How much does it cost to rent a campervan in Alberta?

Alberta campervan rentals range from $120-$400 CAD/night. Cruise Canada and CanaDream both have Calgary depots with motorhomes from $150 CAD/night. Fraserway RV starts at $130 CAD. Peer-to-peer options on RVshare run $120-$300 CAD. Calgary is the main depot city — 90 minutes from Banff. July rates are highest due to Stampede and peak Rockies season.

What are the best road trips in Alberta?

The Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper (232 km) is the must-do drive — regularly called the most scenic road in the world. Banff National Park with Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Kananaskis Country for less crowded Rockies scenery. Drumheller Badlands for dinosaur fossils. Waterton Lakes in the south for a quieter mountain park.

Canada / Alberta

Campervan Rental Alberta Rockies, Icefields and Badlands

Alberta is where the Canadian Rockies live. Banff and Jasper are the headline national parks. The Icefields Parkway connecting them is regularly called the most beautiful drive in the world. Calgary is 90 minutes from Banff — the closest major city with rental depots. Alberta has no provincial sales tax, making it the cheapest province to stock up on supplies before hitting the mountains.

Alberta Rental Options

Platform	Pricing (CAD)	Notes
Cruise Canada	$150-$375/night	Calgary depot, one-way to Vancouver available
CanaDream	$140-$400/night	Newer fleet, good Rockies packages
Fraserway RV	$130-$350/night	Western Canada specialist
RVshare	$120-$300/night	Local owners, some 4WD campers

Canadian Rocky Mountain peaks in Alberta — Unsplash

Best Road Trips in Alberta

Banff and Icefields Parkway to Jasper

5-10 days. Calgary → Banff (90 min) → Lake Louise → Icefields Parkway (232 km) → Jasper. Moraine Lake at sunrise is the shot — arrive before 6am or take the Parks Canada shuttle. Lake Louise is iconic but crowded in summer. Columbia Icefield Skywalk ($70 CAD) puts you over a glacier. Athabasca Falls in Jasper is thunderous. Tunnel Mountain and Two Jack Lake campgrounds in Banff. Wapiti and Whistlers in Jasper. Book Parks Canada sites 3-4 months ahead for summer or you'll be shut out. A Parks Canada Discovery Pass ($145 CAD/year for a family) pays for itself in a week.

Kananaskis Country

60 minutes west of Calgary. 2-4 days. Banff's less crowded neighbor with the same Rockies scenery. A $15 CAD Kananaskis Conservation Pass replaces the $10.50 daily Parks Canada fee. Bow Valley Provincial Park has excellent RV campgrounds. Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is the gem — Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes are stunning. Spray Lakes Road offers backcountry camping. Excellent for travelers who want Rockies views without the Banff crowds. Elbow Falls and Barrier Lake are easy half-day stops.

Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park

90 minutes northeast of Calgary. Day trip or 1-2 nights. The Royal Tyrrell Museum is one of the best paleontology museums in the world ($21 CAD). Hoodoo formations line the Red Deer River valley. Dinosaur Provincial Park (2 hours southeast from Drumheller) is UNESCO-listed with guided fossil digs. Completely different from the Rockies — lunar, arid and surreal. The badlands landscape feels like you left Canada and landed on Mars.

Waterton Lakes National Park

270 km south of Calgary. 2-3 days. Where the prairies meet the Rockies — dramatic and sudden. The Prince of Wales Hotel overlooks Upper Waterton Lake. The Crypt Lake hike (17 km return) involves a boat ride, a natural tunnel crawl and a chain-assisted cliff traverse — one of Canada's top 10 hikes. The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park spans the US border. Red Rock Canyon is a 20-minute walk through red argillite formations. Much quieter than Banff, especially mid-week.

Turquoise glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies — Unsplash

Alberta Camping Tips

→ Stampede week (early July) spikes prices. The Calgary Stampede is the world's largest rodeo. Hotels and rentals sell out. Either plan around it or book 4+ months ahead. Everything in Calgary costs more that week.
→ No provincial sales tax. Alberta charges only 5% GST (no PST). Stock up on groceries, gear and supplies in Calgary before heading into BC (7% PST) or out east. Significant savings on a big shopping run.
→ Wildlife on the highways. Elk, deer and bears cross the Trans-Canada near Banff regularly. Wildlife fencing covers much of the highway but not all. Stay alert at dawn and dusk. Parks Canada's wildlife overpasses are worth stopping to see from the designated viewpoints.
→ Altitude and weather change fast. Calgary sits at 1,045m. Banff at 1,383m. Mountain passes hit 1,600m+. Snow is possible any month in the Rockies. Pack layers even for July. Morning frost at higher campgrounds in September is normal. Chinook winds can swing Calgary's temperature 20°C in hours.
→ One-way to Vancouver. All three fleet companies offer one-way between Calgary and Vancouver ($200-$500 CAD). The Trans-Canada route west through Banff, Yoho, Golden, Revelstoke and Kamloops is 970 km of incredible driving. Worth the fee to avoid backtracking.

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