thesidds

My family and I are palnning our first recce trip for 18th May for 3 weeks - we can't wait! We are picking up a motorhome in Calgary, then our route is roughly:-

ALBERTA
-Longview
-Cochrane
-Canmore/Banff
BRITISH COLUMBIA
-Golden
-Revelstoke
-Sicamous
-Kelowna
-Kamloops
Then back to the Rockies
-Rocky Mountain House
-Red Deer

If anyone can reccomend any good family RV parks/ camp sites, I'd really appreciate it. We have got 2 young boys (aged 2 & 4). I'd particularly love to find sites on a lake/beach or with horse riding.

If you've experience any real NO NO's please also let me know!!!!!

Surrey Expat

Fintry by Okanagan Lake

Other selections for BC here

sarah_matt

hi ya

2 years ago we did the same in a RV. we arrived on the 21 may and left calgary on the 2 june. I Would recommened every park we stayed at. we've got 2 children and when we went they were 7 & 4. we did take a portable dvd player while traveling the distances between each stop.

There is a lovely site in Lake Louise, and we were parked right by the river. It was a fast flowing river due to the snow thaw in the mountains. Another site we found was past kananaski. It was on a no through road due to the road not open yet. we just came across it. the views from the rv were amazing. The site had a hot spa pool and you could sit there just amazed by the view! the site also had play parks , tennis courts, fire pits etc. and we were the only ones there!!! (well bar afew others, but it wasn't even half full) the site owners were only just opening up the site.

We didn't know from one day to the next where we were going to stay, we only said we would head to such place and look for a site. Not one site we were disappointed with.

The only problem we had but we soon got use to it, was because the road ran along the same path as the railroad, we could hear the train and they are very very very long slow moving trains, and you could hear them whistle. But this really didn't spoil the trip, if anything was part of it in the end!!!!!

We stayed at a campsite in calgary, next to the Ski Jumps!! Great site for our last night. This site can get busy in July, but in May/June we had no trouble.

I'll leave it for now, cause i could go on and on and on and on!!!!

oh by the way, we started in calgary, headed east to drumhellier, then north to edmonton, then west to jasper, then south to calgary via the rockies!, south again to black diamond, and then north again to calgary.

good luck and have a great time

sarah

Piff Poff

There was one we stayed at in Cochrane that was a bit of a miss - more for the oil workers. I can't remember half the names 'cause it was four years ago when we did out reccie - sorry.
In the Red Deer area consider Sylvan and Gull Lakes. The lakes will be far to cold for swimming in in May. Canyon Ski area in Red Deer do trail rides. As it is so early in the year you won't have trouble getting a spot. Most campgrounds open around the May long Weekend (I think 16th May) although there are all season campgrounds too.

Check out www.travelAlberta.com and woodalls and also good sam rv parks and of course gorving.ca or com or whatever it is

ann m

There is an RV park in Cochrane - down by the river side - follow the signs from River Avenue to Spray Lake Leisure Centre and it's just behind there. Not sure of facilities I'm afraid. Looks OK when we walk the dog.

Not sure if you are hoping to spend a day or two in Cochrane for a particular reason, like a recce or house-hunting, or meeting up with friends?

I'm not sure otherwise that Cochrane has enough of a 'holiday' feel for you - I mean, I live here and really like it, but if you are just passing through to have a little look-see - then push on for the extra hour and camp over at Canmore or Banff for the overnight stay

Sounds like a fab trip - enjoy !

thesidds

Thanks for your replies - really helpful. We used to be such chilled out, spontaneous travellers - but since the arrival of children, I feel the need to plan everything. My memories of our last trip to the rockies in 1999 (our honeymoon) - the campsites were ALL wonderful

I can't quite get my head round the trip, although it is our family holiday - it puts a terribly serious edge on things, when you are looking for somewhere to spend the rest of your days

Once again - many thanks