Camping Checklist
Imagine this. It’s a beautiful Friday afternoon, you get off work a little early, throw a couple last minute items into the trailer and head out onto the road. You’ve beaten the weekend traffic and are relaxing in your favorite campground. All that remains between you and the perfect weekend is something in the trailer, but it’s not there, you forgot to pack it.
This has happened countless times so I finally made a camping checklist. I’ve gotten it to the point that I really only need to pack to the list and I’m confident I have what I need. We always keep a pad and paper in the trailer to list anything that we run out of or want to add to the check list.
It’s a system that seems to work really well for us, maybe it’ll work for you too? Where To Camp Camping Checklist
Easy Leveling Blocks For Your Trailer or RV
Having your trailer or RV level is important. It not only makes your camping more comfortable (never a good idea to sleep with your head lower than your body) it also makes sure your equipment runs well. An unlevel trailer can actually damage your fridge.
In order to level your trailer from left to right you’ll need to be able to raise the wheels on the lower side. I do this with leveling boards.
Before I made leveling boards for my trailer I would haul around a bunch of scrap wood that I cobbled together to level my trailer. This worked ok but the boards always seemed to slide around and it made getting the trailer level a real chore.
So I Googled for tips on what other people have done but didn’t really find much that was helpful. There were a lot of plastic style leveling boards for sale, but I wanted something easy and cheap.
So I bought a couple 2×6 boards and started cutting and ending up with this.
To get the length for the top board I took the measured distance from the front of the first wheel to the back of the second wheel and added about 4 inches.
For the bottom board I cut another 2×6 about 4 inches longer than the top, this makes a nice “step up” for the trailer. Also to make everything easier to carry and to accommodate an uneven campsite I cut the bottom board into 3 equal sized lengths.
To finish off the leveling boards I cut two 45 degree angles into both the longer top board and one of the shorter bottom boards. This makes it easier for the trailer to roll onto the boards and helps prevent the trailer from pushing them out of the way.
I also had thought about putting in dowel plugs to help keep the boards from slipping, but I’ve yet to really have an issue with them sliding.
All in this took 2 2×6 boards and probably 15 minutes on the saw. It works great for me, maybe it’ll work for you?
Ryan
Waterton Springs Campground
| Campground Information | Services | Hookups | ||
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A place like no other, Waterton Springs Campground borders Waterton Lakes National Park. Located just outside of the park gates you get the best of both worlds. Access to the National Park without having to pay the park fees to camp each night. The perfect place to view spectacular scenery, wildlife and enjoy recreational opportunities. Facilities include full hookups, fire pits, picnic tables, indoor hot showers and laundry facilities (both token/coin operated – available 24 hours), Wi-Fi Internet (daily, weekly, monthly rates available) and a store. Unservices – $18 | P/W – $30 | P/W/S – $30 Campground website: www.watertonspringscamping.com |
Sites P Sites P/W Sites P/W/S Sites Playground Firewood Dogs |
240 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes |
Showers Store Walking trails Wireless Internet Dump Station Water Pool |
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No |
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Author review: |
Lac des Arcs
| Campground Information | Services | Hookups | ||
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Located between the Kananaskis turn off and Canmore this campground is just off the #1 highway right against Lac des Arcs. This basic services campground has easy access to the Heart Creek trail as well as the Heart Mountain scramble. The campground is a figure 8 with tree sites around the outside and field camping in the middle. There is well water that needs to be boiled. Unservices – $23 Campground website: www.bowvalleycampgrounds.com |
Sites P Sites P/W Sites P/W/S Sites Playground Firewood Dogs |
28 No No No Yes Yes Yes |
Showers Store Walking trails Wireless Internet Dump Station Water Pool |
No No Yes No No No No |
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Author review: July 2010 We stayed here for the July long weekend. The campground is simple but was a lot of fun. It would have been good to know that there was only well water before we got there so we could have packed more water. As for the sites, close to the highway was loud, but they were nicely treed and private. There were some treed sites on the north end of the campground which would have been nice. The sites in the middle of the campground were mowed out of the grass, so very open. With the Heart trails and the lake right there, it’s easy to stay entertained, but if you’re looking for “fancy” full services this isn’t the campground for you. |
River Grove Campground and Cabins
| Campground Information | Services | Hookups | ||
| Located right off the river just minutes from downtown Drumheller this full service campground has everything you’d need for your visit to Drumheller. The campground is clean and well taken care of. The playground is in good repair and the bunnies are a lot of fun for the kids.
