Amazing views but be careful of bears in the area! There are many trails nearby and outhouses. You…read morecannot go around the whole lake but beautiful views of great mountains. Value 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Service 3/5 Quality 4/5 17/20

I did one of my trail runs with my running group here at Spray Valley Provincial Park. This was…read moredefinitely the most scenic run that I did during my trip. Spray Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park located along the Spray River in Alberta, Canada. Spray Valley borders Banff National Park. The park features forests, alpine lakes and rugged peaks. Activities in Spray Valley include camping, hiking, canoeing and fishing. We ran on the Chester Lake Trail to beautiful Chester Lake. The views along the way were just breathtaking. At the lake, you get a glimpse of both Gusty Peak and The Fortress. The water was so clear and had a nice reflection of the surrounding mountains and clouds. I stopped at the foot of the lake to enjoy its beauty before jumping back onto the trail to finish my run. The trails in Spray Valley Provincial Park are a mix of easy, moderate and challenging trails. Spray Lakes West Campground is the main campground in Spray Valley. There are many lakes within the park with Spray Lakes Reservoir being the largest. The Smith-Dorrien Trail (also known as Spray Lakes Road) is a scenic drive on a dirt road that has incredible views of the valley and mountains. A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required for vehicle parking.

A friend of mine recommended the Troll Hike in Kananaskis country so we ducked out of Banff for an…read moreafternoon of exploring the parks just outside. It was beautiful! Mountains galore and lots of great outdoorsy opportunities for winter and warmer weather alike. During our drive we happened to see a bunch of guys in a parking lot near the road loading and unloading kayaks. Most of the water we had seen had been frozen so I was curious to see what the river looked like so my husband and I pulled over. I read the little guide at the start of the trailhead and it informed us that this part of the river is rapids heavy and a well loved route for extreme kayakers, with a course mapped out with markers and everything. We took the short stroll to the water and enjoyed watching a few fellas do their thing in the raging water. The water was bright blue and SO beautiful. It was a highlight of our day and we didn't even plan on it! Check it out if you're in the area. I wish I could remember where exactly it was in the park, but follow the river and you should be able to find it!

Serenity can be found here. It's right off Icefields Parkway, you can't miss it. In off peak season…read moreit isn't as crowded with people and it's a bit more peaceful. There is ample parking too.

I only spent one evening at Waterfowl Lake on the way to Jasper. What I liked about it, was that…read moreit had a "laid back" crowd. The campground was reasonably quiet and even though there were lots of people, it wasn`t packed. There were a fair number of people there, but my impression was that they were there to enjoy the space. The scenery was gorgerous. I uplaoded some pictures of the sceneary around the campground. The camp sights are surrounded by tall trees, and there are washrooms and free firewood available. The campground was a little over $20 a night and you are able to pay by credit card, which was convenient.

How much fun was that???? It was amazing and beautiful. So well maintained by the park! THANK…read moreYOU!! I think there were four or five pools but we stayed in the hot and medium ones. I will not lie and say it wasn't busy but everyone was awesome to chat with. Met lots of folks from Calgary and a couple on their honeymoon. I'd definitely go back next time we are around the area.

A private, rarely populated, hidden hot spring tucked away in the mountains! What can get better…read morethan that? In the area there are two other hot springs, Radium Hot Springs and Fairmont Hot Springs... both are naturally heated, but are made into swimming pools... boring! You might as well just jump into a heated pool. Lussier Hot Springs is none of that! Lussier Hot Springs is set aside on a 12 mile gravel road... please don't let that dismay you! Past the private property of cow fields, the roads do get pretty dangerous. We almost turned around because we were nervous that we may slip off the mountain. At a few points you may need to stop and pull to the far right on the turns to let the truckers pass by because some parts of the road won't let two cars pass. Just a tad dangerous... When you finally see the sign for the Hot Springs your almost there, just park and it's a short, less than 5 minute, hike down the walkway. The Lussier Hot Springs are made up of about 3 rock pools with rocky peddle bottoms. The top most pool is the hottest of the bunch, so I'd recommend going in there last. The water from that pool then leads into the other two rock pools. Those two aren't as hot because they are cooled down by the Lussier River that keeps pouring into them. If you're feeling extra brave or maybe a little too hot, the river makes an excellent icy dunk. The Lussier Hot Springs are a serene and secluded hot springs set in the perfect environment. You can warm up and watch the river rush by you or you can scam for wildlife in the forest or the mountains all around. I highly recommend paying this hot springs a visit!

