Is it a new year and you’re thinking about hiking the Great Divide Trail (GDT)? Beginning at the US-Canada border in Waterton Lakes National Park and extending 700 miles to Kakwa Lakes Provincial Park, some have called it the wildest hike. You’ll experience remote wilderness on rarely maintained trails, as well as some of the most popular backcountry destinations in the Canadian Rockies. Like any trail, it has its own unique character and part of that is an increased focus on planning, permitting and stocking.
Fewer than 200 people hike the entire trail each year, so don’t expect the social experience you’d have on the Appalachian Trail. The trail also passes through only 3 towns along the way (Waterton, Field, and Jasper) and while there are a few resorts and outposts along the way, expect to spend a week (and in some cases 10-14 days) between resupply. However, if you want to experience the raw and remote nature of the Canadian Rockies, it’s hard to beat.
While there’s plenty of time to make plans to resupply and get your gear in order, the new year is a good time to start thinking about the trail, as many permits begin to become available in late January.
Unlike the United States, Canada does not have an equivalent to the Scenic Trails Act. The legislative framework that formally recognizes and governs the Triple Crown routes (among many others) does not apply to the GDT. This means that the permitting process is more complex as the road passes through several different jurisdictions, each with their own variations of rules. While the trail is entirely on public lands, it is divided between the National Parks (federal lands) as well as the provincial lands of BC and Alberta. While a one-time permit is one of the long-term goals of the Great Divide Trail Association (GDTA), it is not an easy process and will not happen anytime soon.
Where to start
- Go to the website of the Great Divide Trail AssociationHere you will find all kinds of information about the route, itineraries, camping areas and resupply.
- Download GPS route from website or take GDT map from far
- Start putting together an itinerary. The GDTA publishes 3 pre-planned itineraries based on a relaxed (68 days), medium (50 days), or fast (36 days) pace. You don’t have to follow any of these itineraries, but they give you a good rule of thumb to follow when making your plan. Unlike the Triple Crown Trails, you really need to work out a daily itinerary for the GDT, as most permits require you to specify a specific day that you will stay at a specific campground.
- Look at the list of campgrounds and make a plan based on your pace and the places you want to stay. «Popularity» will indicate how much competition you will have when it comes to obtaining permits.
- It’s a good idea to plan 1 or 2 zeros between each section of the trail, this way if you fall behind you can catch up on your itinerary and reservation.
- The GDTA typically hosts several webinars in January to complete the permitting process. You can view previous years’ webinars at GDTA YouTube Channel Just remember, things can change from year to year.
In this article, I will provide a quick summary on the permitting process, but I have also updated my previous articles for 2026 (Part 1 and Part 2), which discuss the process in much more detail.
First, national parks
On its way to Kakwa, the GDT passes through 5 national parks (Waterton Lakes, Banff, Kootenay, Yoho and Jasper). These are all managed by Parks Canada and while they have the simplest rules, they are where you will need the most permits and where you will spend most of your planning and booking effort.
For the most part, you’ll need to stay at a designated campsite in the backcountry, and for each night you’ll need a reserved spot at a specific location. This is the rule for all Waterton Lakes and Kootenay National Park. Banff, Yoho, and Jasper also allow random camping in some parts of the park (see below). Reservations for camping in rural areas can be made through the Parks Canada Reservation Service starting the following days:
Waterton – January 21, 2026 at 8:00 am MST
Banff, Kootenay, Yoho- January 26, 2026 at 8:00 am MST
Jasper – January 28th2026 at 8:00 am MST
The reservation system opens at 7:30 am and everyone is placed in a waiting queue. At 8:00 am, everyone is randomly assigned a space where they will wait for their turn. Some popular campgrounds can sell out very quickly, so be prepared.
Tips for booking national parks
- Create your Parks Canada account well in advance
- Spend some time getting familiar with the site and how to find your spots.
- You’ll need to know which campsites you’ll want for each night and the trailhead you’ll be entering from.
