Sheep River Campground South of Calgary, Canada
Riverside Camping at Lions Club RV Park
Aug 16, 2009
For the RVer seeking pleasant river camping combined with easy access to urban amenities, it's hard to beat the Lions Sheep River Campground in Okotoks, about a half-hour drive south of Calgary, Alberta.
For 29 years, the Okotoks Lions Club has leased the seven-acre site from the town (now city) of Okotoks and operated the campground through their Campground Committee. .
The campground is open from May 1 to October 1 and is immensely popular during the world-famous Calgary Stampede (second week in July). Reservations are required.
The Sheep River
The Sheep River is named for the bighorn sheep that frequent its upper reaches. From the eastern slopes of Mt. Rae and Mt. Arethusa in the Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial park, the Sheep River tumbles from the mountains down through the Foothills Natural Region. When it passes through the small city of Okotoks, about 10 minutes south of Calgary, it has almost completed its journey to join the Bow River.
Accessing the Okotoks Sheep River Campground
The Okotoks Lions Sheep River Campground lies on the south shore of the Sheep and is readily accessed via Highway 2A (from Calgary's MacLeod Trail south). The campground is well marked and easy to find, though the entry comes surprisingly quickly after the turn east onto Woodhaven.
The campground itself is set well back from the road, and traffic noise is muted by both distance and the well-treed site.
Facilities at Sheep River Lions Campground
- 55 Full-service campsites (30A and cable)
- 6 Tent sites (15A)
- 14 pull-through sites
- Clean bathrooms ($1 coin for shower)
- All sites have fire pits (wood available from office)
- City playground and picnic/day area with shelter adjacent to campground
- River near the park is shallow and water play is permitted under parental supervision (warning: parts of the river are fast-running)
- Extensive multiway trail system runs along the river valley for walking, running, or cycling.
Okotoks and Area
The name Okotoks comes from a Blackfoot word for rock, in reference to a glacial erratic located west of the city. Besides the Calgary Stampede, there is much to see and do in the area.
- Visit the Big Rock, a huge boulder transported and then dumped by glacial forces in the last ice age
- Travel the extensive trails along the Sheep River and through the city (and pick Saskatoons and chokecherries in season along the banks)
- Tour Olde Towne (Okotoks was incorporated as a town in 1904, which predates the formation of the province of Alberta by a year)
- Okotoks is recognized for its intensive dedication to recycling, water conservation, and alternative energy initiatives.
- Calgary, the largest city in Alberta, offers a full range of tourist attractions. Try Fish Creek Provincial Park, the largest urban park in the province (sorry, no RV sites!)
- There are also a number of provincial parks in the "Foothills Country", including Little Bow, Bragg Creek, Wyndham-Caresland, Willow Creek, Chain Lakes, Kananaskis, and Peter Lougheed.
The Okotoks Lions Sheep River Campground is by itself worth a couple of days to relax, jog, cycle, and visit the town. It can also serve as a base camp for several driving tours of the Foothills, or as one one stop along a tour of the provincial parks in the foothills region.
Other Lions Club Campgrounds in Alberta
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