Campgrounds and RV parks near Lesser Slave River No. 124, AB

Lesser Slave Lake is known for walleye and northern pike fishing, and the Slave Lake Municipal Boat Launch provides public lake access about 30 km south of Marten River. Devonshire Beach stretches kilometres of natural sand and is a primary swim and day-use spot. The Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation, inside the provincial park, runs interpretive exhibits and connects to the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory, a boreal songbird banding station active during spring migration. Hikers can climb to the Marten Mountain viewpoint over the lake, then continue on the Freighter Lakeshore Trail, part of the Trans Canada Trail network. Quad and OHV trails branch off through the surrounding boreal forest.

The camping season here is short. Marten River Campground and the nearby Devonshire short-stay area operate from roughly mid-May through mid-October, and Trapper Leas Cabin Recreation Area follows a similar window. July and August deliver the warmest weather, with daytime highs typically near 22 degrees Celsius and long northern daylight hours, and they are also the busiest weeks; holiday weekends and warm Fridays fill quickly once the booking window opens. Late spring is cool and often wet, and lake ice can linger into early May in cold years. Songbird migration peaks in May at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory. September brings cooler nights, fewer bugs, and fall colour in the boreal mix of aspen and spruce. Winters are long and frigid, with subzero highs from November through March, and most lakefront campgrounds close. Wildfire risk runs high in late spring and early summer; check Alberta fire bans before booking.

Expect a boreal-forest setting of spruce, pine, and aspen, with sandy beaches along the lake. Marten River Campground has 110 sites, both unserviced and powered, pit toilets in the loops, and a central shower building with flush toilets, coin-operated showers, and a laundromat. A campground booth sells ice, firewood, and basic supplies, and there is a sewage disposal station on site. The town of Slave Lake, about a 30-minute drive from Marten River, has full grocery, fuel, and hardware services. Mosquitoes and biting flies are heavy in June and early July; bring repellent and screen rooms. Cell coverage is reliable near town and patchier in the recreation areas south of the lake. Black bears live throughout the area, so store food and trash properly.