- On the day of, connect to the site with multiple computers and multiple browsers (involve your friends). When spaces are randomly assigned at 8:00 am, use the navigator with the lowest queue number
- Choose your most popular campsites first. This may mean dividing your reservations into segments. You’ll want to block places like Ball Pass and Floe Lake as quickly as you can.
- Don’t give up right away, as people may have campsites in their shopping cart that expire after 20 minutes if they don’t complete the checkout process.
Random camping in national parks.
When random camping in Banff, Yoho, and Jasper, a permit is still required for each night. You are also assigned to a specific area within the park. Many of these areas are remote and there are only a certain number of random permits available each night. Permits for these can be obtained at each of the park’s respective trail offices by calling the following numbers:
Banff:– 403-762-1556 (For Howes River Floodplain Permits – Section D)
yoho: 1-403-522-1264 (For permits in Amiskwi Valley and Alternate Kwitenok – Section D)
Jasper: 1-780-852-6177 extension. 2 (For permits along the Miette River – Section F)
British Columbia
The only place you really need to worry about reserves in BC is Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park.
Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park
Mount Assiniboine is an EXTREMELY popular backcountry destination. Lake Magog has a large backcountry campsite (with 40 tent platforms) and a lodge where you can stop for tea and snacks on certain days (or stay overnight if you have deep pockets). Reservations and permits are required for campgrounds at Lake Magog, Lake Og, or Porcupine and can be some of the hardest to get. He BC Parks Reservation Service uses a rolling 3 month booking window, so every morning, a new day (3 months in the future) opens for bookings.
Tips for booking Assiniboine
- These sites often book up in seconds, but one trick is to keep trying for about 20 to 25 minutes. Some people put sites in their shopping cart and do not check out and after 20 minutes these sites are returned to the general public.
- If you can’t get permits for the core of the park, you can camp at the first-come, first-served sites at Mitchell Meadows or Police Meadows. These are a little off the beaten path, but both will work in a pinch.
alberta
In Alberta, you’ll need to reserve specific sites in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (the end of Section B and the beginning of Section C), but also a Public Lands Camping Pass that covers random camping in Public Land Use Zones (PLUZ). The pass is not tied to a specific campsite or a specific night.
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Many people will take a zero or two at the campsite opposite the course at Boulton Creek or Mt Sarrail. You’ll have the opportunity to resupply, recharge your external batteries, take a shower, and (most importantly), grab some ice cream. Boulton Creek requires a reservation (using a rolling 3-month period), while Mt Sarrail is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Once Section C begins, you’ll need a reservation if you plan to stay at the Aster Lake (if you take the Northover Ridge alternative) or Turbine Canyon backcountry campgrounds. These can be reserved through the Alberta Park Reserve Service. It’s not the end of the world if you can’t get a spot at any of these sites, as random camping is allowed at nearby Height of the Rockies Provincial Park.
What happens if I didn’t get my permits?
Okay, the worst is over. Your alarm didn’t go off, or you’re reading this in February, or you were assigned the 20,000th spot in the reservation queue and most of what you wanted was gone… Now what? Don’t give up (and definitely don’t say screw it, I’m going up anyway), hope is not lost. Here are some things you can do.
- There are several services that will monitor booking websites and send you a note if there is a cancellation. You still need to book, but at least you’ll know something is available. I have had success with Schnerp and I heard good things about Bell. Some will offer some free notifications, others will charge.
- Keep an eye out for the Great Divide Trail Hikers or BCR – Backpacking in the Canadian Rockies Facebook groups. While it is not legal for someone to sell you their permits, you can arrange cancellations.
- Be flexible with your itinerary. I’ve met several people who have been able to throw together a GDT hike at the last minute, it just means some long days, possible hitchhiking to alternative campsites or skipping camp at some of the more spectacular campsites.
We hope this manual helps you get started with your GDT plan. There is a lot of information to digest, but also a lot of resources to make it easier.
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