Two Jack Lake. The most perfect place for a picnic…read more 5 stars - Early May conditions. The conditions were just right. In early May when all of the other lakes in Banff are still frozen, Two Jack was free flowing with that glacier blue water. Wow! The sun is perfectly placed when you go around noon. Bring a picnic lunch and soak it in. 5 stars - Peaceful setting. I hesitate to share this review with you because this place is not too overcrowded. After a stop at Lake Louise where we felt overwhelmed with the amount of people, we made a stop here and were so happy we did. With less people it felt so peaceful. And everyone here wasn't busy snapping pictures, but just there to enjoy the surrounding beauty of nature. That's what you should come here to do!! I'll be back to enjoy Two Jack Lake again soon!!

We adored this campground!…read more Location: In the heart of Banff National Park. An easy coupla right turns off the TransCanada. Up a beautiful mountain road going 50km/h it's a super nice drive. The campground is a few loops that are easy to access but the higher numbers are literally right next to the road with few trees as a barrier (i.e. roads are visible and cars are audible). Campsites: We stayed at site 46...it was a pretty good option but not the best. We were surrounded by a yurt on one side, a campsite on the other and 3 campsites in front of us all perfectly visible because the trees are tall and thin and sparse between the sites. But we had a beautiful view through the trees of this opening where the mountains and Two Jack Lake are visible. Sites 1-13 and 55-74 should be entirely avoided in my opinion....they are visible from the road and from them you can see and hear the road perfectly (almost no obstruction). Sites 14-35 are walk-ins and hit or miss with the choices...some are good choices because of the view of the mountains and lake...others suk cuz they're practically glued to one another with little buffer space. Sites 36-54 are a mixture of sites and yurts (that are so nice we actually ended up regretting not getting one of those despite being avid tent campers) the even numbers are mostly along the trail, mostly with view of mountains and lake, mostly beautiful sites. They are hit and miss because of the privacy (or rather lack thereof) between the sites...but the beautiful view and tranquility for the most part makes it worth it. I really loved site 42 but despite booking the very first possible day in January 2017 for June 2017 we still didn't get even one of the 4 sites we tried to get. Scenery: So pristine. So picturesque. So breathtakingly seriously awesome. And the smell of the mountain air and the pines in the forest oh wow! The brisk mountain air and the turquoise and marine blue lake surrounded by the snow capped moutains that bask in the sun in the almost neverending sun set (10pm still totally bright out!!)...oh wow! Weather: mountain weather... It rained a LOT. It was cold a LOT. It was a bit windy especially when it rained. The clouds swirled and whirled and for the most part you have no idea if it will rainy or be sunny from one minute to the next. And likely will end up being both. BUILD A WIND AND RAIN SHELTER ASAP! Commodities/Accommodations: - DOGS ALLOWED!! - Bathrooms: easily accessible and close at all times, clean, flushable toilets, hot water, those 15-second high pressured hot showers (loved those!), high pressure warm air hand dryer, never waited. - All-You-Can-Burn-Firewood : AYCBF!! There's a pile that they replenish several times through the day, it does get wet when it rains but the wood burned super well despite that (plus we gathered a bunch to keep dry under a tarp so that helped), help yourself to all you can carry there's always plenty!! - Fire pits are short iron rings with attached grills and two side plates...super efficient and perfect. - Picnic tables are gigantic, thick and immovable but usually close enough to the fire anyways so makes for nice dinners but u could still put a kitchen tent up if u wanted - Yurt sites seemed to have electricity access they also apparently came with propane and these kool stove things - Ice NOT AVAILABLE at the campground for purchase?!? No camp store on site. Had to drive to Banff (12 minute drive no biggy) and buy ice at a gas station (4$ per bag yo!!!) - Sites are usually big enough for any type of trailer/RV and / or tents n shelters combinations - there are large kitchen shelter structures u can bring ur firewood and use the wood stove n make a meal in the shelter in the rain, they're big enough for 4-5 familes to use at once but were usually empty. Prices: ~41$ per night June 2017 (National Park entrance fee waived with Parks Canada free entry for Canada's 150th anniversary so I have no idea how much more it woulda been)...seems pretty pricey but firewood included so not so much actually. Activities: Go see Banff and Lake Minnewanka while ur in the area! Each about 10 minutes either direction and both totally worth it!! Can purchase fishing licenses or rent boats from Lake Minnewanka. Plenty of hiking trails ...that make or may not be open due to wildlife... Wildlife: Bears, wolves: we didn't see any but there were sightings in the area prior to our arrival. Plenty of geese. Plenty of ginormous ravens. Herons. A few large mystery birds of prey. Long horn rams at Lake Minnewanka (guaranteed photo ops they're all chillin on the road). Elk (which kept their distance). Saw plenty of lil minnows in the lake but didn't end up buying licenses so didn't fish. A few mini squirrels or long tailed chipmunks...hard to say for sure. Plenty of deer. Very very few insects flying or otherwise...even the bees were awesome but huge (not aggressive or invasive, just hey how are u and fly away)

We have started and finished our camping season here for the passed 3 years. Even in the spring…read moresnow.... Friendly staff, and very well maintained grounds and clean bathrooms. A small fee for the showers, and laundry on site, as well and a dump station. They are pet friendly, with a city run off leash area right beside the grounds. They are close to downtown Cochrane and a short drive to Calgary and Banff. Nice bike paths and the sports center is right outside the gates.

