Seasonal Sites

What a seasonal site is

A seasonal site is a campsite you rent for the whole camping season, usually from spring to fall, instead of by the night or the week. An annual site is similar, but rented for the full year, so the RV may be allowed to stay on it through the winter. The RV stays set up, and you come and go as you like.

For people around Lethbridge, it’s a comfortable middle ground between weekend camping and full-time RV living. You keep your house in town, but for weeks at a time you live at the campground: quieter, outdoors, and among neighbours who are there for the same reasons you are.

Gary has done exactly that for the last few years. His fifth wheel sits on an annual site with power and a large lot, and it’s been home for most of the summer. His story is on the RV Living home page.

Where seasonal sites are found

• Privately run campgrounds are where many seasonal and annual sites are found, often beside a river, reservoir or small town.
• Some town, county and society-run campgrounds set aside seasonal sites. Ask the local municipality or the campground directly.
• Provincial parks and public land are built for shorter stays, not seasonal living. Provincial park campgrounds set their own stay limits, and on Alberta’s public land the maximum stay for random camping is 14 days, after which you must move at least 1 km for 72 hours.

Seasonal sites at popular campgrounds can have waiting lists. Asking around, at the campground office and among people you already know who camp, is often the best way to find one.

What’s usually included

Every campground is different, and two sites at the same campground can differ too. This table shows what to look for. Never assume; get it in writing.

Questions to ask before you sign

Gary’s advice to new campers and RVers is to ask questions before you spend, and know what you’re getting. A seasonal site is a commitment of a full season, and sometimes of years, so it’s worth a long list.

The season and the site

• What are the season’s opening and closing dates? Can you arrive early or stay late?
• Is the site yours for the whole season, or can the campground move you?
• Do you get first chance at the same site next year? How is renewal handled?
• Has the site, or the campground, ever flooded? What’s the plan if the river rises?
• Who maintains the site: grass, trees, gravel pad and drainage?

Your RV and what goes on the site

• Are there rules on the age, size or condition of RVs? Some campgrounds have them.
• Are decks, gazebos, sheds, skirting, fences or outdoor kitchens allowed? Are there size and material rules? Do you need written approval first?
• What happens to anything you build if you leave? Can it be sold with the RV, or must it be removed?
• If you sell your RV, can the buyer take over the site, or does the site go back to the campground?
• Can you leave the RV on site over winter? If so, who checks on it, and what about snow clearing?
• Does the campground require you to carry insurance, and how much liability coverage?

Money, without the numbers

• What exactly does the seasonal fee include, and what’s extra? Power, water, sewer, garbage, Wi-Fi, guest fees and winter storage are common extras.
• When is payment due? Is there a deposit, and is it refundable?
• What happens if you have to leave partway through the season, for health or family reasons?
• How much notice is given before fees or rules change?

People and rules

• May you have a copy of the campground rules before you sign?
• What are the rules on pets, generators, campfires, quiet hours, speed and visitors?
• How are disagreements between neighbours handled?
• Who do you call in an emergency, and is there someone on site?

Your agreement and your rights

A seasonal site is usually rented under the campground’s own written agreement and rules. Read every page before you sign, and keep a copy.

Don’t assume Alberta’s residential tenancy laws protect you the way they protect someone renting an apartment. The Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service notes that the Residential Tenancies Act doesn’t apply to a cottage or cabin in a campground or trailer park, or to tourist camps, if a person lives there for less than six consecutive months. Whether any tenancy law covers a particular seasonal RV site depends on the facts, and the official materials don’t give a simple answer.

• Get everything in writing: the dates, the services, the fee and what it includes, what you may build, and what happens at the end of the season.
• Ask before you build, and get the approval in writing.
• If you’re unsure of your rights, contact the Government of Alberta’s consumer information service, or get legal advice, before you sign or before a dispute grows.

Choosing the site itself

Once a campground suits you, the particular site matters just as much. You’ll be living on it for months.

