Camp: Kinbrook Island Provincial Park
Kinbrook Island Provincial Park is a lakeside campground located 13 km south of Brooks, Alberta off hwy 873, about 2 hours southeast of Calgary. Amenities include a campground, beach, boating, walking trails and more.
Camping At Kinbrook Island Provincial Park
There are 199 sites available for camping, which include sites for RVs and tents. There are 14 unserviced sites, 185 serviced sites (power) and 32 sites available for winter camping. The campsites are flat, range from well shaded to wide open, some back on to other campsites and some back on to marshland. Note: no campsites are located on the lakefront.
- For detailed information and reservations, visit the website here. Tip! You can see what each campsite looks like when you are booking your camping reservation.
- Group Camping is available.
- Water: There is potable water in the campground.
- Toilets: There are both Pit/Vault Toilets and flush toilets.
- Showers: There are showers available (these are closed for 2020).
- Laundry: There are laundry facilities available for use.
- Firewood: There is firewood available for purchase. The bundles are big and good value for your money.
- Sani-dump station is open year round (no water in winter)
- Dogs are allowed, but have to be on leash at all times, and are NOT allowed on the beach.
The Beach at Kinbrook Island
The biggest draw to Kinbrook Island is undoubtedly the lake! Within the campground you have access to a long sandy beach, with clear lake water and a nice sandy bottom. Take the time to view the sunsets in the evening, they’re quite beautiful!
The beach at Kinbrook Island Provincial Park
Sunset on Lake Newell
Things to do at Kinbrook Island PP
There are many things you can do during your visit to Kinbrook Island Provincial Park:
- Walk the Marsh Trail (see more below)
- There are 2 playgrounds for the kids to play at.
- There are 2 volleyball courts and 1 horseshoe pit.
- A small concession stand is available to buy summer treats.
- You can sail, paddle board, kayak, canoe or boat on the lake. There is a boat launch for motorized boats. For more information on boating, make sure to check out the website here.
- This is a great lake for sailing and wind surfing as it can be quite windy here.
- Bird watch! The Marsh Trail is a great place to watch for birds.
- Go fishing! There are fish cleaning station available as well.
- Day-Use Area. Even if you’re not camping at Kinbrook, you can still access the beach, boat launch and picnic area.
- Good to know! Dinosaur Provincial Park is only about 45 minutes away from Kinbrook, making it a great day trip!
The Marsh Trail
If you’re looking to do a little hiking/walking on your visit, check out the Marsh Trail. Upon your arrival to the campground you will be given this map which will show you how to access the trail…the map says it is a 4.5KM loop, but it’s actually more like 6KM if you’re walking from the campground.
The trail runs along the shores of a wetland, and into farm land. It’s not well marked with signs, but you are able to follow a well traveled foot path.
This trail is great for birdwatching so take your binoculars! And make sure to make noise along your walk…we encountered coyotes and a cow on the trail.
There is a viewing platform which gives you a nice view of the marsh…it’s a little run down so be careful! (this park needs a little TLC)
This Big Adventure’s Thoughts:
This is not our favourite campsite, and honestly, we will likely not return. We give it a rating of 2.5 out of 5. This is due to many things: on our visit the beach was very crowded, there was litter everywhere (which must be an on-going problem with signs like the one below that were posted at the beach), and the lake and marsh had many, many dead fish floating along the shore. If we were to go again we would also do better research on the campsite we booked, as ours backed right onto another site, with less than 5 feet between us.
