Waterton Townsite Campground puts the van a short walk from Upper Waterton Lake, at the south end of town on Windflower Avenue. Book the site first and let it fix your dates, because every Townsite pad is reservable and the July and August weekends jam the gate. The van comes after that. Bear's Hump is the morning, the trail across from the Prince of Wales Hotel, looking down on town, both lakes, and Glacier.
Crypt Lake is the long day if you want one, a boat across Upper Waterton and a tunnel out onto a ledge.
Highway 5 is the road southwest. Parks Canada puts the townsite 132 km from Lethbridge, and after the Maskinonge overlook you turn left at the gate.
Loops A and B hold the full hookups, C, D, and G the electric. Individual pads have no firepits, and you register at the kiosk before you set up. As of August 2026, full-service sites are $47.25 a night and electric-only sites are $40, on top of a national park pass and the camping permit. Crandell Mountain Campground is still closed after the Kenow fire.
Red Rock Parkway runs 15 km up the Blakiston Valley to Red Rock Canyon, narrow and a poor fit for larger motorhomes even in season, and shut to vehicles November through May. Some Townsite pads carry unit-size limits of their own. If you need extra beds or more length than a campervan gives you, Alberta RV rentals is the page, and the paved entrance road into town is the one to keep to.
Chief Mountain Highway is the seasonal road toward Glacier, and the night still belongs on the Canadian side. Belly River is first-come overflow on that highway, 26 km from the townsite, with no potable water. Private campgrounds sit outside the park gate.
Getting into Lethbridge too late for the Highway 5 run is what Park Lake is for, 17 km northwest on Highway 25 and then Highway 101, with Loop B carrying the power. Waterton is a morning drive from there.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a half day on the west side, 18 km from Fort Macleod on Highway 785, the interpretive centre built into the hillside under the sandstone cliff. It does not change where you sleep.
Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai'pi on the Milk River
A second night goes on the Milk River at Writing-on-Stone. The hoodoos stand in the valley below the campground, the cliffs hold Blackfoot petroglyphs and pictographs, and the Sweetgrass Hills sit out on the Montana horizon.
The campground is 32 km east of Milk River on Highway 501, then south on Highway 500. As of August 2026, powered sites are $39 a night on 15 and 30 amp, unserviced $31, reservable 90 days out for 15 May through 6 September. Showers take loonies and toonies only, so pick up cash in Milk River or Foremost.
As of August 2026 the campground closes 8 September through 29 October for septic replacement, and Alberta Parks advises against swimming at the Milk River beach. Day use in the valley stays open on foot from the Visitor Centre parking lot. The Archaeological Preserve is a guided walk rather than a wander from your pad, and marking the rocks is illegal.
If the mountain parks farther north are the actual destination, start from the Alberta campervan page instead.