This is suck a nice place. Everywhere in the campground very clean. We are stay here for a month…read more$945(per night $43). Had free wifi and you can pay more data. Bathroom very clean $2 for shower. Also Washing machine very clean $3 per machine 25 minutes for wash. 50 minutes for dry. I am very impressed with walking tail. Because the campground near river very nice. All staff here very friendly also. Love this place.

Some Yelpers and I went on a snowshoeing excursion to the Hogarth Lakes Snowshoe Loop. The highways…read morethrough the park were ploughed, clear and well sanded. The signage on the highway was easy to read. The trail that we were on was active and it hadn't snowed in a few days so there was a solid path to follow, but if there hadn't been, the path was well marked with brightly coloured markers on the trees along the way. The trail was pretty easy and made for a nice little hike across a couple small lakes. The parking areas were clean which was a good sign as I didn't notice garbage containers provided which means people are packing everything out that they bring in.

This park is spectacular, literally words actually fail me I've never seen such beauty except in…read moreNew Zealand. I've been traveling around to provincial and national parks for 40 years, most of my time has been spent in Ontario in Algonquin, but my favorite country in the world is New Zealand, and this trip yesterday to best provincial park in Alberta literally is the only place in my life I've seen that rivals New Zealand. Anyway I don't even want to post this review because I don't want the place to get as popular as it deserves, But I just noticed I have over 20,000 viewers of my yelp page so I guess you guys deserve some rewarding gossip and advice. I highly recommend, it's absolutely gorgeous. Look at these photos and video. The only problem is meeting an obnoxious German Ranger lady who freaked out and screamed at me because I parked my car somewhere that said no picnicking... She screamed that I had to park it on the dam, which actually was much more convenient for where we were trying to get to, We were fishing at the dam but there were no sign saying it's OK to park on the dam. Why would it be better to park on a dam where there is very narrow road, versus parking way off to the side where there is a massive field and picnic benches that were deserted to come out enough room to park 100 cars and not a single person there. I pointed out to her that there is a sign that said no picnicking, but I'm not eating anything, she screamed that it says no picnicking which means also no parking and no nothing!!!!! I didn't realize that no picnicking meant no parking! How did I live on my life without realizing that signs that warn no picnicking mean actually no doing anything at all!? I felt like telling her she was totally living up to the stereotype of overregulated Canadian indentured civil servants but why waste my time when I have such beautiful mountains and turquoise lakes to look at!

Great place to camp, site are small and almost on top of each others. I wish the bathrooms were…read morecleaned more often as I often didn't have toilet paper in my stall and they were just gross overall. Still better than outhouses.

Redstreak is a beautiful campground located just minutes from the Radium Hot Springs town site and…read morethe Hot Springs pool. There are a variety of sites: tenting, RV, pull through, full service, no service, walk-up, little cabins/huts. A fire permit is extra but firewood is provided; however, keep in mind you will need a park pass to stay here (which can be purchased at the campground gates). In total (with a fire permit), it came to about $55.00 for one night. The registration process was a bit of a joke - if you didn't have a reservation of course. It was taking anywhere between 7 to 15 minutes per unit to check in (on a Monday afternoon no less) which almost sent me into breakdown mode with about 12-15 cars ahead of us when we arrived. The sites were nice - we ended up with a walk up site on the edge of a cliff. It was nice, but we were pretty close to our neighbors, and having to walk back and forth to the car every time you needed anything got a little tiring eventually. The facilities were clean and well kept (free showers are nice too). I would also recommend taking the hike to the hot springs pool; it was beautiful and not overly strenuous. I don't know that this would be our first choice for camping in the area, but we would certainly consider it. I think we would likely look into making a reservation though next time since no one wants to spend 2 hours in line on their vacation!

UKL is definitely pretty, but the real view of the lake, one that will blow your socks off, is from…read moreMt Sarrail. You can get there by following the path along the southern edge of UKL, and climbing up toward Rawson Lake. From there, you have to go around that lake to make the steep climb to Mt Sarrail. This is challenging, not in a technical way, but worth the view. Expect to stop several times on your ascent to catch your breath. Be mindful as well that there are several bears in the area. A grizzly forced a significant group of us off the trail in the early going, so bring bear spray just in case. The hike is a long one, most of it ascending and tiring, though much easier heading back. Expect around six hours at a leisurely pace, and roughly ten miles of hiking round trip.