The Lake O’Hara backcountry campground has only 30 tent pads, and they usually sell out within an hour of opening. Based on what we saw in the 2026 season, here’s everything for anyone planning your 2027 Lake O’Hara camping trip: the main rules, how to book, the bus perk, what the campground is like, four classic hikes, and what to do if you don’t get a site. Rules change every year, so always check the Parks Canada website for the latest.
Mid-September, we grabbed a cancelled one-night Lake O’Hara campsite. While it’s still fresh, let me write down everything about booking, the campground, and the trails.
Lake O’Hara sits deep in Yoho National Park, and the number of visitors is strictly limited every day. In 2026 the campground closed October 4, and the bus stopped running October 5. If you’re planning for 2027 Lake O’Hara camping, or just want to know what the hardest campsite to book in the Canadian Rockies actually looks like, everything below is based on official 2026 info and our own trip.
Important: campground opening dates, bus times, and booking rules can change every year. The 2026 info below is for reference only – check the Parks Canada website for 2027 dates.
Lake O’Hara Camping Basics: 30 Sites, Gone Fast
The Lake O’Hara backcountry campground is run by Parks Canada, with only 30 tent pads. It’s the cheapest way to spend the night in the Lake O’Hara area.
Key Dates for 2026 (for reference)
- Campground open: June 19 to October 4
- Booking opens: February 10, 8:00 am Mountain Time
- How to book: Parks Canada reservation system, online or by phone (1-877-737-3783)
In 2026, bookings were supposed to open January 22, but a government IT glitch pushed it to February 10. Fair enough – the system has to handle the whole world logging on at the same time. The 30 sites are usually all gone within an hour.
Campground Rules
- Maximum 3 nights in a row
- Maximum 4 people per tent pad
- Maximum 2 campground bookings per household per season
- Only one small 4-person tent per pad
- Tent pads are 2.5 m × 2.5 m, made for backpacking tents
Your Bus Seat Is Included
This is the biggest hidden perk of booking Lake O’Hara camping: your booking automatically includes a round-trip bus seat. You don’t have to enter the day-visitor bus lottery.
Bus Schedule (2026 Season)
- Operating dates: June 19 to October 4
- Inbound: 8:30 am, 10:30 am (3:30 pm and 5:30 pm are for overnight guests)
- Outbound: 9:30 am, 11:30 am, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm, 6:30 pm
- Pick-up point: Lake O’Hara parking lot (12 km west of Lake Louise, 13 km east of Field)
You don’t need a reservation for the outbound bus, but people with round-trip tickets get priority. Campers’ seats are already included in the booking. On the way in, everyone gets a little green plastic token on the bus – that’s your return ticket, so don’t lose it.
Luggage Limits on the Bus
- Overnight guests (campers or ACC hut): one large bag per person (max 25 kg / 55 lb, max 97 cm long) or two small bags. Most people bring one multi-day pack, which the driver puts in the back, plus a small daypack on their lap.
- Hard coolers, storage bins, plastic bags, and loose items are not allowed on the bus.
You can also use a duffel bag instead of a big pack – it holds more. The campground isn’t far, just a few steps from where you get off, and there are storage lockers and food lockers, so you don’t need to carry everything to your tent.
What Lake O’Hara Camping Is Really Like
Campground Facilities
It’s a pretty deluxe backcountry campground! Apart from sleeping on the ground, you’re really not roughing it. The campground has:
- Two kitchen shelters (with picnic tables and wood-burning stoves)
- A big fire ring to sit around
- Food lockers (bear lockers), a dishwashing sink, and garbage bins
- Outhouses (well kept, no smell)
- Firewood and splitting tools
- Drinking water
Bear lockers: each tent pad comes with a locker (60 cm deep × 50 cm high × 60 cm wide). We kept our food and toiletries (toothpaste) in ours.
Cooking: all food must be prepared and eaten in the shared cooking area. No cooking near your tent.
Water: cold water is available (for dishes or filling your bottle), but drinking water may only be seasonal. Bring enough fuel canisters for cooking and boiling water.
Tent pads: mostly flat, but if your tent is a bit bigger than 2.5 m × 2.5 m, you’ll need to tie the guy lines to nearby trees.
Le Relais Day Shelter: walk 500 m past the campground and you reach Lake O’Hara and Le Relais Day Shelter. It’s a small hut with a wood stove that gets really warm! They sell hot and cold drinks, snacks, and ice cream. The carrot cake really is good – treat yourself after a hike! Open daily 8:30 am to 6:30 pm, run by volunteers from the Lake O’Hara Trails Club.
What to Bring for Lake O’Hara Camping
- Cooking: bring a small stove – the wood stove and campfire are more for warmth.
- Warmth: even in August, nights can be cold, damp, or rainy. Bring warm clothes, a hat, gloves, and thick socks.
- Light: the outhouses have a faint light, but the cooking shelters don’t – bring a headlamp.
- See our backcountry hiking gear list.
Best Lake O’Hara Hikes
The Lake O’Hara area is small but beautiful, with something to see at every step, and lots of trails. Ideally you’d stay 3 nights and walk them all. Here are a few of the best. Numbers 3 and 4 are the easiest – good warm-ups or half-day trips. Number 1 is the most popular and includes some alpine terrain. Number 2 is the toughest, with a longer alpine route and more climbing.
