Perfect place to go paddle boarding! Free onsite parking, and some picnic tables found in the surrounding areas!

On a very very very hot day we made a last minute decision to head here instead of Dinosaur Provincial Park and thank goodness we did! I still long to explore Dinosaur, but with a hot, tired, crotchety kid we really needed some shade and a lake to swim and a moment to relax and Kinbrooke provided all of these in spades where I'm afraid our northern desert would have not. We snagged one of the last 4 spots via online booking and rolled in to a big, shady, breezy site just up from cottage road, next to a pit toilet that had fortunately just been cleaned. Lucked out on that one! COuld have been a very different experience! As it was we loved our site, we laid out blankets and watched the breeze in the trees and drank a beer and the kid rolled around, not too buggy to eat outside, just perfect. We took a nice walk to the lake along the cottage road which sort of felt like a mini kennebunkport with some super sweet old family cottages, kids on bikes, and of course because Alberta: huge trucks rolling around with skidoo's and giant inflatables. When in Rome I guess. Kinbrooke is Alberta's best beach according to some, and it is definitely super fun to swim in. I think I'd argue that some of the mountain glacier lakes are more spectacular, but definitely not as warm. There is a sailing club on a point jutting out past the provincial park beach, and after our swim and after dinner we went out for a stroll again and were treated to a completely thrilling sunset lightning storm. read more

I might have rated this campground higher but I just returned from Saskatchewan to my home province of Alberta and I expected more. In Saskatchewan - in theory a less affluent province - everything was free. The showers and the firewood were free. Here everything was extra. My pocket full of toonies didn't help much when I was standing in the dry shower that demanded only loonies. Price aside, this campground did a fine job of maintenance. It was clean, quiet and there's a nice little lake nearby. We opted for the non-power section as this is our last night out and power wasn't needed. We did need water though and the water here tasted fine. If you arrive from Alberta you will probably really enjoy this campground. If you arrive from Saskatchewan you might be annoyed by the pay for everything system here. I'll give them a neutral 3 stars. read more

Needing a night out of the city, with a lake and not to far driving distance, Kinbrook island provincial park was the only campground with an opening. We booked this and set out on a Saturday morning for an overnight camp-out. This campground is an easy 2 hour drive from Calgary, located close to Brooks and located on Lake Newell. We had no problem getting there and no problem finding our campsite. The lake is big and busy, but the water is warm so swimming is a must. There is a small shop located by the beach, you can get some items you may have forgotten (in our case, bug spray). There are pay showers and laundry facilities as well. The campsites are typical provincial park sites, with gravel and hard packed dirt to pitch a tent. Our site had a nice flat grassy patch where we were able to setup our tent. Lots of RVs and campers out here, and cottages lining the lake meaning we didn't get a lakeside campground. However, the beach was only a short walk from where we were setup. Campsites are treed and nicely spaced apart, they have a picnic table and fire pit. Firewood is available for purchase at the gate. This lake is also a birding hot spot, both at the lake and the surrounding wet lands. Also, the lake is located about 45 minutes from Dinosaur Provincial park, which would be a nice day trip, we had initially considered that but in the end didn't get around to it. read more

Kinbrook Island Provincial Park - Parks Near Me - Rainier, Alberta

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I camped here for the first time last weekend for two nights and three days. It reminded me of camping in Saskatchewan because it's flat and fairly open with limited shelter and privacy from other campsites. However, everyone was respectful and there were no noise or privacy invasion issues. There aren't a lot of trees in the right places so don't expect to use tarps and bungees here if you're staying in a tent like I did. Bring umbrellas that stick into the ground and you'll create your own shade if you need it. We didn't have any mosquito problems or fear of large bugs, reptiles or bears. For a girl who hates and is fearful of that stuff, it was awesome. I didn't use bug spray once. The fire pits are deep with holes in the barrels, so the fire burns well. We brought our own wood and fire starter material. It's the less expensive route. I think the site fees are reasonable and the beach is lovely. The store/concession has a respectable variety of snacks and incidentals. If you're desperate, you can drive 10-15min into Brooks. Not a big deal. A reserved site is only guaranteed to be ready by 4:30pm but we arrived much earlier and it was cleaned up and available. Even if it's not, you can just hang out at the beach. You do hear a lot of birds and the night sky is clearly visible. I loved it. We didn't do any hiking because it was so hot, but we walked around to check out the cabins. There are some spectacular ones. I'd camp here again and think it would make a great day trip for people who would only have to drive an hour or so. read more

