Camping in the Canadian Rockies
- kwankew
- Sep 13
- 4 min read
I went camping in the Canadian Rockies during the second week of August. Andriann was our guide for a group of seven; at first, the tour told me there would be four campers, but in the end, I was the only one camping. The rest elected to stay in hotels.
From Seattle, we drove through Kamloops, British Columbia, where the North and South Thompson rivers meet. Lush green evergreens graced the mountains and valleys. A hike through a park led us to the Bridal Veil Falls, tumbling 197 ft. over smooth rock surfaces, a fitting beginning to our trip.
At the Sandy Point Campground, I dipped into the Salmon Arm Lake in the evening and early morning before sunrise. I arrived too late to buy tokens for a shower, and the dip in the lake would do. A sumptuous pasta dinner made up for it.
The next day, we headed to Yoho National Park. Yoho is a Cree word
for awe and wonder.
After a short hike through the cedar forests, we drove to Emerald Lake. It greeted us with its pristine green color, inviting us to walk around it and immerse ourselves in it.
That was exactly what I did after hiking all around it, taking in its beauty from all angles. I changed into my swimsuit and took a refreshingly cold dip.
On day three, we visited Lake Louise, an alpine lake with stunning turquoise glacier-fed waters surrounded by high peaks and a stately chateau. I hiked to Lake Agnes Tea House and rested a bit before hiking to Little Beehive.
I was lucky to squeeze in a guided canoe ride on the Lake, canoeing close to the source of the glacier.
In the afternoon, we glimpsed Moraine Lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks.
The Perseids meteor shower was supposed to peak these past two nights. I woke up in the middle of the night to gaze at the sky, but unfortunately, it had been cloudy. There wasn’t much of the sky to be seen here; the tree cover was thick.
My last camping trip at Monument Valley, the splash of the Milky Way enchanted me. It was just as magical as seeing the aurora borealis.
On day four, it was rainy as we drove along the Icefields Parkway. Intermitently, the sun struggled through the clouds, glimpses of glacier through pink fire weeds.
We viewed Bow Lake and took a short hike to see the emerald green Peyto Lake, where the shape of a wolf could be discerned.
We viewed Bow Lake and took a short hike to see the emerald green Peyto Lake, where the shape of a wolf could be discerned.
In the rain, we visited a raging waterfall in the aftermath of the disastrous fire that decimated Jasper in 2024. Acres and acres of burned forests with skeletal remains of trees stood or fell helter-skelter on the slopes. An untold number of wildlife perished. It would take many years for the forests to recover. I camped at Whistlers GC; a double rainbow appeared, and I felt blessed to witness it.
On day five, we explored Jasper NP, the largest NP in Canada, spotting deer and bears while driving through the burned forests.
Following the Yellowhead Highway, we landed close to the base of the 12,972-foot Mount Robson- the highest point of the Canadian Rockies. Tonight, I made camp at Clearwater Valley Resort CP, BC.
On day six, it rained on and off as we drove on the winding road, stopping at a little town, Lillooet, for lunch. There is a Chinese settlement, and years ago, they discovered Jade in the mountains.
We arrived at Whistler in the late afternoon and could not see much of the Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains because of the rain. I visited the First Nation Museum and then walked around the Olympic Village, home of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
My camp at the Riverside CG was by the bank of a raging river; all night long, the roar muffled the pitter-patter of rain. It had been raining for half of the six camping nights. Adriann had been wonderful in helping me set up and take down the tent and creating fabulous, simple dinners.
On our last day, we drove the Sea to Sky Highway to Vancouver, and visited Stanley Park, the Totem Pole, the waterfront, and the Gaslamp district. I went up the Lookout Tower to get a 360-degree view of the city.
In the afternoon, I said goodbye to the group, headed to the airport to catch a flight to visit my sister in Billings, Montana. The rest of the group would depart from Seattle.
It was a wonderful camping and hiking trip. Once in a while, I feel the need to be close to nature, to distance myself from the minutiae and troubles of the world. Coming out of the Rockies and plunging into the city can be jarring, but my short respite in the wild prepares me for it. The emerald and turquoise colors of the lakes and the lush green of the majestic mountains are beautiful beyond imagination.
What is it to wake up every day in the midst of war, not knowing whether you will live that day and where your next meal is? It makes me thankful to be alive.
I have signed a contract for my next book tentatively titled The Sojurner: Americanization of an International Student with McFarland,
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