Back when I still worked admin in the oil and gas industry, I used to spend a perhaps an unsurprising amount of time fantasizing about being elsewhere. One of my favourite websites to zone out on was Reserve Alberta Parks. I would look at different campgrounds, seeking out the best campsites to book for an upcoming weekend. The website has photos of almost every campsite, so obsessing about which had the best view or the most privacy was easy to do. Probably the campground I obsessed about most was Park Lake. But for some reason or another I would not camp there for almost a decade. This past summer I camped there twice.
The reason for my vast interest in this campground was its closeness to Calgary, the beach, and that some of the sites backed onto the lake. I imagined myself sitting by a campfire, watching the sunset sparkle on the lake as it sank behind the hillside. A fantasy I finally got to live out.
My first trip to Park Lake also happened to be my 10 month old’s first camping trip. For this we opted for the comforts of an RV with grandma and grandpa on the south loop of the campground. We quickly learned that if your child isn’t old enough to play at the playground, booking the site adjacent will mean being bathed in the sounds of children chasing each other with little upside. Not that there’s anything wrong with kids chasing each other at the park. But be prepared for them to do it from sun up to sun down.
The campground is just 15 minutes northwest of Lethbridge, making for an easy getaway to hit some thrift shops if rain comes through. It also features a lovely trail along the north side of the lake and out to a peninsula. Although we weren’t parked at one of the waterfront sites, we did get to enjoy an evening walk and one of the most picturesque lake sunsets I’ve ever seen. (Continued below…)
There is both a beach at the campground and another with a boat launch at the day use area. We saw quite a few small fishing boats on the lake, and the countless minnows anywhere you walk in the shallows suggests a lake teeming with bigger fish in deeper waters.
If I had any complaints about the lake it would be that the water seems to muddy up as you walk through it. But that doesn’t stop dozens of small children from enjoying the beach and warm plentiful shallows immensely.
My second trip there I finally booked one of the waterfront sites. It seemed like the perfect place to for my son’s first time tenting! When we arrived, the classic Lethbridge wind was against us, which made for an interesting time putting up my 6 man dome tent. Luckily the sounds of a windy tent replaced my sons white noise machine and he slept as well or maybe a bit better than at home. By early morning the wind had calmed down and we enjoyed a hot coffee with a stunning view of a glassy lake.
Although there aren’t any flush toilets or showers, the pit toilets were well lit and stocked day and night. There’s also a concession at the beach offering snacks and ice cream, and a truck that drives around the campground offering firewood around 5pm. It was quiet and calm during the week but a bit more rowdy on the weekend on the north loop, so keep that in mind if you decide to visit this little gem 2 hours south of Calgary.
On our last night there we enjoyed a roaring fire, a beautiful sunset, and an early bedtime requested by my son. I can’t wait to take him back there when he’s walking and we can enjoy the beach and trails even more.
