When camping with kids near Calgary you want it close, you want a variety of activities and you want convenience. Dinosaur Provincial Park has all of that less than 3 hours southeast from the core of downtown.

Driving Distance: 3 hours [google map directions]
Camping Fees: $29 with electrical / $23 without (reservations accepted)
Number of Sites: 125
Facilities: Playground, Fire pits, Pit toilets, Flush toilets / Shower facility, Concession, Hiking, Fishing, Interpretive Centre
Nearest Town: Brooks (50 km)
Cell Reception: Very weak

There’s something special about camping at a UNESCO World Heritage Site and that’s exactly what you get when you go camping at Dinosaur Provincial Park. The campground is set in a cottonwood grove in the valley of one of the richest dinosaur deposits in the world. More than 300 skeletons have been found in the park and are now in museums around the world representing at least 35 different species.

The camp sites themselves are hit and miss, some are sheltered, others are wide open to their neighbour, so visit Reserve.AlbertaParks.ca and use the photos of the sites to pick your favorite spot.

There are a couple of luxuries that make camping at Dinosaur Provincial Park a great place for kids. If you don’t feel like cooking, you can hit the concession for everything from a burger at dinner to pancakes and eggs in the morning. There’s also a great interpretive centre on the site that offers escorted hikes and bus tours around the valley. You’ll get everything from sunset photography walks to detailed dinosaur discoveries with park experts.

If you just want to do it on your own, there are a couple of sites amongst the hoodoos where you can wander bones that have been left in the same place they were found.

Camping at Dinosaur Provincial Park was a truly magical experience with lots of exploring for dinosaur loving children in a bustling family environment. Our visit was on the May long weekend which saw us grab one of the final sites and there were kids running around the playground, riding their bikes and climbing the hoodoos everywhere.

Tags: calgary, camping, family, provincial parks, travel