In this video, I take you through three days of exploring one of Banff National Park’s best-kept secrets: Paradise Valley. This deep mountain valley stretches about 15 kilometers and sits perfectly positioned between Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. While the well-maintained trail attracts plenty of day hikes, there’s a unique feature at the end of this valley that sets it apart—a backcountry campground that’s entirely booked and controlled by the Lake Louise tourist centre using an old-school reservation system that requires phone calls just 24 hours in advance.
What makes Paradise Valley so special is the opportunity to base camp deep in the heart of one of the most beautiful places in Banff National Park. From this strategic location, you can access some of Banff’s most famous hikes like Sentinel Pass, Larch Valley, and Moraine Lake, all within just a few kilometers of your campground. You won’t encounter many tourists during your stay because of how far removed you are from the road, and you’ll have perfect opportunities to capture sunrise and sunset photos of some of Banff’s most iconic mountains including Mount Temple, Hungabee Mountain, and Mount Lefroy.
In my video below, I walk through the experience exactly as shown and explained:
Understanding the Paradise Valley Backcountry Campground Reservation System
One of the most important things to understand about Paradise Valley is how its campground reservation system works. Unlike most backcountry campsites in the Canadian Rockies that have transitioned to online booking systems, this campground remains one of the last to use a traditional phone-based booking method. You need to make reservations ahead of time, but they only book campsites on a day-to-day basis over the phone exactly 24 hours prior to your intended stay.
This old-school method means you can’t plan months in advance like you might with other popular backpacking destinations. Instead, you need to call the Lake Louise tourist centre and secure your spot the day before you plan to arrive. While this might seem inconvenient at first, it’s actually one of the last campgrounds to be controlled like this in the Canadian Rockies, giving it a unique character and keeping the area from becoming overcrowded with advance bookings.
The Strategic Location of Paradise Valley
Paradise Valley’s position between two of Banff’s most famous destinations—Moraine Lake and Lake Louise—makes it an incredibly strategic base camp for exploring the region. The valley itself is approximately 15 kilometers long, creating a deep corridor through some of the most spectacular mountain terrain in the Canadian Rockies. This positioning gives you easy access to multiple world-class hiking destinations without having to deal with the crowds that typically gather at the more accessible trailheads.
By camping in Paradise Valley, you’re essentially placing yourself at the center of some of Banff’s best alpine experiences. You can reach Sentinel Pass, Wastach Pass, Moraine Lake, and the Valley of the Ten Peaks all within a few kilometers of your campground. This centralized location transforms what would normally require multiple day trips from different trailheads into convenient excursions from a single base camp.
What to Expect at the Campground
Throughout the video, I feature the entire campground to give you a comprehensive understanding of what to expect during your stay. The backcountry campground at Paradise Valley offers a true wilderness experience while still maintaining well-established facilities for campers. Being so far removed from road access means you’ll experience a level of solitude that’s increasingly rare in popular national parks.
The distance from the road serves as a natural filter, keeping casual visitors away and ensuring that those who make it to the campground are committed to the backcountry experience. This remoteness creates an atmosphere of genuine wilderness exploration, where you can truly disconnect and immerse yourself in the natural environment of Banff National Park.
Access to Sentinel Pass and Larch Valley
One of the major highlights of basing yourself in Paradise Valley is the easy access to Sentinel Pass and Larch Valley. These are some of Banff’s most famous hiking destinations, typically accessed by crowds of day hikers from the Moraine Lake area. However, when you’re camping in Paradise Valley, you can approach these landmarks from a different perspective and at different times of day than the typical visitor.
Sentinel Pass offers stunning alpine scenery and represents one of the premier high-elevation hiking experiences in the park. Larch Valley, particularly beautiful during the fall when the larches turn golden, becomes accessible without having to navigate the parking challenges and crowds that plague the Moraine Lake trailhead during peak season. Being able to explore these areas during sunrise or sunset, when most day hikers have long since departed, provides a completely different and more intimate experience with these landscapes.
Exploring Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks
From your base camp in Paradise Valley, you also gain access to Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. These iconic Banff destinations are among the most photographed locations in the Canadian Rockies, and for good reason. The ten peaks that rise dramatically above Moraine Lake create one of the most spectacular mountain panoramas anywhere in the world.
What sets the Paradise Valley approach apart is that you experience these famous landmarks as part of a broader wilderness adventure rather than as isolated tourist destinations. You’re not just driving to a viewpoint, snapping photos, and leaving. Instead, you’re integrating these spectacular locations into a multi-day backcountry journey that gives you a deeper appreciation for the landscape and ecosystem.
Photography Opportunities at Sunrise and Sunset
One of the most valuable aspects of camping in Paradise Valley is the opportunity to photograph some of Banff’s most famous mountains during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. Mount Temple, Hungabee Mountain, and Mount Lefroy are among the iconic peaks that dominate the skyline around Paradise Valley, and being able to capture them in optimal lighting conditions is a photographer’s dream.
