Table of Contents Show
The Candian National Parks have become almost as popular as our national parks for many RVers.
If you want to visit the famous Jasper National Park, you’ll have an excellent camping option within the park’s boundaries at Whistlers Campground. This newly renovated campground is the only one to offer full hookups.
Let’s take a closer look!
Where Is Whistlers Campground?
Located within beautiful Jasper National Park, Whistlers Campground is a popular place to set up a base camp when exploring this part of Alberta, Canada.
You can easily access the campground from the Icefields Parkway. Yellowhead Highway/Highway 16, which takes you into Jasper, intersects with the Icefields Parkway just a mile north of the campground.
Where Is Jasper National Park?
Jasper National Park is located in the southern half of Alberta, Canada. Highway 16 runs west-to-east from British Columbia to Alberta to Saskatchewan, and Jasper National Park sits just south of this major thoroughfare.
Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, is about 4 hours northeast, and Calgary, the province’s largest city, is about 4 hours to the southeast.
What Does Jasper National Park Protect?
Jasper National Park covers 4,200 square miles in Alberta. It’s the world’s second-largest dark sky preserve and the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies.
Here you’ll find glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, springs, lakes, waterfalls, and mountains. The lowest elevation is 3,231 feet in the Athabasca Valley, and the highest reaches over 12,400 feet on top of Mt. Columbia.
Due to its massive size and changing elevations, Jasper National Park supports abundant wildlife. You can find bighorn sheep, black bears, grizzly bears, cougars, lynx, moose, caribou, and more in various habitats.
Keep in Mind: How Many National Parks Are in Canada? Let’s find out!
Can I See Wildlife at Whistlers Campground?
Because Whistlers Campground is located within the boundaries of Jasper National Park, you’ll likely encounter wildlife. Take precautions to keep yourself safe and protect the animals that live here.
Never feed the wildlife. Put trash in its proper place, and keep food stored away. Always keep your pets on a leash.
You also want to carry bear spray. If you see wildlife, turn around and go in the other direction. Don’t approach the animals. Even though they look tame, they aren’t and can act unpredictably.
Are There Hookups at Whistlers Campground?
Whistlers Campground recently underwent major renovations. The campground has a new registration center, 18 new bathhouse facilities, wider roads, improved campsites, and a separate entrance for registered guests. Part of the renovations included upgrading some campsites to 50-amp service.
It currently has 781 reservable sites. Most of them are unserviced; however, 120 campsites offer full hookups. These are all pull-through sites.
Another 126 sites provide electric only. All of them have a picnic table. When making reservations, note whether or not your campsite has a fire pit. A fire permit is required if you choose to have a campfire.
Camping fees vary based on the type of campsite. For example, an unserviced site with no showers and no fire pit costs $23 a night. An unserviced campsite with showers and no fire pit costs $29.25 a night.
A full-service site costs $50 a night, and a full-service one with no fire pit is $40.75 a night. You can check out all of the details about fees on the Jasper National Park website.
Keep in Mind: Did you know Canada has two official languages? Click to see what they are!
What Amenities Are at Whistlers Campground?
At Whistlers Campground, you get bathhouses, also called washrooms, with hot/cold running water, showers, and flush toilets. You can also find water taps and a dump station for RVers in unserviced or partial hook-up campsites.
The pull-through campsites with full hook-ups are ideal for larger rigs. You can also enjoy glamping tents called oTENTiks, trails, and playgrounds.
Do I Need to Pay to Enter Jasper National Park to Stay at Whistlers Campground?
Because Whistlers Campground is located inside Jasper National Park, you must show your pass or pay the daily admission fee.
Daily admission to Jasper National Park costs $10.50 per adult, $9 per senior, or $21 for a family. Children under the age of 18 can visit for free.
You can also purchase a Parks Canada Discovery Pass, which gives you unlimited admission to over 80 sites for 12 months.
Staying at Whistlers Campground would be similar to staying at Watchman Campground in Zion National Park. Because you’re within the park’s boundaries, you must show a pass or pay the admission fee.
However, staying inside a national park gives you excellent access to trails and gets you as close to the beautiful scenery as possible.
Is Staying at Whistlers Campground Worth It?
The renovation at Whistlers Campground in Jasper National Park has been extensive. You’ll see more barren areas with newly planted trees at the full hookup sites.
But over time, this area will grow into a more natural-looking place. The full hookup pull-through sites are welcome for RVers with large rigs or who travel with pets.
So if you want to explore Jasper National Park, Whistlers Campground makes a great option! When will you visit?
