Campgrounds and RV parks near Roseau River 2, MB

Most outdoor activity in the area centres on water and trail use. St Malo Provincial Park is built around a reservoir, with two beaches for swimming and sunbathing, canoeing and sailboarding on the lake, the Rat River dam and dyke to explore, and trails looping the lake and through aspen forest. Altona Centennial Park adds tennis courts that double for pickleball, disc golf, an outdoor beach volleyball court, the Aquatic Centre as the main feature, and the Buffalo Creek Nature Pond. The Crow Wing Trail, the longest section of the Trans Canada Trail in Manitoba, connects Emerson to Winnipeg through Roseau River First Nation, De Salaberry, St-Pierre-Jolys, Niverville, and Ritchot. Cross-country skiing, birding, and disc golf round out the seasonal options.

The camping season in this part of southern Manitoba is short and tightly clustered around the warm months. St Malo Provincial Park opens mid-May and runs through September. The Altona campground operates annually from mid-May until the end of September. Debonair Campground runs a longer private season, from late April through mid-October. Other private operators in St-Pierre-Jolys and the surrounding area generally open once frost risk has passed and close before freeze-up in October. July and August are the busiest weeks, driven by warm lake temperatures at St Malo, summer festivals, and school holidays. Weekend events such as Canada Day, the Manitoba Sunflower Festival, and the Gospel Music Festival fill the Altona campground immediately when reservations open in spring. May and September are quieter and cooler, with better site availability but a real chance of frost overnight. Spring runoff along the Red and Roseau rivers can affect low-lying access roads through April. Winter camping is not offered at these sites, though St Malo grooms cross-country ski trails for day use.

Sites in the area range from basic gravel pads to fully serviced lots. At St Malo Provincial Park, campsites range from basic to electrically serviced, nestled among aspen trees or along the reservoir shoreline, with amenities including 30-amp service, pull-through sites, a dump station, showers, picnic tables, grills, firewood, and a playground. The park campground has numerous sites spread out over a large area which gives each site plenty of room, with some sites in the trees and some very open. Cell service is a little sketchy, with two bars the most found at some sites. Expect prairie wind, mosquitoes in early summer, and limited shade outside the provincial park.