The Best Waterfront Campsites in Alberta

Summer in Alberta means getting outdoors and camping. Enjoying gooey s'mores cooked over the fire and dipping your toes in a cool lake are simple pleasures that make special memories. With glamping options, you don’t even need expensive gear to enjoy a camping trip. Whether you're pitching a tent, parking an RV or booking a comfort-camping escape, these Alberta waterfront campsites offer unforgettable outdoor experiences.

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park

All seven campsites at this provincial park in southern Alberta are right off the beach and sport fantastic waterfront views. There's still plenty to do after exploring the ancient rock art and hoodoos in this newly designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Water lovers can relax on the sandy riverside beach or float down the Milk River. The campground has a mix of serviced RV sites, unserviced tent sites and comfort camping tents with beds, fridges and electric lights. There's also flush toilets, hot showers and playground facilities.

Firerock Campground at Cypress Hills Provincial Park

Firerock Campground, on the shore of Elkwater Lake, is the campground you want to book into at Cypress Hills Provincial Park for lakefront camping. It's about 30 steps from your campsite to the shore and a two-minute walk leads to the sandy beach area. Various food trucks visit throughout the summer and you can rent boats, bicycles and watersport equipment right at the beach. Cypress Hills Provincial Park is a dark sky preserve, so plan on some stargazing.

Kananaskis Interlakes Campground

Dock your canoe right in front of your lakeside campsite at this well-treed mountain campground in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The lake is great for paddling and fishing and there are good trails for hiking and cycling nearby.

Two Jack Lakeside Campground

If you're looking for the best lakefront campground in Banff, this is it. On the shores of Two Jack Lake near Banff townsite, this shady Canadian Rockies campground has unserviced RV and tent sites. There's flush toilets and showers. The lake is great for paddling and is surrounded by mountains.

Hidden Cove at Maligne Lake

Jasper's newest campground was designed with beginner canoeists and kayakers in mind. Getting to the campground requires a short 3.5km (2.2mi) paddle along the shore of stunning  Maligne Lake. This backcountry Canadian Rockies campground has unserviced sites and a picnic shelter with a table and a wood stove. Fishing and paddling are the main activities here.

Carson-Pagusus Provincial Park Campground

Just north of Whitecourt, this lakefront campground has tons of amenities and is a great place for beginners to try fishing. You can fish for trout from a park bench or a lawn chair on the lake wall of McLeod Lake. There's a beach, playgrounds, trails, picnic shelters and a tackle shop. It's also an excellent birdwatching destination.

Cold Lake Provincial Park

There are 12 lakefront campsites at the Cold Lake M.D. Campground in the city of Cold Lake. More can be found at Lund's Point in the Cold Lake Provincial Park Campground. There's serviced and unserviced sites with amenities like picnic areas, playgrounds, beach volleyball, soccer, showers and laundry facilities. As the lake's name implies, it's a great place to cool off on a hot summer day.

Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park Campground

A beachfront island escape in landlocked Alberta? Yep, it exists. Alberta's only island park is located on Big Island on beautiful Lac la Biche. A walking trail is the only thing between the closest campsites and the water. The park has lovely sandy beaches, trails through old-growth forests, playgrounds, and a camp store with boat and SUP rentals.

Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park Campgrounds

At 1,160km2 (448mi2), Lesser Slave Lake is so big it can feel like an ocean while standing along its shores. It's home to some of Alberta's best beaches and beachfront campsites. You'll find waterfront sites at several private campgrounds and a few at Marten River Campground inside the provincial park. Relax on the beach, enjoy fishing, swimming, boating, hiking and birdwatching. Be sure to visit the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation to learn more about birds of the boreal region.