Choosing a Family Campground in Southern Alberta

The Love of Camping

Spending a day, a weekend or longer in a family campground in Southern Alberta is great fun. What is it about camping that makes it so eagerly anticipated? We think it can boiled down to essentials which hold true whether you are sleeping in a tent or travelling in a Class-A motor home. It’s an escape from the rat race, it’s a chance to get closer to nature, and it’s participating in an activity as a family. Most camping enthusiasts would also add their love of sitting around a campfire to the list. There is no doubt a lot of people love camping and it’s popularity is growing. You can find most of these essentials at any campground, so when choosing a family campground here is a brief list of things to consider.

Location

Travelling to your campsite is an opportunity to enjoy some scenery but the fun of camping happens after you arrive and get set up. If you are doing a weekend camping trip, choosing a campground that is closer to home means the fun begins sooner. Closer also means lower fuel costs.

Being close to an urban communities like Okotoks, and Calgary, which are on our door step, means you have access to attractions, shopping and dining. Tourism Calgary’s website which you will find here is a great place to start. For information on our region just south of Calgary access the Foothill Tourism Association website found here. If you were not planning on venturing anywhere but you end up with a rainy day read our blog post about some of the things to see and do in Okotoks. Riverbend Campground is on the eastern edge of town which means getting there doesn’t take much planning.

This is the Alberta prairies, and in this region, it makes good sense to choose a campground on a river. As a rule, campgrounds in the mountains are heavily treed. On the prairies, river valleys are the only habitat with enough groundwater to sustain tree growth. A mature trees canopy, provides shade, is generally cooler on hot dry summer days and is more aesthetically pleasing.

Choosing a campground on decent roads and near major transportation corridors means travel to and from the campground is convenient. It does help to be a little distance from main roads for less traffic noise.

Types of Sites

Some family campgrounds in Southern Alberta are designed with every site pretty much the same as every other, laid out like lots in an urban community. The natural setting of the Riverbend property means irregular sites so a wide variety of sites are available. Tenting sites tend to be in well treed areas within a short walk of the washrooms. RV sites are mostly back-in with some pull through sites. Most RV sites are power/water/sewer, with some power/water only. Electrical service is either 30 or 50 amps. Information on rates for the various types of sites can be found here.

Amenities

It makes good sense to choose a campground that has well maintained amenities. Clean modern washrooms are high on most people’s list. If you have been on the road for a while or you are travelling with kids, laundry can pile up. Riverbend has laundry facilities in two locations in the campground. Speaking of children, keeping them occupied can sometimes be a challenge. Riverbend has playgrounds throughout the property. Kids also love the 18-hole miniature golf course located across from our general store. Mom and Dad can take the kids for a tour around the pond on a paddle boat. This can be a work out and the family might want to relax over ice cream afterwards.

If you run out of the basics, like bread, milk and ice, or need propane or fire wood, staff at the office/general store are happy to help. Here you can also get information on walking the campground. There is a well established nature trail system at throughout Riverbend Campground.   The main camping areas around Riverbend are flat and very walkable. For the safety of all, especially children, the speed in the campground is 15 km/hr which is strictly enforced. It’s not uncommon for one of our seasonal campers to offer a reminder to a driver going a bit too fast.

Summary

When choosing a family campground in Southern Alberta, there may be times when you will choose a wilderness campground and there will be times when a campground close to a small community or urban center is a great choice. When choosing the latter, we hope you book your trip with Riverbend Campground.