Unservices – $?? | P/W – $?? | P/W/S – $?? Campground website: www.camprivergrove.com |
Sites P Sites P/W Sites P/W/S Sites Playground Firewood Dogs |
140 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes |
Showers Store Walking trails Wireless Internet Dump Station Water Pool |
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No |
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Author review: June 2010 We stayed here for our 2010 family reunion. The campground was clean and we had a great time. We had sites closest to the highway which made them a little loud, but they were also some of the largest sites available. At some locations in the campground it seemed the trailers were right on top of each other, so privacy was a luxury. With easy walking access to the splash park and pool you can find ways to stay cool during the Drumheller heat. All the other services and tourist locations are within easy driving distance, so this campground is a real treat. |
Pinters Campground
| Campground Information | Services | Hookups | ||
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Description – Located in Rosedale Alberta, the campground is located right on the banks of the Red Deer River. With lots of trees there is plenty of privacy. The services are faily limited at this campground and there seemed to be more tenters than RV’s. With easy access to the Hoo Doos, the suspension bridge, and Drumheller this is plenty to do when visiting Pinters. There is a charge for dogs at this campground. Unservices – $16 | P – $21 – $26 Campground website: www.pinterscampground.ca |
Sites P Sites P/W Sites P/W/S Sites Playground Firewood Dogs |
90 Yes No No No Yes Yes |
Showers Store Walking trails Wireless Internet Dump Station Water Pool |
No Yes Yes No No Yes No |
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Author review: June 2010. We just drove through this campground while visiting the suspension bridge. The services are limited, some of the campsites look like they would only fit tents, but it’s right on the river. |
Calaway Park RV & Campground
| Campground Information | Services | Hookups | ||
| If you are planning a trip that includes Calaway Park, this campground is perfect for you. Located just a few short steps from the amusement park entrance you have everything you need for the day or week.
Calaway Park also offers a shuttle service to Calgary during Stampede week. So you can enjoy the park and take in the rodeo action. Calaway Park does not allow campfires at any time Unserviced – $24 | P – $29 | P/W/S – $32-$35 Campground website: www.calawaypark.com |
Sites P Sites P/W Sites P/W/S Sites Playground Firewood Dogs |
104 Yes No Yes Yes No Yes |
Showers Store Walking trails Wireless Internet Dump Station Water Pool |
Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No |
| Author review:
We have never stayed here, but driven by it many times on the way to the park. It’s a very basic campground with a few trees but not much in the way of privacy. But for location to the park, you can’t beat it. |
Spring Lake RV Resort
| Campground Information | Services | Hookups | ||
| Located on the shore of Spring Lake just 30 minutes west of Edmonton. WIth a private beach and a 9 acre island there should be no problem enjoying your time at this resort.
There are also cabins available for rent and they don’t allow tenting. Of the 190 sites 120 are season leaving 70 available. Unservices – $35 | P/W – $41 | P/W/S – $44 Campground website: www.springlakeresort.com |
Sites P Sites P/W Sites P/W/S Sites Playground Firewood Dogs |
70 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes |
Showers Store Walking trails Wireless Internet Dump Station Water Pool |
Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No |
| Author review:
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River Grove Campground
| Campground Information | Services | Hookups | ||
| Located right in Drumheller, this campground is a great location for your family based trip to the badlands. Just across the bridge are the towns splash park and largest dinosaur. You have easy access to all the other badland attractions including the Tyrrell Museum, the worlds smallest church, Horseshoe canyon the list goes on.
There are also 7 cabins and 4 Tee Pees available for rent. Unservices – $28 | P/W – $35 | P/W/S – $40 Campground website: www.camprivergrove.com/ |
Sites P Sites P/W Sites P/W/S Sites Playground Firewood Dogs |
140 No Yes No Yes Yes Yes |
Showers Store Walking trails Wireless Internet Dump Station Water Pool |
Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No |
| Author review:
We haven’t camped here yet, but we are confirmed for the end of July 2010. I’ll have a review up then. Until then the only other thing of mention for Drumheller is, Air Conditioning is not a bad thing! |
Little Elbow Provincial Campground
| Campground Information | Services | Hookups | ||
| Just over an hour from Calgary, right at the end of highway 66 is Little Elbow Provincial Campground. From this basic campground you have access to any number of hikes, walks, and mountain bike trails. From challenging Powder Face to a nice leisurely walk along the river.
There is also an equestrian loop to this campground where stag for horse back rides through the back country. Unservices – $20 | Equestrian – $25 Campground website: http://www.albertaparks.ca |
Sites P Sites P/W Sites P/W/S Sites Playground Firewood Dogs |
94 No No No No Yes Yes |
Showers Store Walking trails Wireless Internet Dump Station Water Pool |
No No Yes No No Yes No |
| Author review:
We camped here in late September. The weather was chilly but the campground is amazing. It’s your basic Provincial Campground with tap water available. But you should be coming out here for the quite and the access to great hikes and beautiful views. We had no troubles keeping busy for the entire weekend so much so that the weather didn’t slow us down one bit. The one thing that I wasn’t aware of, was actually how far down highway 66 you have to go. I was sure I missed the campground, but just keep going you’ll get there. If you hit a gravel road, that means you are at the turn off to the campground. |