Suggested Camping/Fishing for Kids

[Dan'ol]

I booked a week off in August to take my 3 kids (ages 4-9) camping. We will be camping in a tent and have a nice lund fishing boat. Looking for suggestions of nice campgrounds and good fishing. Tried Hanmoore lake but the horseflies are insane and tried Brazeau reservoir which was alright but sucked for fishing. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[JBFranklin]

Right now, it's all about advance planning and how far you're willing to travel. The trick is finding campgrounds that aren't fully booked. This is a major challenge right now. I would head to Alberta Parks online.. and find spots that are open and then research lakes. With smaller kids (been there) you'll want an enjoyable time both on and off the water. If the wind is up or weather bad, its always good if there is family stuff close by. With two little ones, I'd head to pigeon (couple good campgrounds). Lots of little villages around lake for ice cream trips etc. Pine Lake is good, Gull, Wabamun... so many.

But again... find open spots first than research the lake.

Most of central AB is fully booked up on weekends according to the site. The farther north you go, like lac la Biche or Slave you might have better luck. I am hearing though that places PineHurst are fully booked.

Just got back from 5 days with my 16 yo son at Slave (Hilliard's Bay) and it was great. 4 hr drive but worth it.

[CardiacCowboy]

Also check on the site it lists campgrounds that do not take reservations and are first come first served. Arriving early or after weekend can help with these.

[SamSteele]

If you want to catch lots of fish, consider Calling Lake. Be aware that it can get whipped up on a windy day though.

[CptnBlues63]

Originally Posted by SamSteele

If you want to catch lots of fish, consider Calling Lake. Be aware that it can get whipped up on a windy day though.

That's a good choice for fishing. I'm not sure how much luck you'll have booking a camp site though considering word is out that the walleye at Calling are biting like crazy so everybody and their dog is looking to go there camping/fishing. Be aware though, in August the walleye are not going to be biting like they are right now. Typically, they start to slow down in early/mid August. You can still catch them but you'll have to actually work for it.

Depending on where you are and how far you're willing to travel, Hilliards Bay campground on Lesser Slave Lake is a great spot to camp. Been there many times and am going again this summer. It's far enough from Edmonton that it doesn't get hit as hard as the places closer to the big city. You can almost always find an open site at Hilliards bay. I don't know how the fishing has been on Lesser Slave this year but it's usually pretty good and there's a decent boat launch at the park.

[Dan'ol]

Thanks everyone for suggestions! My wife has now taken over the planning and I will let everyone know where we end up going.

I am just pretty excited that my 8 year old daughter wanted to go camping and fishing for her birthday.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by SamSteele

If you want to catch lots of fish, consider Calling Lake. Be aware that it can get whipped up on a windy day though.

I live on Slave and its a great lake, but when I just want to get my kids into a bunch of fish, I find Lawrence Lake near Athabasca to be hard to beat. Small enough that it rarely gets dangerous, lots of hungry pike, you can keep a couple for supper. Plenty of other options in the area if you want to explore. I've never gone on a trip to Lawrence and not had happy kids on the drive home.