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HI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel in Banff National Park

Lodging · Banff National Park

HI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel

A remote base with a sauna and trails just outside.

Photo: CC BY 2.0
Type
Lodging
Nearest trail
0.2 km
Audio stories
3 nearby
  • Restrooms
  • Parking
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Mosquito Creek: Camping and the Molar Pass Hike

Overview

About HI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel

Why stop

  • Hiking and snowshoe routes start at the hostel

Heads up

  • No running water, showers, or flush toilets

Map

Where it is

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LodgingHI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel51.62939, -116.33061
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Plan your stop

Before you go

8 active Banff alerts

  • ClosureJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area closedJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area are closed to all traffic and travel through December 11, 2026, because construction work requires protecting public and workers’ safety.Official details
  • ClosureBaker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds closed to campingCamping is prohibited at Baker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds through December 1, 2026, because a grizzly bear entered campsites and investigated tents and gear; the closures reduce risk to…Official details
See all 8 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Banff Tour Guide

Your drive to HI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Banff National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Banff audio tour

Recorded for this place

Mosquito Creek: Camping and the Molar Pass Hike
0:00 / 0:35
“Mosquito Creek is coming up, with a small seasonal campground and a separate wilderness hostel. Choose the campground for a simple wooded base on the Parkway, with some sites beside the creek and mountain views.”

Plays as you drive up to HI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • A Grizzly Cub’s Food Lessons
  • Inside a Beaver Lodge
  • A Pika's Winter Pantry
  • Hector Lake Viewpoint: Mountains beyond the Trees
  • 185 audio storiesacross Banff’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 162 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“…Loved the commentary as you drove thru. I’m sure the app can do more than I know but the tips were very helpful. I’m gonna use it when we go to Banff next month.”
tesja22App Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about HI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel

What this stay isHI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel is an off-grid, shared-space lodge on Highway 93 N in Banff…

HI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel is an off-grid, shared-space lodge on Highway 93 N in Banff National Park, about 20 minutes north of Lake Louise. It is overnight accommodation, separate from the nearby Mosquito Creek Campground. Choose it for a remote base close to mountain trails, not a hotel-style stay.

Come ready for the off-grid setupExpect limited solar power and no running water, showers, or flush toilets.

Expect limited solar power and no running water, showers, or flush toilets. Drinking water is supplied in tanks, and outhouses serve as the restrooms. A shared kitchen lets you prepare your own meals; the lounge and games room, wood stove, sauna, and campfire pit make the communal spaces a big part of the stay.

Make the Parkway stay workTrails begin immediately outside for summer hiking and winter snowshoeing.

Trails begin immediately outside for summer hiking and winter snowshoeing. Plan to arrive within the check-in window on your reservation; late arrivals are not accommodated. Parks Canada requires snow tires or chains on the Icefields Parkway from November 1 through March 31, and whenever the road is snow- or ice-covered. There is no EV charging or engine-block-heater outlet on site, so plan vehicle needs before you arrive.

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Wildlife

Wildlife in Banff

All Banff wildlife maps
Grizzly Bear123 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapBrown Bear150 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapGray Wolf44 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapRiver Otter12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapMoose69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapBlack Bear466 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near HI Mosquito Creek Wilderness Hostel

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ChallengingNorth Molar Pass Trail23.2 km · 9 hr · 0.2 km awayA 14.4-mile out-and-back through meadows to North Molar Pass.ChallengingFish Lakes Trail via North Molar Pass29.6 km · 12 hr · 0.2 km awayA long alpine out-and-back to Fish Lakes over North Molar Pass.ChallengingMolar Pass Trail (South Molar Pass)19.6 km · 7.5 hr · 0.2 km awayCreekside forest gives way to wide meadows below a rocky pass.ChallengingDevon Lakes Trail61.6 km · 20.5 hr · 0.2 km awayThree high passes and two alpine lakes reward a four-day commitment.ModerateHector Lake Trail4.5 km · 1.8 hr · 6 km awayA short walk to a glacial lake with a demanding river ford.ChallengingCrowfoot Pass and Balfour Viewpoint Trail15.4 km · 6 hr · 7.3 km awayA cold ford, a broad pass, and a waterfall view.

More stops nearby

Campground · 0.1 km awayMosquito Creek CampgroundCreekside sites and mountain views at a basic Parkway campground.Scenic pullout · 4.9 km awayHector Lake ViewpointA quick Waputik backdrop, with only a partial glimpse of the lake.

Parkwolf’s Banff ranking

Top sights in Banff

All 90 places
  1. 1Lake LouiseSight
  2. 2Moraine LakeSight
  3. 3Peyto Lake ViewpointSight
  4. 4Johnston CanyonSight
  5. 5Banff GondolaSight
  6. 6Cave and Basin National Historic SiteSight

Take Parkwolf to Banff.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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