Top Family-Friendly Alberta Campsites to Drive To This Summer

Now that Our DIY Camper is almost done (I can’t wait to share the final reveal with you!), we’ve scheduled several camping trips within easy driving distance this summer. While we always like driving into BC to enjoy the mountains and the ocean there, we love exploring our home province of Alberta even more. With help from Esurance, here’s my list of the top family-friendly Alberta camping spots that are on our radar this summer.

When heading out on the highway to camp this summer, it’s important to make sure your vehicle is safe and ready for your journey. Before driving to any of the beautiful Alberta camping destinations below, you can go through the following checklist:

• ensure your vehicle is in good working order by taking it in for a tune-up
• prepare and pack a vehicle emergency kit (the Government of Canada recommends including these items)
• pack your car wisely so that you’re not weighing it down too much or decreasing your visibility
• pack snacks and games for your kids (read my ideas right here)
• ensure your license, registration and insurance is up-to-date

If you’re shopping for car insurance, here are 5 questions to ask yourself. Esurance is a great option for car insurance as you can manage your account online and save yourself hours on the phone (hooray)! You can also earn discounts to keep your rate low. Want a free quote? You can get one right here.

Jasper National Park

If you’re a northern Alberta resident like us, you’ll know that Jasper is a popular place to camp and to explore. The beauty of the area is incredible, and we find it to be a lot quieter than the more Southern mountain destinations in Alberta. We camped here in June, but I’d recommend going in either July or August if you want to avoid the more chilly temps that we experienced when you’re higher up in the mountains! There are 3 Parks Canada campgrounds in Jasper, and you can choose which one suits your camping equipment and needs the best.

Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park

This campground is on our Alberta adventure wishlist because of its proximity to Whitecourt where you’ll find the Whitecourt River Slides in the Rotary Park. We’ve wanted to visit these slides for a long time, and camping on such a beautiful spot just Northwest of Whitecourt would be the perfect adventure! The Carson-Pegasus Campground has almost 200 sites, both with and without power and also has boat rentals, a tackle shop, playground, and a beach.

Drumheller

Another of our favourite travel destinations in our home province is Drumheller. It’s not too far of a drive for us, and our girls absolutely love the Royal Tyrrell Museum and exploring the Badlands. We’ve stayed in hotels there, but for our next trip we plan to camp. My friend Crystal recommends staying in Pinters Campground in Drumheller. The sites are well treed and private, and there’s a small riverside beach. The campground is close to a lot of Drumheller’s attractions.

Wabamun Lake Provincial Park

We visit Wabamun Lake often for beach days, but this year we finally camped there. Wabamun Provincial Park features a beautiful and sandy beach, some great playgrounds, and some gorgeous campsites. Aside from mountain lakes, I find this lake to be one of the cleanest and warmest Alberta has to offer, and the beach is very kid-friendly. There are also lots of trails throughout the park for hiking and biking. We loved the privacy and treed beauty of the campsites!

Banff National Park

Banff is an incredible place to visit in the summer, and I can only imagine how fun it would be to camp there! Exploring the picturesque town of Banff, hiking and exploring the trails by bike are some of the many things you can experience at Banff National Park. My friend Jen just came back from camping at Two Jack Lakeside, and recommends it for it’s proximity to Banff and it’s beautiful, clean waters. We’re adding it to our campsite list!

Crimson Lake Provincial Park

Before we had kids, my husband and I used to camp near Rocky Mountain House and we’ve always loved the rugged landscape. Crimson Lake Provincial Park is located 14km West of Rocky Mountain House and it features trails, a beach, and an onsite concession. The beach is shallow and sandy, which is perfect for kids!

Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park

Hailed as having one of the best beaches in Alberta, Marten River Campground in Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park is definitely on our “must go” camping list. The lake is massive, and the beach is sandy and clean. This is a more peaceful option if you want to avoid the busier mountain national parks, but it’s only 15 minutes from the town of Slave Lake which has everything you need if you forget any of your camping essentials.

Long Lake Provincial Park

I’d actually never heard of this campsite until a couple of my friends recommended it to us! Long Lake Provincial Park is about 1.5 hours northeast of Edmonton and features a campground with an onsite concession, trails to explore, playgrounds and a beach.

What’s your favourite Alberta camping spot? I’d love to hear about it!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Esurance. As always, all of the opinions here are my own.