McLeod Meadows Campground – Kootenay National Park – review

With our recent stay at McLeod Meadows Campground, we’ve finally completed the trifecta of front country camping in Kootenay National Park. We made good progress during the covid era, visiting Redstreak Campground in 2019 and Marble Canyon Campground in 2020. McLeod Meadows, however, would have to wait a few years for us to grace it with our presence.

As I reflect upon those three camping trips, I can’t help but recognize a concerning similarity between all three campgrounds. And Kootenay National Park, in general. Things … infrastructure … is noticeably deteriorated. As if the entire park is just being let go.

In my memory, an admittedly unreliable scamp these days, it was at Marble Canyon where I first sensed that something was wrong. The similarities we encountered at McLeod Meadows only served to solidify that hunch. Whether purposeful or due to funding shortfalls, Kootenay National Park is undoubtedly being neglected, and I think that’s a shame.

Now, I’m not suggesting all the mountain parks should be developed to the extent Banff or Jasper have. There’s certainly room for a more authentic, natural experience. A need, even. But what is developed can still be cared for. Infrastructure can still be upgraded and maintained. Minimal and attractive need not be mutually exclusive concepts.

I recognize that the money for such improvements comes from taxpayers (or taxpayer supported debt) and, well, they’re an exhausted bunch. But I’m hopeful that Kootenay National Park will one day get the TLC it requires and deserves.

Alright, on to my review.

McLeod Meadows Campground Location and Setting

McLeod Meadows Campground is located in the southern third of Kootenay National Park. It’s nestled in conifer forest between Highway 93 and the Kootenay River on the east side of the highway.

Technically, it is the middle of the three frontcountry campgrounds in Kootenay National Park, with Marble Canyon Campground at the north end and Redstreak Campground at the south entrance, but McLeod Meadows is decidedly skewed to the southern portion of the park.

This puts it a tolerable 28km northeast of the town of Radium Hot Springs and 25km from the hot springs themselves. Far enough away to feel like you’re in the wilderness but close enough for the conveniences of civilization or should emergencies arise.

Although the entire campground is within a forest, I wouldn’t describe it as dense forest. The lodgepole pine and mixed forest are tall and skinny. There is no canopy blocking the sun all day long. Each site has moments where sun sneaks through and touches ground. Some more than others, of course. We were able to use our solar panel for hours at a time in portion of our driveway. It’s all an ideal mix of sun and shade.

The campsites typically have some space between them as is the norm in national parks. Not as novel as what we experienced in Wasa Lake Provincial Park in the days prior to arriving at McLeod Meadows but not crammed by any means. There is underbrush that provides some privacy but you can still see and hear immediate neighbours with relative ease. This is particularly true if they’re the type to not care who hears them.

Campground Layout at McLeod Meadows

McLeod Meadows Campground is a collection of nine, near-circular loops connected to a main spine. The loops are labelled A through G, J, and K. What happened to H and I, I do not know. I mean, they spell a friendly greeting, why leave them out of the sequence? Maybe I can be excused due to its similarity to 1, but H? What did H ever do to anyone? Poor H.

Of the nine loops, eight have 10 campsites all located around their respective outer edges. Loop G has only 8 campsites. Why? Again, I do not know. There is room for 2 more campsites. Perhaps G was protesting the gross injustice given its alphabetical neighbour and regular co-conspirator in oddly spelled English words, H, and refused to accommodate any further campsite building.

Campsites at McLeod Meadows Campground

All 88 campsites in McLeod Meadows are back-in, but they come in a variety of shapes and lengths. Many target tent campers with raised flat areas for tents some of which are surrounded by landscaping ties. We even saw one campsite with steps up to the tent pitch and another with a short, wooden foot bridge between the driveway and living quarters.

Most of the sites have at least a portion that is level. Things can get tricky in some, though, so heed RV length restrictions when booking. Our campsite in Loop K, for example, was a longer one but it had a noticeable rise toward its rear nearing the picnic table and firepit.

As such, we could not back our small trailer all the way into the living space while remaining level front-to-back. Not wanting to overextend our stabilizers at one end of the trailer, we were forced to park in the narrow driveway portion of the site and could, therefore, not use our awning.

Most surprising to me is the lack of campsites backing onto the river. There are a handful, but far fewer than I’d have anticipated considering the campground’s location. A couple of Loop K sites can be considered riverside if you squint, but in reality, the only genuine riverside sites are in Loop G.

Of those, campsite G1 is easily the most spectacular. Oriented parallel to the river and with sparse tree cover, this site is a dream with unobstructed river and mountain views to the east. The only blemish on this otherwise exquisite campsite is its unfortunate proximity to the Loop G picnic shelter and bathrooms. I really wonder about campground designers sometimes.

Campsite Services and Amenities

None of the campsites in McLeod Meadows provide any services. There is no water, electrical, or sewer. It’s a rustic campground with the convenience of flush toilets.

