Johnston Canyon Campground – Banff National Park – review

I’ve been eyeing Johnston Canyon Campground for years now. It’s impossible not to considering the notoriety of the same-named hike that draws close to a million visitors every year. A weekend of camping and hiking in Banff, what’s not to love?

Well, the reservation protocol, for starters. These Banff National Park campgrounds are wildly popular. Local demand coupled with robust international demand means these campgrounds fill up remarkably fast once the reservation portal opens. Johnston Canyon Campground is no exception.

The trouble is, the reservation window goes live in late January. And it opens for the entire camping season all at once. There is no rolling reservation window, just mayhem from the moment it begins. Snagging a weekend spot after January is pretty much impossible. You may luck into a single night during a summer weekday, but otherwise you’re out of luck if you don’t book in January.

This has led me to put Johnston Canyon Campground on the backburner for a few years. Other camping plans have taken priority and, honestly, planning your whole summer in January gets tiresome.

This year, however, I vowed to finally book us a weekend at Johnston Canyon. I succeeded and we enjoyed a delightful two days of camping and hiking in late May. Here’s my take on the campground. I’ll talk about the hike in a separate post.

Where is Johnston Canyon Campground

Johnston Canyon Campground is located in the Banff National Park sandwiched between TransCanada Highway 1 and Bow Valley Parkway (BVP). This strip of inter-highway land also includes the Bow River and, this will become important later, the main CP rail line.

During much of the year, including peak camping season, the campground is accessed from the southwest via Bow Valley Parkway. The interchange with BVP is a few kilometers west of the Banff townsite exit and the distance between the campground and town is 25 km.

However, in the spring something unique happens. BVP is closed to vehicular traffic from the Banff interchange to the campground allowing cyclists (and walkers) unfettered access. It’s a great time of year for our two-wheeled brethren but those using combustion horsepower are forced to drive to the Castle Mountain exit and get on BVP from there, approaching the campground from the northwest. This adds an additional 14 km to the drive. Not horrible, but a mild nuisance.

Campground Setting

Being in the mountains, in a river valley, it should come as no surprise that Johnston Canyon Campground is almost entirely forested with conifers. There are a few strips and patches without trees, possibly due to infrastructure installation, but most campsites will enjoy full tree cover.

The noted tree lover and sun hater than I am, you’ll find it humorous that I ended up in one of the lesser treed campsites. We were going in May, so I wasn’t overly concerned about shade, but this had more to do with the already diminished campsite availability by the time I was allowed into the booking portal. I wasn’t kidding when I said it books up fast.

The only other notable natural feature is Johnston Creek which borders the northwest edge of the campground. As much as the campground is surrounded by mountains, they’re not readily visible from most vantage points within. Those trees get in the way lest you find a small window between them or venture to the deforested bits.

Johnston Canyon Campground Layout

The best description I can conjure for Johnston Canyon Campground’s layout is spine and rib. A primary access road paralleling Johnston Creek travels the full length of the campground. From this road, three elongated loops radiate outwards to the southeast, each longer and narrower than its predecessor. The result is a right-angle triangle with six runs of campsites.

Each loop is isolated unto itself. There are no shortcut roads connecting them. To go from one to the other with a vehicle, you must return to the spine. Furthermore, if you’re camping in the last, longest loop, you’ll have to endure a rather long trip to or from your campsite every time you come or go.

Campsite Types

There are 132 campsites, all of which are back-ins save for one apparent switch-hitter. That anomalous site appears to work both as a back-in and an arcuate pull-through. During our first night at Johnston Canyon Campground, it was used as a back-in. On our second night, it was being used as a pull-through.

The campsites vary in size, but none are exceptionally large. RVs greater in length than 27’ are unlikely to find a site. Similarly, the closeness of campsites varies. None are overly close, but neither are there gaping chunks of wilderness between them. Privacy is limited as there is no low brush or other impediments to sightlines.

Gravel pads will require a bit of leveling for trailers or RVs. Ours was both a bit unlevel side to side and front to back. I wouldn’t say it was egregious and no campsite we saw looked noticeably askew. You are in the mountains, so there is bound to be some slope.

All the sites are unserviced, so expect generators. There are posted times for use but without enforcement they’re bound to be heard throughout the day. Each site comes with a wooden picnic table and metal fire pit with flipping grate plus metal platforms on either side.

