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A Lazy Weekend With the Kids

by | Published on September 4, 2015 | Last updated on October 29, 2021 | Explore Nordegg

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It’s amazing how a quick getaway can leave you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the next project (planning our winter tours in this case), even when things don’t go as planned. The past few weeks have been busy and we didn’t have much of a chance to get out camping with the kids. With 2 days free of commitments on our calendar we quickly made plans to get to the mountains before school starts.
As it often happens, the list of things that had to get done before we could get out kept growing. Trip confirmations had to be sent out, ice pops had to be packaged for Tuesday’s market, camping gear had to be packed and food needed to be picked up. With so many things to get done it’s easy to come up with excuses to stay home and avoid the hassles that come with a family camping trip. We quickly put together a plan as we got in the van to head out in the early afternoon.

The plan was fairly simple. Check out Upper Shunda Creek Campground in Nordegg, do a short hike and relax by the fire. Monday would be a mine tour followed by a short hike before heading back home that evening to be back at work Tuesday morning. We had done the first mine tour last year, visiting the mine site area, and loved the experience. We were looking forward to doing the second tour this year, visiting the briquette plant. Making a few phone calls along the way we found out that sadly the tours ended for the season the previous week. New plan: a lazy couple days.

Doing nothing

It’s amazing how hard it is to go from a crazy week to doing absolutely nothing.

We made our way to the campground, checked in and setup camp. By that point the kids were excited to be camping and playing around the campsite was exactly what they were looking for. A deliciously simple dinner by the fire and a gorgeous sunset was all that we needed to make it a great evening.

Exploring the campground

It always amazes me that the kids sleep in later in a tent than at home. After a leisurely breakfast we headed out for a walk around the campground and along Shunda Creek. We’ve been working on adding more campgrounds to our Explore Central Alberta guide and the kids were happy to help me with pictures on our stroll.

Goldeye Lake

We had to get back home that night so we picked an easy family hike for the afternoon. We’d heard a lot about Goldeye Lake but hadn’t had a chance to spend much time there yet. While the hike wasn’t one of our favourite in the area, it was still a lot of fun for a hike with the kids.