CANADIAN CAMPGROUNDS
I’ve spent some time in Canada this last trip and put together a list of the campgrounds that I’ve stayed at. I’ve included their contact information and a little bit about their facility and surrounding area so you have an idea of what might be there to see, do, or just relax a bit. They are listed in the order that I stayed in them as I traveled across the country, so it goes from west to east.
ROSEBUD VALLEY CAMPGROUND: 10 Street and Highway 582 Didsbury, Alberta. $30 night 403-335-8578 This campground is just north of Calgary, right off Alberta Highway 582. This campground is a city owned campground and had a good number of sites that had electric and water (30 & 15 amp only.) You can reserve online. There were bathrooms and clean showers. Some pull through sites were available and I did see pets, so pets are allowed. I hit this area at the same time as the Calgary Stampede. If you don’t know, this is a huge rodeo in Canada. The campgrounds were all booked and all I was finding was sites with no services and I had already gone several nights without electricity, so I wanted to get a good boost to my fridge. I finally found Rosebud and it was a little piece of heaven!
HORSESHOE CANYON CAMPGROUND: Drumheller, Alberta 213033TWPRD284 403-856-8107 info@horseshoecanyon.ca This campground is right across the street from the Canadian Badlands. It has a store with a small restaurant menu plus a mini golf area outside. There was a nice, covered seating area outside also. They offered electric and water hookups plus some pull through sites. This campground had free Wi-Fi and did a recycling program. There was a nice playground area, and the ice cream was delicious! The Canadian Badlands are awesome. Not as encompassing as the American Badlands but they are still impressive. When I first saw them, I was not impressed as I thought it was just this small area, then I decided to drive around the area they had set up for viewing and discovered that there was so much more than what they were showing. It went on for miles and I was so glad that I had decided to be a rebel.
MILKRIVER.CA/CAMPING FACILITIES: Milk River, Alberta 403-647-4282 It was located at the local baseball field of a small town right by the US border. There were no signs or advertisements, so it was a fluke that I found it as it was at the back of town opposite the interstate. There were only about 10 spots, but they were all pull-through and full hookup. There is no host at the site but there is a self-service container with self-pay envelopes. I loved this campground just because it was unique! Our family is such a big baseball/softball family that when I saw this I just had to stay here. The park is not huge but I had such a feeling of being “home” that I sat in the dugouts, even went so far as to dig out my bat and ball and hit a few. I knew that I had brought them along for a reason.
WASAGAMING RIDING MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK CAMPGROUND: Manitoba, CA reservation.pc.gc.ca 877-737-3783 $40.75 FHU, $37.75 EW, $34.50 E, $29.25 no services. This campground is open mid-May to mid-October, there are 427 sites and reservations are highly recommended. They have a variety of sites from full hookup pull throughs to no services. They do have a small number of sites available for those with mobility impairments. They had clean showers/bathrooms, dumping stations and all sites had firepits and picnic tables. I thoroughly enjoyed this campground, and the park was fun to explore. The town was busy, and it was one of the places that was a nightmare to drive through with my RV. The first day I gave up on finding a place to park and came back early the next morning when no one was around yet so that I could park and explore. The city park and Clear Lake were just beautiful, and I was glad that I had made the effort to get up early to get a parking space to explore. It was so peaceful (you know me and water!) Riding Mountain National Park reminds me of the Black Hills, being in the mountains, the trees, lakes and wildlife.
ROCK GARDEN CAMPGROUND: Richer, Manitoba, CA 44025 Municipal Rd 46 N 204-422-5441 or 866-422-5441 rockgarden.ca info@rockgarden.ca $46 FHU pull through, $44 EW (30 amp only.) This is a small family-owned campground east of Winnipeg on Canada HWY 1. This campground was huge in size and was really family friendly. They had a full restaurant on site, pool, basketball court and playground. The sounds of people having fun and enjoying the beautiful day could be heard throughout the campground. As evening came on the smell of campfires and good food began wafting on the breeze, my stomach started growling telling me that it was time to start cooking for myself. The sites were close together, so it was a good thing that everyone was friendly! The family next to me were teachers there for a long weekend. As you can imagine, we had a lot in common and had some good discussions. I enjoyed watching them play card games late into the night as it reminded me of my family back in the states.
SCOTT’S FAMILY RV PARK AND CAMPGROUND: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada 8845 Lundy’s Lane Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada L2H 1H5 campingatscotts.com 800-649-9497 Open April-November $72 Off season FHU pull thru 50amp, $83 On season FHU pull thru 50amp, $62 Off season FHU 30amp, $68 On season FHU 30amp They are Good Sams approved, have a “WeGo Shuttle Bus” stop and have propane for sale on site that was the lowest cost I had found. I loved that I could just walk to the street and catch the bus to Niagara Falls, it was so simple! I was able to purchase a package for Niagara Falls online that included the bus, so everything was right on my phone. I had taken snapshots of everything just in case I didn’t have service and it was a good thing as I didn’t have service most of the time I was out of the campground. I must remind myself in the future that I need to get that phone service when I leave the states! The campsites are good in size, and the campground is huge! There is a pool, playground, showers/bathrooms, and laundry facilities. The campground is well maintained, the employees were very helpful, and there was a nice sized convenience store.
SUSSEX KOA JOURNEY: Brunswick, Canada 133 Aiton Rd, Sussex Parish, NB, E4G 2V5, Canada 506-432-6788 May-October I paid $67 I hit this KOA site on the last day they were open, considering this I was surprised at the amount of items still stocked in their large convenience store. This KOA was large with over 200 sites, multiple swimming pools, play areas, laundry areas, etc. This campground is located near Fundy National Park and has the Sussex Drive-In movie theater next door! They have a variety of sites available, including FHU. My only complaint is that the sites were close together.
KING NEPTUNE CAMPGROUND: Nova Scotia, Canada 8536 Peggy’s Cove Road Indian Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada B3Z 3P4 www.facebook.com/king-neptune-campground I had heard about this campground on RV Facebook groups and had begun following them on their Facebook page. I wasn’t sure by the middle of my trip if I would be able to visit their campground as they had been hit pretty had by “Lee.” I kept an eye on their clean up and realized that they were going to be okay so made a reservation and continued into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is so beautiful and if you get a chance to visit do so! This campground is small but oh so mighty. It is right on the coast and the view alone is to die for. The sites are small, but your neighbors are all so friendly and I spent more time talking and meeting people at this campground than I did on my whole trip (they didn’t give me any other option.) I’m not sure what it was but other campgrounds I walk around, everyone says hi and that’s it, this one, that’s not it. We gathered around fire pits, had drinks, told jokes, shared stories, and talked late into the night. The next morning, I was sad to leave this campground and my newfound friends.
THREE BEARS FAMILY CAMPING AND RV PARK: New Brunswick, Canada 12049 Route114, Penobsquis, NB, Canada E4G 2Y2 506-433-2870 $40 although they let me stay for free as they had started to shut down for the year. It was a cold evening and they had started shutting down their water lines (which wasn’t a problem for me) but they let me hook up to electricity which was wonderful as it did freeze overnight so it would have gotten a little chilly in my RV overnight otherwise. They are open May 1-Oct 1. They have 217 sites with 130 being FHU (30 & 15 amp.) There was a pool, playground, and they are pet friendly. The location is beautiful, was easy to get to, and the staff were amazing! They are Good Sams and AAA approved. I would have loved to stay longer and explore the area, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to find another place to camp and I wasn’t willing to risk a freezing night with no heat.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Canada and am looking forward to spending more time there next year. I hope that my experience gives you the urge to spend some time with our neighbors to the North.
