Miquelon Lake Provincial Park - a successful kids getaway!

Our trip this week, was closer to home. A quick 45 minute drive to the Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, south east of Edmonton.

With the Alberta summer finally setting in, the campsite was full by Friday morning! Luckily we had friends drive out and grab us a site first thing. Note to oneself: the campgrounds that are closer to the city fill up very quickly when the weather is forecast to be good. Make sure you book in advance!

Miquelon Lake Provincial Park campsite offers large gravel, tree-lined sites, a new washroom facility and a couple of 'outhouse' buildings. There is a general store and liquor store within walking distance.

Nearby there is an excellent area for the kids, with play park and beach and picnic tables. The water is typical Alberta lake water, but the kids don't seem to notice and happily splash around and make mud pies!

This is a good choice for a quick get away destination for city dwellers, that don't want to travel to far.

A few facts about Miquelon Lake Provincial Park:

• The park is 1299 hectares in size
• Is part of the Cookin Lake Moraine or 'Beaver Hills"
• Is dominated by trembling aspen, balsam poplar and white spruce forests
• More than 200 bird species visit the area annually
• Has a 10-kilometre interconnecting trail system (with more trails planned for the near future)

For further information go to http://www.albertaparks.ca/

Family time in Jasper

This weekend we decided to take the kids on their first trip to one of our favourite places in Alberta, Jasper.

Our previous family trips have usually been camping or staying at hostels, so staying in a hotel was an experience in itself! Our 7 year old was so impressed that there was a TV in the room (!) and our 4 year old was delighted to be able to sit on the balcony and watch the elk that appeared in the grounds late afternoon.

We had a great family room at the Best Western Jasper Inn & Suites, with a loft bedroom, separate bedroom and kitchenette; definately a good family option.

Saturday brought sunny, windy weather and a great day for a river raft tour on the Athabasca River. This trip, aboard a 25 foot raft is fantastic for families! It's more than safe enough to take young children along, as the rapids that you encounter are relatively small and harmless; yet are still large enough to throw some water into the raft! (Ponchos are provided if required). Our 7 year old son was in fits of laughter through most of the trip!

On Sunday morning we took the Jasper Tramway 'flight' up Whistler's Mountain (named after the whistling marmots that roam the traverse).

The flight is fast and extremely safe and the views from the top of Whistler's Mountain are completely out of this world!

As an added plus, there is a restaurant on top of the mountain offering a reasonably priced menu with a fairly good selection. We opted for the 2 egg breakfast and it was prompt and tasty.

Our weekend ended with strolls around the Jasper townsite and ice cream! This family trip to Jasper was a definate success, with the raft trip being voted as the favourite!

To book a family package to Jasper contact Urban Insight at 1-888 756-2035 or customize your own trip at http://www.urbaninsight.ca/

Many thanks to Best Western Jasper Inn & Suites, Jasper Raft Tours and Jasper Tramway for their assistance.