Several camping grounds can be found in Alberta, Canada. The southern part of the province has some really good camp grounds. You will need a camping stove if you are camping in Alberta. Ah, the coffee always taste better from a tin pot brewed on a open fire, and the bedtime snacks always taste better when roasted over the camp fire!

You will find many different camp grounds in Alberta. Some sites are well treed and spacious, and some sites are in the Alberta badlands. You can even find camp grounds in the mountains with spectacular lakes and mountains as backdrops. Camp grounds in the smaller towns can cost you only cost 10 dollars per night and this is a site with hook ups and hot showers.

Alberta has five national parks which include back country and front country sites. Alberta has 68 provincial parks and 200 hundred recreational areas which also provide over night stays.

Alberta campgrounds offer top notch and nature-based adventures in the campgrounds. You will find highly developed sites which offer power hook ups, showers, and flush toilets to rustic minimal amenities such as pump water and outhouses. If you purchase a Wilderness Pass it will allow you unlimited back country travel and camping for 1 year. For you folks who only want to stay a few nights the wilderness, a pass can be purchased at any park gate from 8 dollars to 30 dollars per person depending on the park you will be staying in.

Bears

You will see some bears during your outdoor activities so here are some basic rules to follow.

* Bears are attracted to the smell of food. Do not invite a bear into your campsite - keep it clean. Store your food in the trunk of your campmobile. Preferably in an air tight container and away from your sleeping area. Never store food in your tent or tent trailer where you are sleeping.

* Never cook or eat near or in your tent. Do not bury food scraps. Do not litter - place all garbage in the suitable containers provided in the campgrounds. If no containers are available take it with you when you leave.

* Only clean any fish you catch at a designated fish cleaning station. If no station is available use a garbage container. If moving around the campgrounds at night always use a flashlight. Move cautiously at night - do not run around blindly.

* If camping with a dog keep it on a leash not more than 10 feet long. If you have a lost dog it may irritate a bear and bring it back to your campsite. Keep young children close to you at all times - never let them out of your sight even for a minute. More kids have been lost because the parents turned their back only for a minute.

* The bears are attracted to berry patches - avoid them if possible because a bear encounter is not what you want. Let the bear have the wild berries and buy your berries at the store.

* Purchase a can of bear spray and read the instructions before you go camping. Keep the can handy and in your tent at night.

* For the avid back country camper be sure all attractants like food supplies for both your and your pet, or scented toiletries, are stored so the bears cannot get to them when you are away from your camp spot.

* If no storage unit is around you can hang them from a tree at least 4 meters off the ground, and at least 1.5 meter from another tree. Be sure the food stuff is stored at least 100 meters from the tents or sleeping area.

* Remember you are the intruder - not the bear. This is his domain. Do not deliberately confront a bear because in the end you will lose.