1. Lake O’Hara and Lake Oesa via Alpine Loop Trail
From the campground, 11.20 km loop, 530 m elevation gain.
There are several trails in the Lake O’Hara area rated 4.9 on AllTrails, and this is the one with the most reviews – probably the classic Lake O’Hara hike. It includes part of the alpine route Yukness Ledges, with some exposed sections. We followed the AllTrails arrow and went clockwise. Our hiking report: Lake O’Hara and Lake Oesa via Alpine Loop Trail.
2. Alpine Circuit
From the campground, 12.40 km loop, 883 m elevation gain.
The hardest one-day route, linking several alpine lakes and passes, with scree slopes and exposed sections. For experienced hikers, and you’ll need a full day. Part of it overlaps with route 1, with Wiwax Gap and All Soul’s alpine sections added at the start and end – total climbing is twice that of route 1. Before you go, check the official Trail Conditions Report – especially early and late season, watch for snow and ice on the alpine sections!
3. Lake McArthur and Big Larches Loop
From the campground, 9.8 km loop, 429 m elevation gain.
We took the 10:30 bus in, put up the tent, and then did this one. Even though it had just rained and stayed cloudy all day, Lake McArthur still showed off several shades of blue – the deepest like saturated copper sulfate. This lake is one of the most photogenic in the Lake O’Hara area.
It’s a figure-eight loop. Best to follow the AllTrails arrow direction, and take the high route back, passing Schäffer Lake to return to the start. No exposed sections, relatively easy. Full trail report: Lake McArthur and Big Larches Loop
4. Lake Oesa Trail
6.1 km out and back, 316 m elevation gain.
Probably the easiest route apart from walking around Lake O’Hara itself, and it still gets you to the must-see Lake Oesa. A bit of climbing and some big rocks, but no exposed sections.
If You Don’t Get a Campsite: Backup Plans
Day Bus Lottery
In 2026 the day bus used a random lottery:
- Application window: March 2, 8:00 am to March 23, 11:59 pm (Mountain Time)
- Up to 6 seats per application, $10 application fee
- If you win, you have 14 days to complete the booking
Other Overnight Options
- Elizabeth Parker Hut (ACC hut): lottery system, about $60-70 per person per night. You can book your bus seat at the same time as your hut application through the ACC.
- Lake O’Hara Lodge: the most expensive and hardest to book, around $1,495 per night (double, including all meals and transport), 3-night minimum. The lodge tends to favour returning guests, so new applications usually sit on the waiting list – book at least a year ahead. Some people say they’ve waited years.
Walking In (Backup)
If you can’t get a campground or bus spot, you can also walk the 11 km in. Whether you get a seat on the bus out depends entirely on whether there’s space – pure luck. Bring CAD 15 in cash – cash only!
No Overnight Parking at Lake O’Hara – So Where Do You Stay?
If you don’t have a campground, ACC hut, or Lake O’Hara Lodge booking, you can’t leave your car overnight at the Lake O’Hara parking lot. You’ll have to park in a nearby town and get in by bus, on foot, or another way. So for those coming from far away, not getting a site isn’t just about getting in – it’s also about where to stay the night before and after. Disclosure: Links below may contain affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
- About 12 km from the Lake O’Hara parking lot – the closest option.
- Great for catching the earliest 8:30 am bus in.
- Lodging: hotels, hostels, motels, campgrounds.
- In peak season, rooms are hard to find and expensive – book 3-6 months ahead. The national park campground is big and well set up, and always full.
- Compare Lake Louise lodging
- About 13 km from the Lake O’Hara parking lot.
- A tiny town with very little lodging, but quieter than Lake Louise.
- Good for self-drivers who want to avoid crowds.
- See Field lodging on VRBO
- About 1 hour from Lake O’Hara.
- The most lodging choices, from hostels to luxury hotels.
- Good if you’re doing Lake O’Hara as a day trip or backup plan.
- But you’ll need a very early start – watch for mountain roads and parking.
- See Banff lodging
- About 1 hour 15 minutes from Lake O’Hara.
- Lots of lodging, cheaper than the places above, good for self-drivers.
- Good for families or anyone who wants more amenities.
- See Canmore lodging
- About 1 hour 20 minutes from Lake O’Hara.
- Good for self-drivers coming from the west.
- Lots of lodging, and the lowest prices of all the towns above.
- See Golden lodging
How to match it with the bus:
- If you got the 8:30 am bus in, stay in Lake Louise or Field.
- If you got the 10:30 am, Banff or Canmore works too, but leave before 7 am.
- If you’re walking in, stay in Lake Louise and leave before dawn.
- If you get out too late, don’t drive the mountain roads at night – stay another night in Lake Louise.
2027 Action Checklist
- From January 2027: check the Parks Canada website for the campground booking opening date
- Booking day: 8:00 am Mountain Time – be at your computer hours early
- If you don’t get a site: watch for the bus lottery window around March
- Cancellations: Parks Canada lists cancelled campsites, so there’s a chance to grab one – paid apps Campnab and AlertCamp can track them
- Backup: plan ahead for the ACC hut. The ACC uses an allocation system, and you can usually apply in December the year before. Membership gives you 2 chances in the pool, and entering the pool costs CAD 10.
Rules and dates can change every year. The info above is based on the 2026 season – always confirm the latest on the Parks Canada website.
