High Water Readiness

Sheep River

Updated September 2026 – Riverbend Campground is located on the banks of the Sheep River.  For most of the year the Sheep is a quiet river winding through the foothills. It’s important to be familiar with high water readiness. The headwaters of the Sheep are located in the Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country. It continues its flow east, emptying into the Highwood River about eight kilometers to the east of us and eventually into the Bow. We have written about Kananaskis Country and you can read that here.

Spring Run-off

During spring melt in the mountains, stream flow can be much heavier and some years the river breaches its banks and causes flooding. There have been some dramatic events in the past and we have seen the course of the river actually change. The “bend” in the River that was inspiration for our campground name has actual moved further east.

As you can imagine, through the 50-plus years our families have been here we have seen and experienced all that Mother Nature is capable of, both the good and the not so good. We monitor our riverbank during spring run-off and undertake repair measures as needed. Much work has been done over the years to protect our property and our community. We don’t expect any problems but are ever vigilant.

Early Warning

Alberta Provincial officials monitor all along the river. When authorities believe there is a risk, we are notified. We in turn notify campers to the best of our ability. In the past, members of our campground community came together and helped one another. RV’s located in areas that might be affected were moved to higher ground.

To facilitate notification in emergency events, the municipalities in our area have banded together and have a coordinated warning system in place called Safe Communities Alert Network (SCAN). If you are a month-to-month or seasonal camper we encourage you to sign up to receive alerts. You simply go to the MD of Foothills website here: http://www.mdfoothills.com/emergency-management/emergency-alerts.html  Here you will see information on the SCAN system with a link to create an account. When you go through the process you will be given options with respect to the types of notifications you are interested in receiving. Notifications can be sent to you via text message. The platform used was created by a developer called Everbridge, who has also developed an app for your smart phone. The app allows you to go into the site for updates.