• Water and flooding. River valleys and reservoir shores are beautiful and popular, and some flood. Ask about past floods, look at where the high-water marks and fresh gravel are, and know your way out. See flash floods near rivers.
• Wind. Our prevailing wind is from the west and southwest. A shelter belt or a row of trees on that side makes a real difference to how often the awning can stay out. Wide-open sites can be breezy all summer.
• Trees. Shade is welcome in July, but look up. Dead branches and old cottonwoods can drop limbs in a windstorm onto a roof, slide-out or truck.
• Sun. Morning sun and afternoon shade keep an RV cooler. If you plan to use solar panels, you’ll want the opposite on the roof. See solar and batteries.
• Distance to town. How far is it to groceries, laundry, a pharmacy, fuel and propane? That drive is part of every restock trip.
• Neighbours and noise. Sites near the entrance, washrooms, playground or beach see more traffic. That suits some people and not others.
• Cell signal and emergency access. Can an ambulance find and reach the site? Is your phone reliable there?

Rules and community

A seasonal campground is a small community. Most of its rules are about living close together, and they work best when everyone follows them without being asked.

Rules you’ll almost always find

• Quiet hours, posted by the campground.
• Generator rules. Many seasonal sites have power, and campgrounds often limit or ban generators on powered sites. Alberta Parks, for example, doesn’t allow fuel generators on powered campsites except during a power outage for someone who needs power for medical equipment such as a CPAP machine, and requires that a generator’s exhaust not point toward a neighbouring site.
• Pets on a leash and cleaned up after.
• Speed limits on campground roads, which have children, bikes and dogs on them.
• Campfire rules, including any fire ban in effect. See fire bans.
• Site upkeep: tidy, mowed and free of clutter.

The community

For many seasonal campers, the people are a big part of the appeal. Gary has seen it too: on the RV Living home page he passes on what one fellow said about knowing all his neighbours at the campground but hardly any of them back in town, and he describes it as a whole different attitude and environment.

A few habits help that community along:

• Introduce yourself when you arrive, and learn your neighbours’ names.
• Keep an eye on each other’s sites, especially when people are back in town. A flapping awning or a door left open in a storm is worth a call or a quick tie-down.
• Share what you know about the area, the weather and the best place to get propane.
• Look out for older neighbours who are on their own, especially in a heat wave or a power outage.
• Take problems to the campground staff rather than confronting people yourself.
• Remember that some people come for quiet and some come for company. Both are fine.

Setting up a home base

Because the RV stays put for months, a seasonal site can be set up more thoroughly than a weekend camp. Always check the campground’s rules first, and get approval in writing for anything you build.

Setting the RV for the season

• Level it carefully, then put solid pads or boards under the jacks and stabilizers so they don’t sink into soft ground over the summer. Check them after heavy rain. Levelling basics are on Trailer and RV camping.
• Protect the tires from sun with covers if the RV will sit for months. See maintenance.
• Use a pressure regulator and a drinking-water hose at the tap, and a properly supported sewer hose if you have a hook-up.
• Protect the power connection with a surge protector or power monitor, and route the cord where it won’t be driven over or sit in water.

Skirting

Skirting closes in the space under the RV. In summer it keeps out wind and some animals; in the shoulder seasons and winter it helps keep pipes and tanks warmer. Some campgrounds allow it, some have rules about materials, and some don’t allow it at all. Leave access to the tank valves, water connections and anything that needs servicing. Winter skirting is covered on Four-season RV living.

Decks, gazebos and outdoor kitchens

• Ask first, in writing. Some campgrounds allow decks and screened gazebos, some only allow freestanding, removable ones, and some don’t allow them.
• Check with the municipality too. Depending on the size and type of structure, a county or municipal district may have its own rules or permits. The campground should know; if it doesn’t, ask the municipality.
• Build for our wind. A gazebo or canopy that isn’t solidly anchored will end up in the next site, or on someone’s RV. Fabric canopies and pop-up shelters should come down whenever strong gusts are forecast.
• Keep clearances. Leave space around the RV’s slide-outs, doors, furnace and water heater vents, propane tanks and emergency exit window. Don’t build anything that blocks a way out.
• Outdoor cooking stays outdoors. Barbecues and camp stoves belong in the open air, never under a closed-in gazebo or annex. See carbon monoxide.
• Think about leaving. Anything you build may have to be removed when you go. Build so it can come apart.

