Are you Planning your summer yet?
January is my time to start planning for the upcoming camping season. I believe that the 2021 season will be very similar to the 2020 season, in that camping will be restricted to local residents within each Province. So, we are planning to stay within Alberta this year and all of my planning is designed around that premise. Since we must have Lorraine’s request for holiday time in by March, I need to come up with a plan early in the year.
This year it looks like we will do five trips, two of those trips will involve traveling between two locations on the same trip. Our hit list looks like this:
- Trip 1 – Kananaskis Country – Interlakes / Lower Lake – Depends on which first come first serve site we get into.
- Trip 2 – Writing on Stone & Castle Falls. We will spend a couple of days at Writing on Stone and then travel to Castle Falls to end off the trip.
- Trip 3 – St. Mary’s Reservoir – Time on the Beach hopefully soaking up the Sun.
- Trip 4 – Johnston Canyon & Rampart Creek. This trip will depend on getting the sites that can fit our rig. Federal Campsites are notorious for not being able to accept big rigs or only having a few sites that can. Also, Johnston Canyon has been closed for the last two years for upgrades so hopefully they will reopen this year.
- Trip 5 – Medicine Lake – One of our favorite campgrounds to end of the year.
When planning I use a variety of sites to come up with ideas for campgrounds. The two of the most influential are the Reserve Alberta Parks site which is a great site to do research on as well as book your adventure within Alberta. The site offers pictures of sites and panoramic view videos for most sites. This really gives you a good idea if you can fit and what kind of campsite amenities you can expect. Since we look for secluded sites so that we don’t disrupt other campers with our Dogs this site really allows me to get a good feel for the sites I am interested in. The other site I use in Alberta is Alberta Wow. This site offers a great review of most of the campgrounds that reside in Alberta. It not only lists Provincial campgrounds it also reviews Federal campgrounds too. Check it out I think you will find it a great resource.
Now that I have a plan, I will put together my itineraries which include maps to the sites, costs, reservation details and confirmations, and a budget. The last one being one of the most important items I create. Having a budget really allows you to control your costs and know exactly what it will cost you to do a trip.
Planning early lets you breathe a sigh of relief when camping season and booking season comes around as you have all the information required to book your summer. Scrambling at the last moment is only a recipe for disaster and only guarantees that you will be most likely disappointed because there will be nothing available for your adventure.
Till next time
Happy Trails,
The Glampurs
The Ducks of Bowness