entrance to Mount Revelstoke National Park, it is also valid in Banff National Park.

  There are no admission fees for provincial parks in British Columbia or Alberta. Please note that there is a Kananaskis Conservation Pass system in the Kananaskis Valley (southeast of Canmore).

Transportation

• DriveBC / Mobile DriveBC - Road closures, construction and road condition

• BC Highway Road Cameras - Traffic and weather conditions

• Ministry of Transportation (BC) - Winter tire requirements, Oct to March/April only

• 511 Alberta - Road closures, construction and road conditions

• 511 Alberta CCTV - Road cameras

Weather and wildfires

• Environment Canada - Weather forecast and current conditions

• BC Wildfire Service - Current campfire restrictions

• FireSmoke - Wildfire smoke forecast

• BC Wildfire Service - Current wildfire situation

• Alberta Wildfire - Current wildfire situation

• Alberta fire bans - Current campfire restrictions

Camping

Before going camping, always check whether there is a campfire ban in place on the BC Wildfire Service website.

This travel guide features many provincial park and national park campgrounds.

• Reservable campsites in provincial parks can be reserved four months in advance (rolling window) via the BC Parks website.

• As for national parks, reservations launch in January each year on the Parks Canada website. To stay in national park campgrounds, you must also have a valid parks pass for both days (check-in and check-out).

Tips for securing campgrounds in this guide.

Campground already fully reserved? Check for cancellations often and use the Notify Me option on the BC Parks and Parks Canada websites. For backcountry sites, let CampNab check for cancellations for you.

Beyond these provincial and national park campgrounds, there are private campgrounds. Keep in mind that these are typically aimed at RV users rather than tent campers. Hook-ups (electrical/water), paid showers and other facilities are usually available.

In BC, there is also a network of government run Recreation Site campgrounds. These are rustic with few facilities (usually just picnic tables and at least one outhouse) but are often free and run on a first come, first serve system.

Recreation Sites that are not free usually have a caretaker and may use a reservation system.

Please note that Recreation Sites are usually located far from main roads, often only accessible via unpaved industrial roads. Find them with the help of the Sites and Trails BC website or by using a Backroad Mapbook.