I am in love with freecampsites.net . I can't believe how many free camping sites are available in British Columbia! Alberta has only a handful of free sites but one of them is less than an hour's drive away. So we packed some snacks and headed out with the dogs to check it out.
Steveville is located about 40 minutes north of the Trans Canada Highway and only 20 minutes from the hugely popular Dinosaur Provincial Park . Make sure you have groceries & full tank of gas before you go though. The nearest grocery & gas stations are in Duchess 40 km away & Brooks 50 km away.
The site is rustic, but pretty. The leaves are just beginning to bud on these cottonwood trees, but in the summer they'll provide full shade & relief from the summer heat. There are fire rings, picnic tables and garbage cans. In the middle of the site is a picnic shelter with a wood stove. Sites are large & grassy, with options for privacy. When we arrived 2 of the more secluded sites were being used, one by a large 5th wheel and the other a tent.
On the downside - It's worth noting that, with the exception of the first 100 m, the roads within the park are pretty bad with large potholes. I was able to easily navigate them in my Ford Escape, but a large RV might have more of a problem and would need to take a spot near the entrance. The pit toilets aren't in great shape. Cattle graze in fields immediately adjoining the campsite and cow patties litter the landscape - this might be a problem for bugs in the summer.
On the upside - the sandy beach has spectacular views and is just a 5 minute walk away. You can access the beach by walking to the SW corner of the campground. There you will come to the base of the bridge and the access to the water.
The view to the west - note the bridge you will cross over right before the turn to the campsite.
Those are tumbleweeds in the water!
The view to the east - the beauty of the badlands and the border Dinosaur Provincial
The river is fast flowing and the current is strong, making it dangerous to swim in. But this beach lies on a bend and there are several shallow sandy pools that would be safe for wading in.
I imagine myself creating elaborate sandcastles here in June. I wouldn't be the only one building... although we didn't see any of the creatures themselves, we did see plenty of evidence that beavers are actively working the area.
One of two dams I saw along the river. It might look just like a collection of sticks but the tell-tale marks in the sand, from sticks dragging as the beaver pulls them into the water, give its true nature away.
Looking around the environment, we saw many other signs - well worn pathways from the tree line to the water, the abundance of sticks on the beach, tooth marks on tree stumps and then something I'd never seen before but couldn't mistake for anything else...
It looks like sawdust brickettes for the bbq but I'm absolutely positive that this is beaver poop!
Besides the beavers, we encountered an abundance of bird life including hawks and ring necked pheasants. As I was standing at the river's edge, I could hear coyotes yipping in the distance. I found evidence that deer have been lying down in this treed strip that borders the river.
All things considered, the good out weighs the bad on this little campsite and I'm looking on trying it out as our first boon-docking experience!
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