Campgrounds open in April?

[ken0042]

With Easter break next week, I was thinking if the weather is good I might take the kids out camping. Yes, we have a trailer so we should be OK for cold temperatures. I was just wondering if anybody had any recommendations? I'm looking at staying within 100 km of the city if possible. This is what I have come up with so far:

McLean Creek- Going to pass. Will be my step-son's first camping trip; so I'm looking for quiet and not ATVs.
Chain Lakes- looks to be alright, then I noticed there are no campfires on the sites. What is camping without a fire?
Dawson Provincial Recreation Area- Looks OK, but is it more geared for people with horses?
Fisher Creek - looks like my best bet. However Google maps shows the road is closed until May. Doesn't make sense if they are open year round.

So, any suggestions would be welcome. I do not require hook-ups; the last thing I want to to be in the middle of a big trailer park. I prefer to be in the trees. However I won't turn down power if it's available.

[Sliver]

If Mount Kidd is open that'd be your bitch.

[Sopure]

I was thinking about heading to Mt. Kidd this weekend. Not too sure what the weather is going to be like-- as me and the girl usually tent. We're going to watch the weather for the next day or so. The Herald website is saying 25cm of snow tomorrow afternoon and I heard from some guys at work it's supposed to be a chilly weekend. Good luck in finding a good spot for your son to enjoy, ken. I'll let you know if I hear anything. Bit of a campaholic here.

[ken0042]

If you do end up going out Sopure, I would appreciate hearing what the conditions were like.

You are certainly a lot braver than me- I would never have thought of going tenting in April. That was one of the reasons for buying the trailer; to extend my camping season.

Mt. Kidd looks good; from the pictures it looks like nice treed spots with a bit of privacy. It just so happens there are hookups; as opposed to being a big parking lot. Seems a bit pricey, but I'd rather spend a little more for a good experience.

[Hevishot]

Fisher creek is part of the Maclean Creek FLUZ (Forest Land Use Zone) The gate is locked until May 1. You can go west towards bc for open campgrounds. I think MT Kidd is open.

[MacDaddy77]

Originally Posted by ken0042

If you do end up going out Sopure, I would appreciate hearing what the conditions were like.

You are certainly a lot braver than me- I would never have thought of going tenting in April. That was one of the reasons for buying the trailer; to extend my camping season.

Mt. Kidd looks good; from the pictures it looks like nice treed spots with a bit of privacy. It just so happens there are hookups; as opposed to being a big parking lot. Seems a bit pricey, but I'd rather spend a little more for a good experience.

Mount kidd is a great campground. Lots of space and treed lots. The river is close by as well as some lakes for fishing. In the summer there's a swimming pool for the kids to enjoy. Plus they do have some arcades if the weather is bad and your son is getting bored. Also some nice geo caching hikes if you have a gps

[Madman]

Another vote for Mt Kidd - I was pretty close to booking a spot out there for this weekend but decided against it with the weather forecast. I think we'll head out there for the last weekend in April though. Keep in mind that all the sites are only power right now, no water or sewer connections, (although it probably doesn't matter as its only a weekend stay).

McLean will probably still have a fair amount of snow in the campsites - they are pretty shady with all those trees.

Chain Lakes would more than likely be a disaster. You already mentioned the firepits, which is a dealbreaker, but the lack of trees and briar patch like vegetation makes it a no go for us.

[Hockeyguy15]

Another vote for Mt Kidd...Went there a lot with my parents when I was younger and always had a good time.

[Locke]

Mt. Kidd is a great place to camp, but as is obvious here, everyone thinks so, so its very often booked up.

[Maccalus]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Chain Lakes- looks to be alright, then I noticed there are no campfires on the sites. What is camping without a fire?

At chain lakes, instead of each camp site having fire pits, they have larger group fire pits spread throughout the campground. You can have your fire, but you might have to make some new friends as well. That is if there isn't a fire ban in effect.

[Sopure]

My tent isn't the most insane, but I've camped in cold weather with it. It's the Marmot Limelight 2. Couple that with two mummy bags and it's not bad at all. I will let you know if I do indeed go, Ken. No problems there.

I think for kids though, it wouldn't be as fun to be there in a tent in April. Usually when I'm going camping this early it's very weather dependent and a campfire is a must. Last year I didn't go out this early. The earliest I went out was the beginning of May to Whiteswan-- and they still had one of the campgrounds roped off so vehicles can't enter. We made an agreement the last two times with the caretaker, where she opens the whole place up for just us-- and in return we help her clear dead wood and some hazardous trees out before the season starts.

That could be something to look at, if you want to make a super memorable experience for him at some point and don't mind the drive. It's about 100km south of Radium Hot Springs.

If you luck out and get great weather sometime in May-- you can truck out there for a weekend and there is almost nobody else around. Very cool if you're looking for the 'less congested' type camping, but still want power, etc.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Maccalus

At chain lakes, instead of each camp site having fire pits, they have larger group fire pits spread throughout the campground. You can have your fire, but you might have to make some new friends as well. That is if there isn't a fire ban in effect.

Yeah, I saw the group fire pits- and I still think it's a bad idea. I don't like it much when I go camping with a big group of friends and the main fire pit ends up being on somebody else's site. I am also in the process of building a concrete wood burining camp stove; so I can cook my bacon in the morning with having to start a big fire.

[ken0042]

So just because I am "that guy"- I took a scouting trip out to Fisher Creek with the boys to see what it is like. Yes, the road it is on is closed; however it is closed just after the campground entrance.

It is a good thing I went out; the campsites are all walk-in. There is a big parking lot and the walk to the first site is maybe 100 feet. So if you were planning on tenting it wouldn't be so bad; but definitely not a place for somebody with any kind of RV.

The sites did seem somewhat small; and not very level. Obviously geared for a different kind of camper than myself.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Maccalus

At chain lakes, instead of each camp site having fire pits, they have larger group fire pits spread throughout the campground. You can have your fire, but you might have to make some new friends as well. That is if there isn't a fire ban in effect.

Wow, why the heck did they decide to implement that? I've never camped there, so is it something specific about that campground site? (ie. limited wood resources, high forest fire potential, etc)

[tenyardrambo]

does Mt Kidd still have free showers?

[ken0042]

Their website says $2 for 10 minutes; which seems reasonable.