What Makes a Campground Great?
We've got thoughts and want to hear yours
After a 10-day camping trip at three very different campgrounds in Alberta and B.C., Annalise is home and has some opinions on what makes a campground great. We’d love to hear yours, so hop into the comments or send us an email. Well you’re at it, if you have any tips on how to get a toddler to sleep past sunrise in a tent, we’re all ears…
Writing-on-Stone Campground/Áísínai’pi National Historic Site of Canada
If you’ve never been here, we cannot recommend it enough. For those who, like us, spend a lot of time in the mountains, it’s a completely different world. It’s desert country here, and you’ll be treated to prairie wildlife we simply don’t see near Calgary like pronghorns and rattle snakes (yes, Annalise saw & heard one!)
The shallow Milk River (perfect for swimming) surrounds the campground. The landscape is considered sacred by the Blackfoot people and dotted with matapiiksi or hoodoos, which are stunning sandstone formations sculpted by thousands of years of erosion. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, some of the hoodoos showcase engravings and paintings left by the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksikáíítsitapi) like this battle scene.
Why we love this campsite?
With only 61 sites (plus a group camping area, pictured above), the campground is relatively small and doesn’t feel like a giant parking lot (a common pitfall of many popular campgrounds)
The landscape is truly spectacular and the fact you can take a walk on an interpretive trail directly from the campground to see the petroglyphs and pictographs is a big bonus
This campground has it all! There’s a lovely beach, a playground, a grocery/supply store and even interpretive programming for kids in the evenings
Tunnel Mountain Village I Campground, Banff National Park
Thanks to a kind Go Outside reader, Annalise took over a two-night reservation at an oTENTik in Banff, that happened to coincide with two very rainy nights in the mountains. These A-Frame/Canvas Tent combos are a great way for beginners to ease into camping and are highly recommended in colder/rainy weather (they include a heater…we’ll give you a full tour and review in a future newsletter.)
Tunnel Mountain Village 1 is certainly a different camping experience than Writing-on-Stone, with the campsite about 10 times the size and much more geared towards RVs. (There are more than 600 sites here and the campground includes a whole lot of pavement.) That being said, you can’t go wrong with mountain views like this!
Why we love this campsite?
Tunnel Mountain Village 1 is located 4.5 km from the town of Banff and features Roam Transit stops at the campground meaning you can take the bus into town! It’s super easy and exploring Banff makes for a fun addition to sleeping in the woods.
The nearby Hoodoo Trail and Tunnel Campground Loop provide hiking/walking opportunities right from the campground
The fairly new oTENTik area is wooded and lovely
Kokanee Creek Provincial Park Campsite, near Nelson, B.C.
Annalise finished her week of vacation with three nights with friends at this campground near the quirky (and beloved) mountain town of Nelson, B.C. While it’s certainly a long drive from Calgary, if you happen to be in the area, Kokanee Creek is highly recommended. It’s a beautiful part of the country with close access to amazing mountain bike and hiking trails, plus Nelson is such a fun town to spend time in.
Why we love this campsite?
The beach! Any campground where you can walk in minutes to a beautiful sandy swimming hole is a big win in our books. There’s even a designated dog beach here, meaning all members of the family can participate in the swimming fun
There are not one but two playgrounds at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park Campsite, which anyone with kids can attest is a wonderful thing. The pavement and campground size also make it a perfect spot for older little kids to explore solo on bike.
The campground offers both reservable and first-come-first-serve sites which makes for an enjoyable experience for pre-planners and last-minute-want-to-get-a-campsite folks alike
What do you think? What makes a campground great?
No generators, or at least reduced time slots for generators as in BC Parks.