Each site has a picnic table and firepit with stationary grill. Picnic tables are concrete and immovable with thick wood toppers. The wood on the table at our site was old and damaged and in need of replacing. I suspect this is the rule rather than exception throughout the campground. The firepits aren’t exactly pristine either.

Immovable picnic tables remain a frustration despite my reluctant understanding of the reasoning for installing them. In the case of our campsite, it was simply too close to the firepit. We could not safely set up a picnic shelter over the table even had we wanted to. And placing a lawn chair directly in front of the firepit was impossible with our larger zero-gravity chairs.

Registration Kiosk

Like its siblings, there is no registration office or store slash visitor centre present at McLeod Meadows Campground. In its centre, along the main road, is an information kiosk that shows a map of the campground and reveals fees and rules. I believe all the sites are reservable.

During peak tourist season, I suspect most, if not all, campsites will be reserved. However, you can book first come first serve at this kiosk if any remain available. Parks staff will presumably come around to confirm registration of either kind during your stay, though we ourselves didn’t receive any such visit.

If you do determine you’re lacking in food or have a need of a repair, Radium Hot Springs is a modest drive to the southwest and it should have what you’re looking for. The larger Invermere is a few kilometers further south and has additional services like laundry and tire repair. Don’t ask me how I know about the latter. F*#k!

Food Storage and Waste Disposal

While there are no tent specific campsites, be it walk-in or otherwise, McLeod Meadows does welcome tent campers. Banks of the familiar brown storage lockers are found by the central registration kiosk.

I thought this was a bit odd as this location isn’t terribly convenient for most loops. Why they don’t have a bank of storage lockers in each loop alongside the picnic shelters and bathrooms is beyond me. So, expect a bit of a walk if you plan to use these storage bins.

Garbage and recycling bins are provided in this same central service area. Please use these facilities rather than leaving your doggie bag by the numbered campsite post like we were treated to upon our arrival. Yeah, dog owners, I’m shaking my head in your direction.

Potable Water

A tap for drinking water is found near each of the bathrooms. The one by our loop was found next to the wood pile between it and the picnic shelter. Of course, you can also use the sinks in the bathrooms if you want.

RV and trailer campers can fill up with potable water at the dump station near the campground entrance.

Dump Station

McLeod Meadows Campground has a single, free-of-charge dump station near its entrance. It’s located on the south side of an arcuate bypass from the main campground road. A bit of an odd configuration for use by those leaving the campground, which I presume is its main customer base. But for those coming to the campground and wanting to fill RV tanks with potable water, it’s ideal. Assuming nobody is already in there. But, hey, I’m being snitty. That it exists at all is a win for RVers.

Firewood

Firewood is provided in bulk. You can use as much as you like and you might as well because the daily fire permit fee is mandatory. These fees have increased a fair bit in the past couple of years, unfortunately, and you won’t get a rebate if it’s raining or you steadfastly refuse to use wood. So, like I said, you might as well burn baby burn. So long as there isn’t a fire ban, of course, the lone situation where the fee will be reimbursed.

There are two wood piles in the campground. Both are next to bathroom/picnic shelters. One is between loops F and G with reasonable convenience for loop E as well. The other is between loops J and K. For whatever reason, there isn’t any wood pile near loops A, B, C, or D leaving those campers to travel for their wood sourcing.

During our July stay, the wood was nice and dry. Note that it does come in large chunks. You’ll be best served with an actual ax to get this stuff down to a useable size, especially for starting your fire. A quality hatchet will work if you’re patient and strong.

Picnic Shelters

McLeod Meadows Campground offers five picnic shelters each of which is attached to a bathroom. There’s essentially one picnic shelter to be shared by two loops with an extra allotted to the Loop E,F, and G triplets.

These shelters are robust but aged. As they currently stand, they’re a touch on the unwelcoming side as it wouldn’t take much effort to turn them into bomb shelters. They have solid walls with windows and two door openings without doors.

Inside are a few picnic tables and nothing more. Concrete structures against walls indicate they once harboured something more but whatever it was is long gone. I suppose they provide a safe spot when bad weather hits but as a group gathering/eating place, I’d likely pass.

Bathrooms at McLeod Meadows Campground

Bathrooms with flush toilets are attached to the picnic shelters. Or maybe the picnic shelters are attached to the bathrooms. Potato, potahto. Point is the bathrooms and shelters share a single structure.

The bathrooms are old and dated but serve their purpose. The vintage tall urinals will take the older folks back in time. Two sinks and two mirrors allow for cleaning up and/or shaving but there’s no hot water (contrary to what Parks Canada’s website states). The hot water taps have been removed completely to emphasize this point.

Furthermore, there is no hand dryer or paper towels available leaving your pants or outside air to remove any post-cleansing moisture.

Electricity is also absent so be sure to have a flashlight with you at night. There are no interior lights.