I was a bit surprised that there are no walk-in tent campsites. I think they would be popular, particularly with the cycling crowd using the BVP in the spring.

Otentiks are also absent from Johnston Canyon Campground. I don’t care much one way or the other, but I thought a national park campground this close to Banff would have such luxuries.

Finally, there is no group camping, but I do think there might have been in the past. Satellite imagery shows what may have been a group camping area on the other side of Johnston Creek, but I can’t confirm this.

Bathrooms and Showers at Johnston Canyon Campground

Enough pondering. Or is it complaining? Let’s get to the good stuff. Stuff like flush toilets and hot showers!

There are five bathrooms throughout the campground, two of which include showers. Each loop has one and the other two are located between loops. The showers are in the first and third loops.

Showers are free. They have a simple showerhead and allow for temperature adjustment. Regular shower stalls are comprised of a small change area and a modest standing area. Accessible showers are also available. They are more spacious than the regular stalls and contain a movable seat in the shower and bars on the wall. I didn’t use the showers so can’t comment on their effectiveness.

The bathrooms are otherwise as you’d expect. Stalls, a urinal, stainless steel sinks, and hand dryer round out the amenities. Electrical receptacles are available near the sinks for grooming appliances, or your phone, I suppose. The sinks also have hot water. That alone is a novelty these days. And a welcome one.

The exterior of each bathroom hosts a cleaning station for tent campers. These are large, deep, stainless steel sinks.

Dump Station and Potable Water

If you do use your onboard facilities, there’s a nearly new dump station awaiting next to the campground entrance. It has two free-of-charge stations with paved access, non-potable and potable water.

I have only one disagreement with this dump station. If you use it, you must then exit the campground in order to re-enter. To do this, you are forced to traverse the overflow parking lot for the canyon hike. It’s a few hundred meters long and then you return via the highway and into the campground. That’s what I call a nuisance when all you’re doing is filling your travel trailer with drinking water.

Fresh water is also available throughout the campground. The map shows five such taps, one of which was only a couple of sites away from ours. Water was fine.

Picnic Shelters

It’s interesting. There are no group sites or tent-only sites but there are upwards of 6 picnic shelters scattered throughout the campground. At least one of them includes food storage lockers next to it.

The picnic shelters are enclosed on all sides but without windows or doors allowing for air flow. Some have wood stoves inside, but not all. There are also impressive wood tables and benches in each.

Great for group picnics. I’m just not sure they get used much considering the nature of the campground. Perhaps more groups book sites together than I imagine. Regardless, they’re quaint and would be fun if you are there with a group of friends.

Registration Office

Entry to Johnston Canyon Campground begins at the registration office. It’s a large building and fairly new based on satellite imagery. Not long ago, the campground entrance was at the far end of what is now the overflow parking lot for the hike. That old entrance had a small, rustic kiosk to greet campers.

The new registration office is significantly larger and arguably more attractive donning the green and white look often associated with Parks Canada. The size of the office is a bit odd considering there is no store or gift shop within. It’s simply an office and registration building. Not that I expected there to be a store. Or a gift shop. Or interpretive centre for that matter.

You won’t find WiFi service in the campground either, but cell coverage is pretty good. It even worked along much of the Johnston Canyon trail.

Things to Do in Johnston Canyon Campground

I’ve long lamented the lack of playgrounds in most of Canada’s national parks. It’s just a thing I have. About a thing these campgrounds don’t have, this one included. Good thing there’s 6,600 square kilometres of natural playground all around it.

If you do find yourself wanting to toss a ball or frisbee around, maybe work on your soccer dribble or play some bocce, there is a field of sorts available within the campground. It is located next to the bathroom in the third loop, and I assume it has something to do with sewage. Hey, ya can’t be too fussy about these things. At least it’s grassy.

If you prefer more official entertainment, then the Bear’s Den theatre might be to your liking. Unlike the typical open-air amphitheatre you typically find in parks, the Bear’s Den is an actual building. The A-frame theatre is hidden in the trees within the first loop with various trails leading to it.

Unfortunately, our arrival on the opening weekend in May meant programming was not yet happening. The building was also locked up so I couldn’t get a look inside. But there was a sign out front discussing future programming, so I’m confident that there will be entertainment available at some point.

