Last updated on March 31st, 2023 at 03:15 am
Sometimes the best camping trips can happen super close to home. That was the case with my trip to the Two Jack Lakeside Campground in Banff. Smoke from BC caused our original plans to be cancelled and we decided to stay close to home. I checked the Parks Canada website and was lucky enough to stumble across a cancellation at the Two Jack Lakeside Campground in Banff. A whopping 10 minute drive from home….which turned out to be lucky, since we forgot the air mattress but it was a nice easy trip back home to grab it when we realized our mistake!
Where is Two Jack Lakeside Campground
The Two Jack Lakeside campground is located on the Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive Loop. Turning off of Highway 1 at the Lake Minnewanka exit, follow signs towards the lakes. Just past the Cascade Ponds turnoff there is a larger junction, the start and end of the loop drive.
The fastest way is by turning right and taking the loop counter clockwise. Shortly past the Johnson Lake turnoff, on the right hand side is Two Jack Lakeside Campground; it is clearly signposted.
Two Jack Lakeside Campground is just over a 10km drive from downtown Banff, there is also a Roam Transit bus stop just down the road for anyone trying to reach the campground by bus.
The Two Jack Lakeside Campground
The Two Jack Lakeside Campground is an unserviced site, most suitable for tents and small RV’s. There are 64 sites in total, including 22 which are walk-in, spread across three loops. The walk in sites have some of the best lake views and the walk in to most of the sites isn’t a huge struggle. There are also 10 oTENTiks, one of the Parks Canada comfort camping options. Reservations get snapped up fast, so book ahead on the Parks Canada website here to guarantee your site! Bookings for frontcountry campsites open on Thursday 23rd March 2023 at 8am MST.
All sites have a picnic bench and most have firepits with wood provided when a fire permit is purchased with your tent pad reservation. The joy of this campground is there is running water, flushing toilets and showers make this site just a little luxurious and perfect for families whose kids want to get mucky paddling around in the lakeshore.
A number of sites are located really close to the lake, with stunning views. Due to our last minute booking, we didn’t snag a beautiful lakeside spot, however it is only a very short walk from most tent pads to the lake. There is a trail round the lakeshore for the length of the campground, making it nice and easy to find a peaceful spot on the lakeshore to set up for the day.
Note that a number of sites do back on to the main road which gets busy during the summer months with traffic heading to the lakes along the Lake Minnewanka Drive so they can be a little noisy during the day but there is minimal traffic at night and it didn’t disturb our sleep in any way.
What To Do In And Around The Two Jack Lakeside Campground
The biggest selling point for the Two Jack Lakeside Campground is its proximity to Two Jack Lake. Access to the lake is incredible, we walked our canoe right to the lake from our site with no issues whatsoever. The lake is a gorgeous spot to enjoy a paddle, whether that be in a canoe, kayak or on a paddle board. Personally I find the water a little chilly for a swim but during the hot August we just had, there were plenty of people swimming and floating around the lake.
There are two other lakes close by, the first and smallest is Johnson Lake, a local hangout, it’s always packed on a busy day! With big grassy banks and slightly warmer water it’s a great spot to lounge and swim on a hot day!
In the other direction from the Two Jack Lakeside Campground is Lake Minnewanka, a huge lake and tourist hotspot. There are picnic benches along the lakeshore to enjoy a picnic as well as Pursuit running boat tours and boat rentals to allow people to safely get out on the water. There is also a lakeside trail which runs along the length all the way to the back end and is home to many backcountry campgrounds. Walk as far as you like and then turn back, the further you go, the fewer people you see!
A 15 minute drive and you are in downtown Banff for shopping, restaurants and even more trails. Enjoy the river trail to Bow Falls or head up the Sulphur Mountain Gondola for a unique birds eye view of Banff.