MJD
For Irvins Park and Campground: I feel the need to share what one could consider a rather bizarre aspect of iRVin’s Park & Campground.
First, some background. The basic layout of the campground is four long rows of campsites (up to 20 per row) which face toward the Park Office complex, which includes the store, laundry, washrooms, etc. Apparently, no thought was ever given to providing campers with a way to get from their campsites to the office area to use the amenities unless they were to walk around to the end of the rows (which can be a considerable distance). As a result, people obviously often take the line of least resistance, which unfortunately, involves cutting through other people’s campsites.
So management appears to have decided that the way to address this particular problem is to designate certain campsites within the campground as “Walk Ways”, meaning that anyone can walk through these occupied campsites whenever they so please. Upon check in, prospective campers are not advised that they have the dubious distinction of being placed in one of these “Walk Way” campsites, or that they are expected to share their campsite with everyone and anyone who decides to parade through their campsite. Nor does management bother to offer a discount or any other type of remuneration for a camper being placed in a campsite which essentially has to double as a public thoroughfare.
As one can probably guess, much to our chagrin, my wife and I were placed in one of these “Walk Way” campsites. When we approached management that this wasn’t a satisfactory situation and requested that we be moved to a non “Walk Way” campsite, the response from management was basically one of “Too bad, so sad, live with it”! We’ve been on the road for over two years and we have never encountered this type of situation before, nor have we have been treated with such callous indifference as the management of this campground has displayed. We have never cut through other camper’s campsites and we expect to be treated in kind by other campers. But management of this campground not only condones, but promotes, this type of behavior.
The bottom line is that we really don’t want to share our campsite with the rest of the campground. It definitely has an effect on one’s ability to enjoy the camping experience. Not having people running through one’s campsite is a reasonable expectation to have when one rents a campsite. Unfortunately, the management of this campground seems to think otherwise.
If you’re considering staying at iRVin’s Park and Campground, make sure you find out well in advance if they’re planning on placing you in one of these “Walk Way” campsites. Perhaps you can fare better in getting moved to an acceptable campsite than my wife and I did. On further thought, you might be better off in just avoiding this place altogether. It truly isn’t worth the aggravation.
Posted Aug 02, 2023 by MJD from South Dakota. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.
Dane L
For Irvins Park and Campground: Nice place to overnight or stay for a while. Pull through sites have room for big rigs. Very accessible on Hwy 5 just north of town.
Posted Sep 21, 2019 by Dane L from Fort Saskatchewan AB. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.
