Camping & Hiking · Alberta
A campground among the hoodoos on the Milk River in southern Alberta's Writing-on-Stone park, a UNESCO site, with trails from camp, river floating and petroglyph tours. Shade is scarce and rattlesnakes are common.
Writing-on-Stone Campground sits in the hoodoo country along the Milk River, in a park that's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most reviewers are blown away by the landscape: waking up to hoodoos against a blue sky, wildflowers, and deer wandering through the campground. Many families return every year.
The campground itself is well run, according to most reviewers. Rangers are friendly and patrol often, there's a small store with essentials, a newer playground, a beach, clean showers and flush toilets, and tidy pit toilets. Sites have 15/30-amp power, with water at fill stations and the dump station. A few sites have no power. Showers take coins, and comfort cabins are available, though one guest found them far from washrooms.
The hoodoo trail starts right from the campground, and reviewers love scrambling among the rock formations. The Milk River is good for swimming and floating when the water isn't too low. Don't miss the interpretive tours to the petroglyphs, which several people called a highlight for the Blackfoot history. The visitor centre has interactive exhibits, and the park runs evening programs.
Opinions split on the sites. Some are large and treed, others small, close together and exposed to the sun, which is hard in summer heat. Rattlesnakes, wasps and biting insects are common. Unserviced sites seemed pricey to a couple of campers. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach. It's remote, with the nearest store and ATM about half an hour away in Milk River. Online map directions can send you down the wrong dirt road, so check your route. Book early, as sites fill up.
Summarised from visitor reviews on Google Maps. Based on 103 Google reviews. Details change — confirm hours, prices and bookings with Writing-on-Stone Campground directly.
