Ghost River Wilderness Area is an Alberta Parks wilderness area in Kananaskis Country. The official page places it 30 kilometres north of Canmore along the eastern border of Banff National Park, mainly east of the Palliser Range.
Alberta Parks lists no developed day-use area count and one campground entry, but the activity notes clarify that random backcountry camping is permitted and there are no campsites or facilities.
Ghost River is a serious wilderness destination for foot-only alpine travel. Alberta Parks says the best access is from a road off Highway 1 or 1A to Lake Minnewanka that leads to a day-use area in Banff National Park. Vehicles can also get within a few kilometres of the eastern border from a seasonal road off Highway 40. Travel within the park is by foot only.
Activities are limited to backcountry camping, backcountry hiking, and no-fires use. Alberta Parks states that no permit or fee is required for random backcountry camping, but visitors should review restrictions and recommendations. Hunting and fishing are prohibited, and horses and mountain bikes are not permitted.
The terrain is rugged: rolling alpine tundra, boulder fields, high alpine lakes, glacier-carved valleys, and mountains such as Aylmer, Apparition, Oliver, and Costigan. Alberta Parks also notes rare butterflies and wildlife including bighorn sheep, deer, moose, cougar, bears, and wolves.
Plan around foot-only backcountry hiking, random camping, alpine lake route research, topographic map study, wildlife awareness, no-fire travel, and strict self-reliance.
Confirm fire bans, access routes, random camping rules, no-fishing and no-hunting rules, maps, weather, emergency plans, route sharing, advisories, and Alberta Parks updates.