Gary’s tips from his own seasonal site

These come from Gary’s years on a seasonal site in southern Alberta. They’re the things that have actually worked for him.

• Get an awning that looks after itself. A self-retracting awning that rolls in on its own when the wind picks up can save a weekend. Around here a gust can come out of nowhere while you’re away from the site.
• Tie down like the wind means it. Heavy-duty tarps, 550 paracord guy lines with adjustable Prusik hitches, and long 25 cm (10-inch) spikes hold where light pegs and thin rope let go. The knots are on Essential knots.
• Carry a few water fittings. A small kit of hose adapters means you can hook up at any tap. The full list is in The water hookup kit.
• Keep drinking water separate. Use bottled or filtered water for drinking only, and separate jugs for washing and dishes. A gravity water filter is good insurance.
• Move your own grey and black water if the pump-out is far or pricey. A macerator pump and a large waste tote let you take it to the sani-dump yourself, which can save a pump-out fee every time. Check your campground’s rules first, and use a tote and fittings made for the job.
• Look after the tank sensors. Use a black-water treatment and flush the tanks well. Sensors that read full when the tank isn’t are usually just coated.
• Raise the cot. Cot risers add storage underneath and keep you up off a cold floor.

The laundry and restock routine

For most seasonal campers, life falls into a rhythm: a stretch at the campground, then a trip back to town. Gary describes his own routine as going out and staying, coming back to do some laundry and restock, then heading back out. His own words are on the RV Living home page.

A little planning makes those trips quick and keeps the time at the site relaxed.

A town-trip checklist

1. Laundry. Bag it by load before you leave the site. Bring back clean bedding and towels.
2. Groceries. Plan meals for the next stretch. Bring a cooler for the drive back so cold food stays at 4°C or below.
3. Drinking water, if your site’s water isn’t for drinking.
4. Medicines and prescriptions. Refill before you run low, especially before a long weekend.
5. Propane. Swap or fill a cylinder before the last one runs out. See propane.
6. Mail and bills. Pick up the mail and deal with anything that needs paper.
7. The house. Water the plants, check the furnace and doors, run the taps, and make sure nothing has leaked.
8. Appointments. Group medical and other appointments into town days where you can.
9. Batteries and fuel. Top up the truck, charge battery packs, and pick up any parts for small repairs.

Leaving the site while you’re in town

• Roll in the awning and take down canopies. Wind can arrive while you’re gone.
• Close windows and roof vents, or leave only rain-proof vent covers open.
• Turn off the propane if you won’t need the fridge or water heater on propane, following your manual.
• Close the black and grey tank valves if you’re on a sewer hook-up, so they fill and flush properly.
• Lock up, and let a neighbour know when you’ll be back.

Through the season

If the RV stays on an annual site over winter, arrange for someone to check on it after big windstorms and snowfalls, and confirm that your insurance covers the RV while it’s parked and unoccupied. See insurance.

Sources

• Government of Alberta, Camping on public land (14-day maximum stay, then move at least 1 km for 72 hours): alberta.ca
• Government of Alberta, Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service, RTA applicability for accommodations (campground cottages and cabins, trailer parks and tourist camps under six consecutive months): alberta.ca
• Alberta Parks, Generators in campgrounds (not permitted on powered sites except in a power outage for medical equipment; exhaust not toward neighbours): albertaparks.ca
• Health Canada, Carbon monoxide: Preventing exposure: canada.ca
• Gary’s routine and site details come from his interview for this site (November 2026).
• Your campground’s written agreement and rules are the final word on what’s included and what’s allowed on your site.