Ghost Reservoir is the night, an unserviced loop on the water west of Cochrane on Hwy 1A, with sailing, skiing, and fishing off the same shore. It is first come only, so settle the night before you settle the van. Either you arrive early enough to take a pad, or you hold a reservation at Bow RiversEdge in town and drive out in the morning.
Alberta Parks has the campground open May 1 to October 13 at $31 a night, as of August 2026, with no power and a hand pump that is not safe to drink. Bring your own water. Ghost Lake Recreations does not take bookings either, so on a long weekend, come in a night early.
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is a working-ranch walk off the same Hwy 1A, day use only, no camping. If you need more beds or a longer rig than a campervan, Cochrane RV rentals cover the same night.
Hwy 40 north to Waiparous and North Ghost
Hwy 40 turns north off 1A into Ghost Public Land Use Zone and becomes the Forestry Trunk. Make the first night a paying campground rather than a pull-off you found in the dark.
Waiparous Creek is the creek-side forest loop, first come and unserviced, $40 as of August 2026. North Ghost sits farther up the trunk road, larger, same fee, with some sites the operator will reserve. Bring drinking water to both. Camping off the gravel instead needs a Public Lands Camping Pass.
Keep west on Hwy 1A and the road runs to Banff, with Canmore and the Kananaskis Valley on the way. Calgary is the city back east.