Kananaskis Country and Canmore
The largest region here, and the one with the most choice. Highway 40 south of Kananaskis Village and Highway 66 in the Elbow are both gated in winter — check the seasonal closures before counting on a site beyond the gate.
Bow Valley Provincial Park (Exshaw / Seebe) — Alberta Parks
- Reservable — Bow Valley, Willow Rock, and others
- First-come, first-served — Three Sisters
There is no frontcountry campground at Barrier Lake itself — it is a day-use trailhead.
Peter Lougheed, Spray Valley, and Sheep River provincial parks — Alberta Parks
- Reservable — Elkwood, Lower Lake, Interlakes, and Boulton Creek (Peter Lougheed PP); Sandy McNabb (Sheep River PP)
- First-come, first-served — Canyon and Mount Sarrail (walk-in tents, Peter Lougheed PP); Eau Claire and Spray Lakes West (Spray Valley PP); Bluerock (Sheep River PP)
The Elbow and McLean Creek (Bragg Creek) — Alberta Parks
There is no campground at West Bragg Creek itself; the nearest basecamps are along Highway 66.
- Reservable — McLean Creek (year-round), Little Elbow, Paddy's Flat (also has FCFS sites)
- First-come, first-served — Beaver Flats
Hostels
- HI Kananaskis Wilderness Hostel — Ribbon Creek, Highway 40; the main hostel basecamp for the region
- HI Canmore — in town, and the same building as the Alpine Club's Canmore Alpine Hostel, which is the club's national clubhouse
Alpine Club of Canada huts
Huts book through the Alpine Club of Canada on a rolling window — six months ahead for members, three for everyone else.
- Elk Lakes Cabin — over Elk Pass from Peter Lougheed, and listed again under BC Rockies and the Purcells, where it physically sits