Campground recommendations: Alberta and Saskatchewan

[Catchlight]

My wife and I are planning to do a lap of BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan with our Escape 21 this fall, and would like to hear about any campgrounds--national park, provincial park, or private--that fellow Escape owners have enjoyed.

We like to camp in quiet, scenic places near good hiking and biking, and don't require all the hookups.

Because Parks Canada has moved up their reservation timeline, we have already booked Wapiti in Jasper for four nights, and will be reserving sites as they become bookable in other national and provincial parks.

These questions remain:

1. We want to camp for two nights near the northeast corner of Edmonton where some relatives live, but there seem to be no campgrounds nearby. Our Plan A is to reserve a site at Elk Lakes National Park, and drive the hour or so into the city to see our family. Does anyone know of a decent campground that's closer to NE Edmonton?

2. We intend to reserve sites at Prince Albert and Grasslands NPs in Saskatchewan, with a stop to see more relatives in Kindersley in between. Can anyone recommend a clean and quiet campground near Kindersley?

3. Which provincial parks in AB and SK are not-to-be-missed?

4. Will we regret not pressing on into Manitoba to camp at Riding Mountain N.P.?

5. We'll hit Waterton Lakes on the way back to BC, but will skip Banff and Lake Louise. We wonder if anyone knows of a nice campground near Fernie.

6. And finally, where's a great spot to camp near the Crowsnest Highway in the Kootenays?

Thanks for any recommendations you might have!

Brent and Cheryl.

[gbaglo]

We like Lundbreck Falls Provincial Park, which is near Waterton ( I think an hour or two ). Great fly fishing on the Crowsnest. Lundbreck Falls - Information & Facilities - Camping
I'll be watching to see if you get responses for Fernie and along the Crowsnest Hywy. I've stayed various places, but none remarkable.

[Kærnehuset]

In Alberta, Writing on Stone Provincial Park near Coutts (SE Alberta) is a must do, as is Dinosaur Provincial Park, near Brooks.

Regards

Scott

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Catchlight

3. Which provincial parks in AB and SK are not-to-be-missed?

5. We'll hit Waterton Lakes on the way back to BC, but will skip Banff and Lake Louise. We wonder if anyone knows of a nice campground near Fernie.


Thanks for any recommendations you might have!

Brent and Cheryl.

3. I actually have stayed at very few PP's in AB. We tend to go to forestry campgrounds. More isolated there, but lots to do.

5. Waterton is gorgeous, lots to see and do there. Near Fernie, we have stayed at Kikomun Creek PP a few times and enjoyed it, though haven't been there for a long time now. Great little lake to swim or paddle in. Lots of cute turtles in it.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Kærnehuset

In Alberta, Writing on Stone Provincial Park near Coutts (SE Alberta) is a must do, as is Dinosaur Provincial Park, near Brooks.

Regards

Scott

Great ideas. Another couple like that are Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, which is a good stop for an hour or so. The Frank Slide Interpretive Centre is a great place to learn about the slide, as well as the history of the Crowsnest Pass.

[Dave Walter]

Writing on Stone is a great park but may be a bit out of your way unless you are heading into Montana. I have found that Cypress Hills provincial park is a pretty fantastic place with a very interesting history and a unique geological setting. The park extends across the Alberta Saskatchewan borders.

[dbailey]

I'll second Dinosaur provincial park as a "must stop"...

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by dbailey

I'll second Dinosaur provincial park as a "must stop"...

And while there, do check out the Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology.

[dbailey]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

And while there, do check out the Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology.

There's lots to do around the Drumheller area, in addition to the Royal Tyrell. The Atlas coal mine is definitely worth a visit, and there's lots of interesting scenery around. Some very good rock shops if you're into that. Last I was there, one of them had a triceratops skull for sale (for just $70K!).

But don't forget to consider that it's a couple of hours drive from Dinosaur. Driving too/from Drumheller plus taking all the time you want at all the interesting things makes for a very long day.

[Dave Whiting]

When staying at Waterton National Park, avoid the Belly River campground. A great location and setting but the campsites are designed for tents - not trailers. We have an Escape 19 and could not get a site that would work for us.
Our alternative was Police Outpost Provincial Park not that far away and right against the US border. Pleasant hiking and birding and looks like good fishing from a boardwalk that connects to an island in the lake.
We have enjoyed staying at Crandall Mountain Campground on previous trips. The townsite campsite does not fit our camping style.

[hughharden]

Writing on Stone, and Elkwater Lake in Cypress Hills are two of my favourites in Alberta.

[LarryandLiz]

This thread has my interest. I'm retiring in March and we are planning a trip east in May.
We want to do Alberta Saskatchewan to trace family roots.

A prime National park that I have been dreaming of spending time in is GRASSLANDS NATIONAL PARK in Saskatchewan If you want to see natural prairie grassland this looks like the place to go Have any Escapers been there? Bison ..... And dark sky for the night view of stars

Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park - Grasslands National Park

[Catchlight]

Great suggestions, everyone! Much appreciated.

If you think of anything else, we'd love to hear it.

[shrncnddck]

In the Crowsnest, we always stop at Chinook Lake. It has private sites and a very pretty lake with a trail encircling it. There are also several kilometers of trails throughout the park, used for cross country skiing in the winter. The road into the park is gravel though, and can be a little "wash-boardy" at times.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by shrncnddck

In the Crowsnest, we always stop at Chinook Lake.

Another great idea. We have stayed there a few times. A few nice spots at the lake, bit the rest are nice too. We usually go climb Crowsnest Mountain when staying there, a nice days scramble with just a wee bit of hands on. Magnificent views (except when you are in the clouds).

[PGDriver]

There's a good app out called "Alberta Camping". It has lots of good info and campgrounds in Alberta.

Cheers
Doug

[gbaglo]

Downloaded. Thanks.

[PGDriver]

Another good one is called "Parks Canada learn to camp"

Cheers

Doug

[FlatlandFlyFisher]

Grasslands NP is tremendous! I have not been there since we got our trailer (13' Boler; intend to upgrade to an escape) but we intend to go back soon. Boondocking is the way to go there!

Cypress Hills in the southwest is a gem. Pine Cree is a small regional park that gets lots of raves. We were going to go last August ... but a choice between 37 C or 27 C weather sent us to near Hinton instead.

Most provincial parks near Saskatchewan cities and large towns are setup for the mega-RV set. Sometimes good fishing but not much for scenery. Yawn.

My favourite location is McDougal Creek in the Narrow Hills Provincial Park. Two camp sites, a pit toilet, and a short walk to a creek with brookies. Nothing fancy except silence and isolation. A short distance away is Clarence - Steepbank provincial part - maybe 8 sites, fishing and not much else. Paradise

No mountains ... but they get in the way of the view anyway!

[Catchlight]

Thanks for the tips, FlatlandFlyFisher. It's great to have an SK resident weigh in. We are especially looking forward to visiting Grasslands and Cypress Hills.

How many nights would you recommend camping at Prince Albert N.P. at the end of September, mainly to hike?

Also, we know it's hard to predict, but by when would you suggest that we be west of the Rockies and headed home to avoid the first significant snow and ice conditions on the roads?