How the Berg Lake Trail books: one opening day for the whole season, the 14-day refund rule, and how to catch a camp that opens up on your nights.
About
The Berg Lake Trail is a 23 km backcountry trail in Mount Robson Provincial Park, between Valemount and Jasper. It follows the valley below Mount Robson past Kinney Lake to Berg Lake, with seven campgrounds along the way, and it's one of the most sought-after multi-night trips in B.C.
The trail went through years of closures after flood damage. BC Parks now says it has been completely repaired, but warns that long closures have been common in recent years, so check the park advisories before you go. Cycling is allowed on the first 7 km to Kinney Lake only. The trail has a permanent boil-water advisory, and campfires are banned.
The sites
There are seven backcountry campgrounds on the trail: Kinney Lake, Whitehorn, Emperor Falls, Marmot, Berg Lake, Rearguard and Robson Pass. Camping is only on tent pads or other established sites in those campgrounds. One reservation covers up to two tent pads and 12 people.
Our watch covers all seven camps together, so it's built for people who can be flexible about where they sleep each night.
How booking works
In peak season you need a reservation to stay overnight on the trail. For 2026, reservations were required from May 27 to September 29. Outside peak season some campgrounds are first come, first served. Last checked: October 2026.
- Opening day: BC Parks releases the whole peak season on a single day at 7 a.m. PT. For 2026 that was Tuesday, December 2, 2025 (BC government release). For 2025 it was April 2.
- 2027: not announced yet. BC Parks posts the date on the Mount Robson Park page.
- Last-minute: you can book until 3 p.m. PT on your arrival date if spots remain.
- Where: camping.bcparks.ca or 1-800-689-9025. Check in at the Mount Robson Welcome Centre before you start.
Fees, from the BC Parks backcountry reservations page: C$10 per adult (16+) per night and C$5 per youth (6–15), plus a transaction fee of C$6 per tent pad per night for up to 3 nights. Visitors from outside B.C. pay a C$20 non-resident fee.
When it sells out
All of peak season opens at once, so the prime dates, July and August weekends at Berg Lake camp, go on opening morning. The BC government's own release says these reservations "often fill up fast". Expect midweek nights and the shoulders of the season to be your best chance after that.
How to get a cancellation
The Berg Lake cancellation rules are stricter than the rest of BC Parks:
- More than 14 days before arrival: full refund of camping fees, minus C$6 per tent pad.
- Within 14 days: removing nights or changing your arrival date costs up to 2 nights' fees per person, and a cancelled trip gets no refund.
- Cancellations close at 3 p.m. on your arrival date.
That makes the days just before the 14-day mark the busiest time for tent pads to come back. A second, smaller trickle follows in the final two weeks from groups that drop out anyway.
You can watch the Berg Lake Trail on Canada Camp Alerts and get an alert when a sold-out night has a free tent pad at any of the seven camps. Each night is judged on its own: we don't match the same camp across your trip, your party size or your itinerary, and we don't hold or book anything. The free plan gives one watch with email alerts 15 minutes after we spot an opening. The season pass (C$25 once, 12 months, no auto-renew) gives up to 10 watches, instant alerts, and Telegram and browser push.
Tips
- Build two or three itineraries before opening day, with different camps and directions, so you can pivot when your first choice goes.
- An alert for "any camp" is a starting point. Open the booking site and check which camp has the free pad and whether it fits the rest of your nights.
- If you're holding a booking you might not use, cancel before the 14-day line. It's your refund and someone else's trip.
Nearby alternatives
BC Parks hasn't announced it yet. For the 2026 season, every peak-season date opened at 7 a.m. PT on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. BC Parks posts the date on the Mount Robson Park page each year.
Yes, if spots remain. BC Parks allows bookings until 3 p.m. PT on your arrival date.
Cancel more than 14 days before arrival and you get the camping fees back minus a C$6 fee per tent pad. Inside 14 days a cancelled trip gets no refund, so many cancellations come just before that line.
No. A night counts as open when any of the seven camps has a free tent pad. Check which camp opened before you book.