Skoki Loop Campgrounds: Baker Lake, Merlin Meadows and the Route Between

How the loop splits into two nights

The trip starts at the Fish Creek trailhead near the Lake Louise ski area, with a 4 km (2.5 mi) walk up the Temple access road, which is closed to vehicles. Without a car, Parks Canada points to Roam route 8X from Banff to Lake Louise Village, and the trailhead is a 3.5 km (2.2 mi), 40-minute walk from the village.

Day one crosses Boulder Pass and passes Ptarmigan Lake before dropping to Baker Lake. Day two goes around Fossil Mountain and past Skoki Lodge National Historic Site to Merlin Meadows. On the way out you climb Deception Pass and rejoin the access trail at Ptarmigan Lake.

Skoki Lodge is one of the commercial lodges Parks Canada lists in Banff's backcountry. It is not a Parks Canada campground and is not part of a backcountry reservation.

Camping rules on the loop

Camp only in the campgrounds on your permit and use the tent pads. No stay at one campground may be longer than three consecutive nights. Store all food, garbage, toiletries and cooking gear in the food lockers or on the bear poles at the campground. Carry a stove: fires are allowed only in the shared metal fire rings where a campground has them, and not every campground does.

Carry bear spray. Parks Canada's own packing list also names a satellite communication device, a first aid kit and a trip plan left with someone at home.

In Banff, Kootenay, Yoho and Jasper you do not register in person: your confirmation letter is your permit. Carry it, on paper or as a screenshot, and show it to Parks Canada staff when asked. A backcountry permit is valid in all four parks, and you also need a national park entry pass.

Season and snow

Banff's main hiking season runs from May to October. Parks Canada says many passes stay snowbound and may be impassable until late June, stream flows peak in June and July, and snow can fall in any month. July and August are the prime backcountry months.

Changing or cancelling

Parks Canada's reservation terms: cancel at least 3 days before arrival and you get a full refund less the non-refundable reservation fee and a cancellation fee (CA$11.50 online, CA$13.50 by phone). Cancel later than that, but before 2 pm on arrival day, and you also lose the first night's camping fee. Changes can be made until 2 pm on arrival day for a CA$11.50 online fee, and delaying your arrival inside those 3 days costs the first night too.

What PermitSnag does here

Each permit page says whether you can set a PermitSnag alert for it, and links to the agency that sells it.

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