I went to Kinbrook Island for a quick weekend getaway with some friends. The park is quite big, but despite that we were still very lucky to get the last space for Saturday night. The drive out from Calgary is pretty quick, just over two hours to get to a big provincial park, with a massive lake to swim, kayak, wake board or windsurf in, We had a very large camp site that gave us plenty of room for the van, two tents and a hammock. We were lucky enough to get a nice shaded site really close to the beach. Some other camp sites were in full sun, and I imagined would be very warm during the day. After reading about the expensive firewood sold in the park, we bought a huge bunch of wood from a guy at the entrance to the park for $10. Definitely take advantage of this, we did not have to get any more wood for the remainder of the stay. The star gazing was amazing, with a big prairie sky and no clouds. Bring your sunscreen, sunglasses and an inflatable raft, and spend the day lazing in the lake! It's lovely! Will definitely go back. read more

We left our camp site reservation till the last minute, and it turns out nearly every site in Southern Alberta was booked. After hours of hitting refresh on the booking site, Kinbrook Island popped up. Someone must have cancelled! After a quick search of reviews, it was deemed acceptable, and we started packing the car! About a 2.5 hour drive from Calgary, Kinbrook is about 15 km past Brooks. We were driving through nothing but farmers fields for what seemed like a long time, wondering if we were headed for camping in a cornfield. Even as were just minutes away, it was all very barren land that was making us wonder if we were just going to turn around. And then we were there! Suddenly a well treed, well laid out camping area with an AMAZING lake came out of the barren prarie landscape! We checked in, got our fire wood and got set up. The site we were in was fairly open, but it still felt quite private. The camp ground was fully booked, but it was nice and quiet. Very family friendly site as there were lots of kids around, and it seemed everyone there brought their dog! The beach is really nice, a bit rocky in areas, but plenty big. Areas on the grass under the trees for picnics, a playground and a field for soccer or throwing around a ball, kite flying, whatever. There were a lot of people who came in and used the day use parking lot and enjoyed the beach as well, locals from the Brooks area I would assume. There is also a very active boat launch there. Lots of sail boats, power boats and fishing, it was a very active lake. Good to see provincial boat inspectors there and the Brooks fire and rescue boat on hand all day as well. I would say that my only (very minor) complaints were that the only showers on site were pay showers that apparently closed at 9pm. I went shortly after 9 once I found my loonies, and it was still open. So not sure if they actually close them or not. Also, the firewood is a bit pricey for what you get, and you only get big logs in the bundle. We had to borrow an axe from our neighbour the first night, and we popped into Brooks and bought a hatchet on the next day. So bring some kindling or a hatchet. Also the concession store was not open during our trip, not that we needed anything, but odd that it was closed. The park brought in an ice cream truck during the days though! He did a very good business! Kinbrook Island is on our list of places we would gladly go to again! read more

Kinbrook Island, Great hiking, fishing, bird watching, and swimming... The hiking trail that starts at the north end of the island would be an amazing time if not for the billions of mosquito that followed us everywhere excepted on the beach. in four days we went through 5 cans of off, one of those new off clips, 7 mosquito coils and 5 mosquito sticks. On top of that, about 10 min into the hike you get the smell of sewage, that last about 15 min, and trying to stop and the plaques to read the information about the bird they give, mostly wanting to show the kids the Pelicans, they were so far off the were no more than a blur on the other side of the lake. Fishing, which is one of the main reasons we went to the Island in the first place. they promise so much good fishing. and maybe there is if you have a boat. (They really should put that in the brochure) because the fishing from the shore, in the two places that are allocated for such activities are once again littered with so many rocks that we lost 8 lures before finally giving up and going away disappointed. Bird watching... there are a ton of different birds to be seen and enjoyed, on this fact they were not wrong, and waking up every morning to the sound of so many birds is wonderful, if you like waking up to the sound of bird which i do. But once again the mosquito's were the worst when all the bird were out. You do however need to look out for the seagulls. They are quite the sneaky and not so sneaky thrives out there. The beach, where there is sand in the center and rocks on the north end,is nice if you don't mind sitting in the direct sunlight in 35+ weather. The lake is warm and the water clear but you also have to wade out about three to four meters so your not hurting your feet on again all the rocks. Oh and $8 dollars for a bundle of wood that burns in about 15-20 min that come with fire starters that work as well and wet paper. because you are not allowed to pick up and use the dead-fall or burn any of your garbage, a newspaper does count, kind of sucked. ( went through 3-4 bundles a day) So all and all, My recommendation for you if you plan of going to Kinbrook Island, 1. Buy lots of bug spray, and a few dozen citronella torches to surround your campsite. and maybe some of those mosquito netted clothing for the hikes. 2. A boat if you plan on doing any fishing. 3. Water shoes to protect your feet from the rocks and any debris you may come across on the beach. 4. Bring your on wood if at all possible. 5. plenty of sunscreen. temp while we were there was 35+ (Though not necessarily the camps problem, just a warning.) So that is my review of Kinbrook Island. read more

The campsite is very good, but the stuff really ruined our trip. It took us almost 2 hours to buy the firewood because of lady at the office was unprofessional, unpolite, does not pay attention to the customers and a liar. I hope not all staff are the same as this lady name Kolbi. read more