Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court campground is one of just two full hookup (power, water, and sewer) campgrounds in Banff National Park. (The other is Lake Louise Hard-Sided campground.)
The Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court campground is one of the closest campgrounds to the town of Banff.
There are three campgrounds next to one another on the flanks of Tunnel Mountain. All three campgrounds combined have 1,149 campsites. Do not be confused by the similar names! Each campground has a different character and amenities. However, every campground has flush toilets, showers, drinking water, and sanidump facilities.
ORIENTATION
The easiest route to the Tunnel Mountain campgrounds is via the Banff Avenue exit from Hwy 1 (Trans-Canada Highway). The Mount Norquay exit will force you to drive through the Banff townsite, which can be quite congested.
Shortly after taking the Banff Avenue exit, you will drive over a Texas gate (cattleguard). That is your signal to quickly look for a left turn onto Tunnel Mountain Road. Tunnel Mountain Road goes up the side of Tunnel Mountain, through trees, for 3 km (1.9 mi) until you reach the turn off to Tunnel Mountain Village 1. After driving 1.5 km (0.9 mi) past the turn off for Tunnel Mountain Village 1 on Tunnel Mountain Drive, you will reach the shared entrance for the Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court and Tunnel Mountain Village 2 campground. If you have to wait to check in, please do not block the far right lane, as that is needed by returning campers and Roam Transit buses.
* Tunnel Mountain Village 1: No RV hookups; firepits at every site. All sites in a very natural wooded setting.
* Tunnel Mountain Village 2: Electrical hookups at every site. Most sites have firepits; see online campground map to see whether the site you are booking has one. Parking lot ambiance. Tunnel Mountain Village 2 also has 21 oTentik deluxe tent cabins with electricity, heating, mattresses, wooden floors, outside deck, and Adirondack chairs. (
visit link)
* Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court: Every site has power, water, and sewer (PWS) hookups. Some sites are shared with another camper (RVs usually park back to back). Other sites are single pull-through sites. Some sites are surrounded by trees (particularly Loop A on the west side), while others are more open (particularly Loop C on the east side). No fire pits in this campground; only propane fires are allowed.
FOR ALL TUNNEL MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUNDS
* Reservations: All campgrounds in Banff National Park are operated by Parks Canada, a government agency. Reservations are strongly recommended for the busy season, from mid-June to mid-September. Online and phone reservations open up early in the year. Check Parks Canada Reservations (
visit link) starting in early December for the exact date that reservations begin for the following year. If you are hoping to book a stay for a long weekend (Victoria Day, Canada Day, August long weekend, Labour Day) you should try to book on the very first day that reservations open up. The reservation website has photos, campground maps, and detailed information for every campsite, so read carefully before booking. If you wish to have a campfire, you must purchase a fire permit at an additional charge; a fire permit includes firewood.
* Clean ('bare') campsite regulations (
visit link) Food and food-related items left unattended attract bears and other wildlife. Food, barbecues, campstoves, cooler chests, and water bottles must be secured in a vehicle, campground food storage locker, or hard-sided RV unless the food-related items are in use. Failure to comply may lead to confiscation of the items, eviction from the campground, eviction from the park, and/or fines up to $25,000. "Parks Canada staff may enter open and plainly visible areas of an unattended campsite to remove and secure plainly visible wildlife attractants." (
visit link)
* Alcohol and cannabis restrictions: No alcohol or cannabis consumption between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. On long weekends, alcohol and cannabis POSSESSION is not allowed at any time.
ABOUT TUNNEL MOUNTAIN TRAILER COURT:
* Sites: 322 full hookup (power, water, and sewer) sites
* Fees (2023): $40.75/night
* Season: Tunnel Mountain Trailer operates from early May to late September/early October. Check Parks Canada website for exact dates. Due to winterization of water lines, water hookups may be unavailable (or unsafe to drink) near the start and end of the season.
* Character: Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court is geared toward RVers who use full hookups, so there are few additional amenities. There are washroom/shower building evenly spaced through the campground. Each building only has only one male and one female shower inside. If you find the shower is occupied, try going directly uphill or downhill to the next washroom, as the chances are good that it is not in use. Washrooms are closed for cleaning for about an hour between checkout and checkin, normally around 1 pm. Again, you can go uphill or downhill to find a washroom that is not closed for cleaning.
Internal campground roads are paved, but the campsites are gravel and may not be perfectly level. Come prepared to level your unit!
The internal roads are too narrow for two vehicles to pass. As a practical matter, the smaller vehicle pulls over into a vacant campsite or the end of an occupied site to make space to pass. If you find this annoying, there is a campsite-free two-lane access road at the far south end of the campground.
The Wolves' Den theatre, on the Tunnel Mountain Village 2 (west) side of the campground entrance, gives free live interpretive shows to campers during the summer months. There is a Roam Transit stop near the theatre. There is no fee for campers boarding the bus at any Tunnel Mountain campground. You only pay for the return trip. (
visit link) Note that if you are camping in Loop C (the furthest from the entrance) you may have to walk up to 1.0 km (0.6 mi) to get to the bus stop.
FURTHER READING
CBC News: Parks Canada says reservation system appears to be meeting 'high demand' for camping (23 Mar 2023) (
visit link)
Banff-Lake Louise Tourism: Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court Campground (
visit link)