Best 2023 AB and BC Campsites with Showers

I love going camping and even better when there’s a shower to use! Here are the best 2023 AB and BC campsites with showers. We have such gorgeous campsites to set up camp for a few days in western Canada. There are so many beautiful places to explore during the day as well. Whistlers Campground in Jasper National Park is a great campground and has been recently remodelled to accommodate all-gender accessible washrooms, new washrooms and showers. Ferguson Hill in Cyprus Hills (southern AB) offers seclusion but yet has showers located nearby for access to everyday amenities. Kicking Horse (near Field, BC) has pretty campsites near the river and is so close to many outdoor adventures waiting for you any day. Martha Creek Campground (near Revelstoke, BC) offers a fantastic lake to swim, kayak, and go boating, plus showers for your needs only a few minutes’ walk away.

Whistlers Campground

Open: Reservations are required for the main campground from May 3 to October 9. The overflow has last-minute spots available with only seventy percent of the space requiring reservations. A valid National Park pass will be required to stay in the park.

Sites: Some sites are serviced while others are unserviced.

Campsite cost: Ranges from $16.75 to $50.00 for full service. Find more details here. For an additional $8.80, a fire permit can be purchased which includes the price of wood. (There’s currently a fire ban in the province of Alberta).

Whistlers Campground has campsites with showers and has been recently renovated providing three all-gender accessible washrooms in the registration centre. Eighteen washroom and shower facilities can be found throughout the campground. There is a lot of trailer parking in the middle of the campground now where they cut multiple trees destroyed by pine beetles. On the edges of the campground, you’ll still find a variety of small to bigger sites for campers wanting some privacy in the trees. Bear-proof lockers are available to store your food while you’re away from your campsite or during the night. They have picnic shelters accessible as well in case it’s raining. The campground is only a six-minute drive to Jasper if you want to go out for a bite to eat or need to visit the grocery store in case you forgot something.

Other Campgrounds

If you’re looking for an alternative campground, Wapiti Campground is located just to the south of Whistlers Campground. It’s a smaller campground but gorgeous as it’s situated along the Athabasca River.

Activities

While camping at Whistlers Campground, Jasper Hikes: Best Memories suggests many different attractive hikes to do with your family and partner in the area. If you need a place to set up camp before Backpacking Poboktan Trail Successfully, Whistlers Campground is only a forty-four-minute car ride before heading out to the trailhead parking lot. There are many lakes for swimming in the area such as Annette Lake which is fairly shallow making it relatively warm to swim in compared to Pyramid Lake which will literally take your breath away. These lakes are also perfect to go kayaking or canoeing. Pyramid Lake Resort rents canoes, kayaks and paddleboards on an hourly basis. Check the prices here.

Cyprus Hills: Ferguson Hill Campground

Open: May 15 to Sep 4. Reservations can be made nighty days in advance of your arrival.

Sites: 50 unserviced sites

Campsite cost: $28/night

Ferguson Hill Campground is the fifth campground as you drive up the road to Cypress Hills. It has outhouses, and water pumps to fill up your water bottles or to cook delicious meals such as Butter Chicken. Firewood can be purchased in Elkwater townsite for your nightly fires in the dedicated fire pits (as long as there isn’t a fire ban in place). Ferguson Hill is close, with a five-minute drive to get to the lake. Ferguson Hill is on top of a hill showcasing beautiful views which I enjoy and further away from RVs with running generators. It’s more secluded but again close to the lake, the town and accessible to showers. It’s in a really convenient location. They have some small campsites while others are bigger sizes for a large tent or a small trailer.

Reservations are only offered nighty days in advance but as of May, campsites are still available for certain dates in June and July. Take a look to see if you might get lucky and reserve when you’d like to go.

Lakeview Campground

Lakeview Campground (the first campground you’ll pass to your left) as you drive up Sherwood Crescent Road has campsites with showers available near the campground registration booth. They have thirteen campsites with power, flush toilets, showers and drinking water for $47 if that’s more your style. Lakeview Campground as suggested by the name is located on Elkwater Lake where you can go swimming.

Campgrounds in the Area

The other campgrounds: Old Baldy is similar to Ferguson Hill while both Beaver Creek and Elkwater have showers available as well. There are lots of campgrounds available depending on what you’re looking for and your style of camping.

Hiking

This area is great for hiking. There are many hikes in the area with varying lengths. Some are hilly to offer a workout while others are walks along the water. The staff at the visitor center can help you find hikes that are suitable for your family if you need additional help. If you’re looking for other hikes in the southern part of Alberta, make sure to check out 4 Spectacular Drumheller Hikes.

Kicking Horse Campground

Open: May 18 to Oct 9, reservable from June 1 to October 9. A valid National Park pass will be required to stay in the park.

Sites: Unserviced

Campsite cost: $29.25

Kicking Horse Campground has campsites with showers including flush toilets with hot and cold water taps.

They have limited cell service in this area with no WIFI so it’s a great time to disconnect from social media and enjoy some quality time with your partner and/or family. They have a playground on site to let your children play and have some fun while on vacation. If you need a safe place to store your food, food lockers are available as well as kitchen shelters if there’s bad weather in the area. Fires are permitted once you’ve purchased a fire permit from their front kiosk. Firewood is included in this cost. Please don’t bring your own wood into National Parks. Note: you might not be able to make a fire if there’s a fire ban in place. The bulletin board at the front kiosk will have that information for you.

