Mountain View Farm Campsite at Calgary, Alberta
Popular Stop for Calgary RV Rentals, European Visitors
Aug 24, 2009
“This place is a G****** parking lot,” grumbled the man in site 88 as he set up his tent trailer. “No trees, no privacy. We were planning to stay a few days, but I don't think so.”
From the incessant drone of traffic on the Trans-Canada highway a few hundred meters south to the close-packed treeless sites, from the surly receptionist to the rigs parked nose to tail, there are a lot of reasons to move on.
Yet Mountain View Farm's 202 full-service sites were about 80% booked by 17:00 on a Saturday in early August, with more rigs rolling in. A glance at the booking sheet showed that many sites are booked for weeks or even months. What makes this RV park so popular?
Calgary RV Rentals for European Travelers
There are a number of reasons why Mountain View Farm fills its sites.
- Location, location, location – On Canada's main highway just outside Calgary and within a short drive of a number of major tourist attractions, Mountain View is well sited. The Stampede City is only 3 km (2 miles) away...to the city limits, anyway. The Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, and the Rocky Mountains and Banff National Park are only an hour or two distant.
- The camp promotes itself as the spot for Euro-tourists who come to visit Canada. The European connection brings overseas visitors who use Mountain View as a home base.
- Multilingualism seems to be part of the draw. “Wilkommen/Welcome” announces the sign at the entrance. “Wir sprechen Deutsch un Dötsch” says the brochure. “Help wanted: English, German, French speakers pref.” pleads a sign by the office. Yet the four staff chatting at a table (and ignoring three customers) spoke only English. Two of those customers had been chatting in German, but once they roused the staff, all business was conducted in English. Was ist los?
- RV rental rigs with Cruise America and Cruise Canada signage pepper the site. This may account in part for the traffic; the Farm offers a discount to rental units, and may market directly through the rental agencies. (Discounts are not available during the Calgary Stampede, July 1 to July 20.). The park is also handy to the pick-up/drop-off points for the rentals, making it a natural for the first and last stops.
- The RV park's proximity to Calgary makes it a "bedroom community". One of the camp staff and her hubby are full-time RVers. He works in Calgary and enjoys a short commute and low rent compared to a city apartment. "It's pretty well perfect for us," she explained.
- Pet-Friendly. Max 2 pets per unit, No dogs over 14 KG 30 Lbs, dogs must be on leash at all times and droppings must be picked up.
Fun Times and Live Music for Special Occasions Only
The web site's promise of live music drew Suite101 to stop. Indeed, the brochure at the camp office also offered dancing.
- Fun Times – Couples are shown dancing, presumably to the live music.
- Live Music – Camp owner Henry Brautigam on trumpet and another horn-player are shown.
However, the clubhouse was closed and dark. When asked if there was music and dancing at the camp, the lady behind the counter issued a terse “No.”
Later, another staffer revealed that the music and dancing are available only during Stampede week and on long weekends. This was not stated in the brochure nor on the website at the time Suite101 visited the farm.
Family Fun, Adult Amenities
Certainly there are lots of activities for children and families.
- A Petting Zoo features friendly goats, a couple of fuzzy black sheep, peacocks and other exotic fowl, and lop-eared bunnies.
- Mini-Golf – An 18 hole course available to guests for a fee.
- A full playground, complete with swings, climbing apparatus, slides, crawling tunnels.
- Volleyball, basketball, badminton, horseshoes available for a fee.
For the grownups, there are also amenities
- A fair selection of groceries
- Laundromat
- Propane sales on site
- Sani-Dump
- Wheel-chair access
- Tourist Information
Fortunately Downwind
An early morning smell of something burning and a certain country scent were easily explained by a walk up the Canada's #1 highway. Just east of the campground there is a huge slough covering perhaps five acres. On the shore, the staff were burning what appeared to be a pile of garbage.
Fortunately, the wind is seldom from the east.
Source: Camp Website and on-site observation.
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