Waterfowl Lakes – The Most Amazing Campsite in Banff National Park

Last updated on May 20th, 2023 at 03:46 pm

Waterfowl Lake is easily my favorite campsite in Banff National Park. Sandwiched between Upper and Lower Waterfowl Lakes on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93N) this is the perfect place to spend a weekend relaxing! A scenic hour and a half drive from Banff past towering mountains and beautiful glaciated lakes get you to the campsite which is located right off the highway.

The Waterfowl Lakes Campground

Campsites are split into two areas, one suitable for small units and tents and the other suitable for larger RVs (but you won’t find any hookups here). We like to camp somewhere in the middle of the site, here the site’s tend to have more privacy. Trees surrounding the site’s closer to the lakeshore tend to be a little sparse. With 112 sites in total it gets pretty busy here! The site is clean and well looked after with wash sinks and drop toilets located around the site.

The best part about the Waterfowl Lakes campsite is it’s location, complete peace and quiet and lack of cell reception so you can completely cut yourself off. From the campsite itself, a short 10 minute walk takes you to Upper Waterfowl Lake and a bridge crossing the river between the two lakes gives you access to a further two hiking trails each leading to a lake (Cirque and Chephren) if you are willing to hike a little further. 

Waterfowl Lakes also makes a fantastic campsite in Banff National Park for those looking to complete some scrambles. There are plenty to choose from depending on your skill and how much time you have. We completed the hike to Helen Lake and then went up Cirque Peak during one stay here. The views are spectacular and it’s rated as an easy scramble, with little hands on scrambling but lots of loose rock under foot once you get into the alpine.

However the big reason for our last trip to Waterfowl Lakes campsite was canoeing! Since the site sits right on the edge of the beautiful blue lake we wanted to get out and explore it by canoe and we were not disappointed! We left our canoe tucked just back from the shore line for three days and anytime the sun shone we got out on the lake. Exploring the far shore line you get to find secluded little beach areas separated by rugged forest and rock. A perfect place to enjoy a sunset!

Overall Waterfowl Lakes has a lot to offer. Although a big and often full campsite, because it’s managed by Parks Canada it is always clean and the location for those looking to get out and explore along the parkway is unbeatable! This will always be a campsite I make sure I visit annually!

If you want to make sure you secure a site along the Icefields Parkway, there are some sites which do take reservations, Silverhorn is located a five minute drive from Waterfowl Lakes campground, but is more suited to campervans and RVs. Rampart Creek campground also accepts reservations. Both of these campgrounds can be reserved on the Parks Canada reservation site.

Where Is Waterfowl Lakes Campground

Waterfowl Lakes campground is located along Highway 93 North, also known as the Icefields Parkway. It is a scenic drive coming from either Banff or Jasper and well worth driving the whole road.

It is just under 120 kilometers between Banff and Waterfowl Lakes and can be driven in around an hour and a half, however, you’ll likely want to allow more time to stop and see many of the gorgeous spots on the way. From Jasper it is around 175 kilometers heading south to get to Waterfowl Lakes campground. Again plan on spending much longer driving that you would expect in order ot be able to stop and explore spots along the drive including the Columbia Icefields.