They have forty-four reservable sites and forty-four first-come, first-served sites.

Reservable Spots

To reserve on the site, select Yoho Park for the location. Click on Kicking Horse once the map appears. Most of the sites are booked as of mid-May but you might get lucky and be able to book in the early or late summer, depending on the date you’re looking to camp. Selecting the calendar on the left side of the menu will show you available dates for each campsite.

Tip: Scroll through the previous and next buttons until green checkmarks appear and display availability. It will save time instead of guessing and selecting various dates at the top in the hopes free dates appear to book.

First Come First Served

First come first served sites are a bit more of a gamble. You’ll want to arrive a bit early at 10:30 A.M. to scope out sites that might have already been vacated. There will be more people looking for a site around 11 A.M. You might miss your chance at a campsite with more campers competing for the same spots.

Tip: Try to go earlier in the week (possibly on Thursday) to grab a first come first served site. Your chances will increase as opposed to arriving just before 11 A.M. on a Friday and hoping to get a spot for the weekend.

These guidelines are by no means a guarantee for you but will help increase your chances to obtain a campsite.

Activities in the Area

If you continue to drive on Yoho Valley Road, you’ll reach the Takakkaw Falls parking lot. Takakkaw Falls is an absolute must of sites to see in the area. It has an easy trail and is a short distance from parked vehicles for those of you who want that option. For those wanting a more challenging hike, consider Gorgeous Hiking to Laughing Falls. It’s an eleven-kilometre hike with flat and uphill sections on the way there and some downhill on the way back. It offers wonderful views of the mountains. This trail can also be backpacked if you want to stay in the wilderness overnight. To get your backcountry permit and reserve a spot, click here.

Back on Hwy 1, west of the Kicking Horse Campground and the town of Field, if you turn to the right onto Emerald Lake Road, you’ll reach gorgeous Emerald Lake. Canoes can be rented at Emerald Lake Canoe Rentals for $90/hour. It’s an expensive outing but cheaper than Lake Louise at $140/hour. It will be fun for your partner and yourself to experience the beautiful waters around you as well as the mountains. If you prefer, hikes in the area vary in difficulty but will allow you to take pictures of the lake as you walk along. Some go around the lake while others gain elevation and lead hikers to climb up mountains for more of a challenge.

Martha Creek Campground

Open: May 13 to Sept. 15, 2023

Sites: Unserviced and serviced

Campsite cost: $28/night

They have campsites that can be reserved online. As of mid-May, dates in July and August are still available if you’re flexible about your camping dates. Reserve here. Sites 1 to 33 are more family-friendly with easy access to the playground and the sandy beach. Sites 48 to 89 are in a more secluded area with access to a rocky beach and offer more peace and quiet. This part of the campsite offers enough room and privacy from your neighbours with trees between campsites.

There is no cell service at this campground to allow you to unplug from your daily routine. If you need to contact someone or check messages, drive back down the road towards Revelstoke, about a fifteen-minute drive and you’ll be able to access cell coverage. You won’t need to go all the way into town.

First-Come First-Served

The first-come first-served spots are indicated by the starred campsites on the reservation map.

Tip: These campsites are more out in the open with little privacy as you come into the campground. They also offer single long stalls with no tree cover and full sun. If you plan to leave for the day then this might not bother you but just note that if you don’t reserve, one of these sites could be your spot. If you don’t plan to be at the campsite during the day and are happy with whatever last-minute site, then this will work out perfectly. Sometimes, just getting a site makes one feel like a winner!

Fires

Designated fire pits are permitted to have fires with no fire ban. The bulletin board at the front entrance will indicate important announcements.

Showers and Toilets

Registered campers have campsites with showers and flushable toilets available to them at no extra cost at Martha Creek Campground. They are a ten to fifteen-minute walk from campsites 48 to 89. You’ll get a bit of exercise as you walk or bike to and from your shower. The campsites further north, don’t have flushable toilets but clean non-smelling outhouses maintained by the campground staff.

Lake Activities

This lake is gorgeous for swimming! They have a boat launch for easy access to the water. Our kayaks for our kayaking day trip were dropped here as well. It made it convenient. This campsite offers so many opportunities to go explore the lake in a kayak or canoe, go swimming, boating or fishing.

Final Thoughts

From my experience, these AB and BC campsites with showers are the best ones to try to book! They offer different places to explore in our own province or in our neighbouring province to the west. You can go on so many adventures from these campsites while enjoying a refreshing shower at the end of your day! Whether you’re interested in hiking, swimming, kayaking, or canoeing, you have so many options available for you to book and go have some fun.

Whistlers Campground offers a close drive to restaurants if you are looking for a reasonably cheap place to stay at night. Ferguson Hill Campground gives the feeling of being secluded while being close enough to Elkwater amenities. If you’re looking for a break from the big city, Kicking Horse and Martha Creek campgrounds have no cell service to allow you to unplug and enjoy the outdoors! Where do you want to go? Where do you plan on booking?