And if none of that intrigues you and you’ve done the canyon hike and your camping games have grown stale, you can always check out Banff townsite. You can make the drive, if you like, or you can take public transit that has a bus stop at Johnston Canyon. Voila.

Firewood

If you’re like us, however, there’s no better way to cap a fun day of camping than with a fire. Firewood is available at Johnston Canyon Campground for an $11 daily fee. This fee is compulsory when you register.

This all-you-can-use daily fee, while convenient, promotes waste so don’t be surprised to see smoke wafting through the trees from dawn to bedtime. If you have a young lad in your entourage, they too will appreciate the ample wood and chop away all evening.

The wood comes in large chunks that will require further splitting to burn properly. It’s dry conifer but do bring an ax or hatchet. Oh, and if you’re moving on to other national parks do not transfer wood along with you. That’s a no no.

Hiking

Hiking, of course, is the primary (only) reason to come to Johnston Canyon Campground. The canyon trail is right across the BVP and there are pathways running from the campground, under the road, to the trailhead.

Other trails are nearby including the worthwhile Silverton Falls. It’s shorter and less refined than Johnston Canyon and therefore, less busy. Excellent payoff, though.

Within the campground, there are trails intersecting the various loops allowing campers to shortcut to bathrooms, the theatre, or to the exit. They vary from dirt to aged asphalt and undulate a fair bit. But they’re a convenience, not a hike. Duh.

National parks are virulently anti-geocaching, so you won’t find any traditional caches in the campground or anywhere else nearby. There are three earth caches along the Johnston Canyon hike which are interesting, but you’d see them anyway if you do the hike.

Wildlife and Pests

There’s always wildlife around in a national park. Whether you see it is another story. Inside the campground, the usual suspects are busy chasing down our food droppings and generally being noisy. Birds are seemingly ever present, from cute little warblers to squawky Ravens. Squirrels and chipmunks dart around campsites and curse you out when you get too close to their favourite tree.

Bears are a bigger concern and you’ll receive the full bear aware speech when you check-in. Don’t leave anything outside, ever. It’ll get confiscated.

As for bugs and mosquitoes, it was presumably too early in the season for them to be a bother. We didn’t see a single mosquito the entire weekend and only once did some sort of bug come close enough for me to hear it. The joys of camping in May.

On the other hand, do trains count as pests? As I mentioned near the beginning of this screed, the main CP rail line runs right behind Johnston Canyon Campground. We could see passing trains between the trees from our campsite (site 99). And they weren’t exactly irregular.

I’ll admit trains don’t ruin my sleep like they did when we started camping. The kids were very young then and trains through the night were the bane of my existence. It’s not as bad now. I’m older, as are the kids, and the disruption isn’t as ruinous.

But you know what? They’re still annoying. Sorry. I’d much rather camp with no trains around whatsoever. These won’t ruin your stay at Johnston Canyon Campground, but you’ll definitely be aware of them. C’est la vie camping in the TransCanada corridor through the Rockies.

Atmosphere

Partiers, we can all agree, are pests. Yeah, bah humbug. The crowd’s a bit different here. You’ve got a mix of international travelers, families, young adults, and retirees, each with an eclectic mix of trailers, tents, and rented motorhomes.

Most are here for the hike and when they settle in for the evening, some may want to revel a bit. One such group of young men was getting a bit rowdy on the Saturday night of our stay. Another group was gathered around the fire with a guitar. Neither got out of hand and appeared to quiet down once quiet hours arrived.

Regular patrols by parks service surely helped. We saw a patrol drive by at least 4 times on our first night there alone. Compared to the single Alberta Parks patrol we saw at Cottonwood Campground in the Oldman Dam PRA over the course of an entire long weekend, enforcement here is obviously a priority.

Conclusion and Rating

When all was said and done, we had a lovely weekend camping in Banff. I’m glad we finally made time to go. Despite the trains, I’ll grant Johnston Canyon Campground in Banff National Park 4.25 Baby Dill Pickles out of 5.

Sure, I could find ways to improve it; playground and maybe laundry. Exiting through the overflow parking is rather dumb considering they renovated recently and still chose to do this. But that’s all nitpicking. It’s a great campground and ideal place to stay while you do the famed canyon hike. Don’t delay, like we did.