Day hikers simply can’t access these locations during these prime photography times. By the time most visitors hike in during the morning, the best light has often passed. Similarly, they need to hike out well before sunset to avoid navigating the trail in darkness. As a camper in Paradise Valley, you have the luxury of being in position for both sunrise and sunset, allowing you to capture images that most visitors never have the opportunity to see.
Day Hike Ideas from Paradise Valley Base Camp
In the video, I go over multiple different places to explore with awesome day hike ideas to help with your planning. The beauty of the Paradise Valley campground is that it serves as a hub for numerous day hiking opportunities, each offering its own unique perspective on the surrounding landscape.
Wastach Pass represents another excellent option for day hiking from your base camp. This pass offers different views and terrain compared to Sentinel Pass, giving you variety during your multi-day stay. The ability to tackle different routes on different days keeps the experience fresh and allows you to see the region from multiple angles.
Each day hike from Paradise Valley reveals new aspects of the landscape—different geological formations, varied alpine ecosystems, and ever-changing perspectives on the surrounding peaks. This variety ensures that even a three-day stay doesn’t feel repetitive, as each excursion brings new discoveries and experiences.
The Solitude Factor
Perhaps one of the most underrated benefits of camping in Paradise Valley is the solitude you’ll experience. Despite being surrounded by some of Banff’s most famous landmarks, you will not see many tourists during your stay because of how far away from the road you’re exploring. This distance creates a barrier that filters out casual visitors and ensures that those who make it to Paradise Valley are committed backcountry enthusiasts.
The contrast between the crowds at Moraine Lake or Lake Louise and the relative emptiness of Paradise Valley is striking. While thousands of visitors might be jostling for position at the famous viewpoints accessible by car, you’ll be experiencing the same mountain scenery in near-solitude, with only the sounds of nature and the occasional fellow backpacker to keep you company.
Planning Your Paradise Valley Adventure
In the video, I explain exactly how to get a camping spot and what to expect while you’re staying there. Understanding the logistics is crucial for a successful trip, especially given the unique 24-hour advance booking system. You’ll need to be prepared with your dates, have your phone ready to call the Lake Louise tourist centre, and be flexible enough to adjust your plans if your preferred dates aren’t available.
The planning process might seem daunting at first, particularly if you’re used to booking campsites months in advance through online systems. However, this last-minute booking approach can actually work in your favor, allowing you to time your trip based on weather forecasts and current conditions rather than committing to dates far in advance when conditions are impossible to predict.
The Three-Day Experience
Our three-day exploration of Paradise Valley provided the perfect amount of time to thoroughly experience the area without feeling rushed. The first day involves the hike in and setting up base camp, allowing you to acclimate to the elevation and get oriented in the valley. The second day offers a full day for exploring, whether that means tackling Sentinel Pass, visiting Moraine Lake, or exploring other nearby destinations. The third day provides another opportunity for adventure before breaking camp and hiking out.
This three-day timeframe strikes an ideal balance between making the most of your backcountry reservation and keeping your pack weight manageable. You’ll carry enough food and supplies for the duration without being overburdened, and you’ll have sufficient time to truly settle into the rhythm of backcountry life rather than just passing through.
Why Paradise Valley Remains a Best-Kept Secret
Despite being surrounded by some of the most visited locations in Banff National Park, Paradise Valley maintains its status as one of the best-kept secrets in the park. The combination of the unusual booking system, the commitment required to hike 15 kilometers into the backcountry, and the lack of online promotion all contribute to keeping this area relatively quiet compared to its neighbors.
This secret status benefits those who do make the effort to visit. You get to experience world-class mountain scenery and access to famous landmarks without the crowds that have become synonymous with Banff National Park visitation in recent years. It’s a reminder that even in heavily visited parks, there are still places where you can find solitude and authentic wilderness experiences if you’re willing to venture beyond the roadside attractions.
The Trail and Valley Character
The well-maintained trail through Paradise Valley makes the journey accessible to reasonably fit backpackers while still requiring enough effort to keep casual visitors away. The 15-kilometer length is substantial but not extreme, falling into that sweet spot where dedicated hikers can manage it comfortably while those looking for a quick adventure will likely choose easier options.
The valley itself reveals its character gradually as you hike deeper into the backcountry. The surrounding peaks rise higher and more dramatically the further you progress, creating an increasing sense of being enveloped by the mountains. This gradual reveal makes the journey itself part of the experience rather than just a means to reach a destination.
Exploring the Canadian Rockies Since 2020
As someone who has been exploring the Canadian Rockies since 2020 and sharing these adventures on YouTube, I’ve had the opportunity to visit many of the region’s most famous destinations. Paradise Valley stands out among them for offering a unique combination of accessibility and solitude, famous landmarks and hidden corners, physical challenge and wilderness reward.
Whether you’re looking for things to do in Banff National Park beyond the usual suspects like Johnston Canyon, Lake Louise, or Moraine Lake, or searching for hikes in Banff National Park that offer something different from Tunnel Mountain, Sentinel Pass, or Bow Glacier Falls, Paradise Valley delivers an experience that feels both connected to and distinct from the park’s more visited areas. The ability to base camp in the backcountry while accessing multiple famous destinations makes it a standout option for those planning their Banff National Park adventure.