When it comes to camping with kids, you want a bit of everything. You want activities that are going to provide some excitement on those days spent at the campground, you want the amenities that make traveling with the family easier – and during the summer, you want somewhere to cool off.
At just over four hours from the city, you’ve got a great option for family friendly camping in Alberta – with the added bonus of a beach. Kinbrook Island Provincial Park provides you with a great lake full of adventures, from finding shells to feathers.
Camping at Kinbrook Island Provincial Park
There are 150+ powered sites available at Kinbrook Island Provincial Park Campground, many close to the beach and playground area, biking trails and options for kids to play at the campground. Sites were easy to access, and backing the RV to the site we were staying in was simple.
With showers and laundry, and amenities that make camping easier for families, the sites are close enough together for the kids to roam in between campsites when they make new friends and have to spend all-day-every-day with the new friends.
Swimming at Lake Newell
Bring sandals with Velcro or water shoes for the beach at Lake Newell, as it’s quite rocky in the midst of the sand. Though not perfect for sand castle making, it was just fine for finding shells, feathers and other treasures and the kids seem to barely notice the rocks. A nice thick blanket will make the day spent on the beach easier.
The vast, man made lake and beach is nice and close to the campground, making it simple to go back to the RV to grab a snack, some lunch that we didn’t bring down with us, or grab a forgotten water toy for the lake. Clear and a sectioned off area for children to play, the lake was cool, clean and the kids enjoyed playing in the water and kayaking around the shore.
Day Trips to the Badlands
Getting up in the morning and traveling to the Badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park is easy, since it’s only forty-five minutes. The fast drive and change in scenery from the lakeshore and green campground to the badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park are incredible, and there’s lots to do once you’re there: exploring the hoodoo trails, exploring the UNESCO heritage site only accessible through group tours (we recommend the explorers tour for families) and making use of the day use area of the park.
Kinbrook Island is one of those ‘hidden gem’ beaches in Alberta – offering a ‘lake vibe’ that many of the local beaches aren’t able to. At four and a half hours from Edmonton, it’s a great long weekend trip if sitting by the lake, water sports and the badlands are part of your adventure bucket list.
This feature is a part of a series that we’re working on to encourage families to get outside. We’ve teamed up with Go RV to explore four campgrounds in Alberta. To make it easier for your family to get out there and discover a new Alberta campground, Go RV is giving one reader the chance to win a week long RV rental to see what the RV Experience is all about.