Sadly, there is no shower house anywhere in McLeod Meadows Campground. Perhaps that’s something they can add when they upgrade the place after this scathing review.

A rare recent addition to McLeod Meadows Campground is a stand-alone accessible toilet along the main road approaching Loop G. Since there is only one of these special-purpose bathrooms, if you’re in need of this facility be sure to book a campsite close to it.

This stand-alone bathroom also has a stainless-steel kitchen cleanup station attached to it. A wonderful, modern convenience that is oddly restricted to those close to the sole accessible bathroom. Why the larger bathroom and picnic shelters don’t have these is beyond me.

As much as I’m highlighting the age and deterioration of this campground, I’m happy to report there are no pit toilets. At least, not in the main campground. The day use area is another story.

Dog Lake Day Use Area

Dog Lake Day Use Area isn’t officially a part of McLeod Meadows Campground despite being very close by. It is accessed directly from Highway 93 approximately 500m south of the campground entrance. The Dog Lake Loop Trail for which this day use area is the trailhead, runs right through the middle of the campground so I figured I might as well include it in this review.

As far as day use areas go, oof, this place is in rough shape. For starters, there’s isn’t much of anything to view here. There’s a long parking lot in the woods at the end of which are some picnic spots, but the trees restrict most of the mountain views and it’s not inland far enough to be next to the Kootenay River. It’s essentially a roadside pullout that’s not immediately next to the road.

I was surprised to see a picnic shelter with what I think were flush bathrooms here. The structure is very much like the ones in the campground but has been neglected if not abandoned. And for quite some time by the looks of it.

The picnic shelter remains accessible but with only a single table inside. The bathrooms, however, are locked up tight.

Fear not, a newer pit toilet has replaced the flush toilets which is an unhappy regression in service. There are three individual, unisex stalls, one of which is accessible. Inside each stall is the pit toilet, toilet paper, garbage, and hand sanitizer. Honestly, I’d be inclined to sneak into the campground and use the nearest flush bathroom.

Fresh water is available which one might argue is surprising. It’s a single tap sticking out of the ground but hey, better than nothing. You really could have a full picnic here, I just don’t know why you would. It’s really not that appealing. Your mileage may vary.

Hiking near McLeod Meadows Campground

Getting to McLeod Meadows Campground from Dog Lake Day Use Area (or vice versa) is rather simple since the Dog Lake Loop Trail takes you directly through the heart of the campground. The trailhead is at the north end of the parking lot between the picnic sites and pit toilets.

The trail is dirt and mostly flat with only exposed roots and the odd rock to trip you up. Between the day use area and campground you’ll cross a cute footbridge over Meadow Creek. It was in this vicinity that we think we saw a black bear stumbling through the surrounding bushes. We didn’t stick around to investigate since bears are not rare in the park and I’m a rather tasty morsel, I figure.

Within the campground, Dog Lake Loop Trail perhaps broadens a bit but remains dirt. It passes between Loops A/B and E as well as Loops J and G. Where it crosses the main campground road there are signs in both directions serving as a trailhead for campers.

Just past Loop G, the trail encounters the Kootenay River which it must cross to continue on to Dog Lake. There are two consecutive suspension bridges over the river but in July of 2026 they were closed to pedestrians. This was incredibly disappointing and the posted signage acknowledging the closure wasn’t terrible informative.

We saw one couple openly defy this closure and to be fair, the bridge showed no indication of imminent collapse. I suspect this couple were only the latest in a long string of visitors willing to ignore the closure. We weren’t feeling terribly rebellious at the time and chose to investigate the riverbank around the bridge instead. Careful … the glint off my halo might temporarily impair your eyesight.

I can only hope the bridges are repaired and re-opened to use sooner than later. Dog Lake Loop Trail looks like a nice hike while camping at McLeod Meadows. Granted, there are many hikes of varying length and difficulty in the park so one closure won’t ruin your adventure. I just really wanted to cross that bridge!

Cross River Canyon Recreation Site

This brings me to the most exasperating discovery of our stay in Kootenay National Park. Why in all that is holy, is Cross River Canyon not a part of this park? A cross-country skiing recreation area operated by the provincial government, the north portion literally borders the national park with the Kootenay River separating the two. You literally get to the rec site via the park using Settlers Road which intersects Highway 93 approximately 6.5km south of the campground.

I’ll be doing a full write up on our hiking experience at Cross River Canyon but suffice it to say this hidden gem is tremendous. It’s criminal it is not part of Kootenay National Park which I hate to say is somewhat lacking in accessible attractions. Imagine this national park with Marble Canyon and Cross River Canyon bookending a swath of Rocky Mountain glory. Be sure to check it out when camping in the south half of Kootenay. You’ll thank me.

Recreation In and Around McLeod Meadows Campground

As for nearby entertainment beyond hiking, that falls to Radium Hot Springs itself. Not the town, but the popular tourist spot after which the town was named. Found right along the highway approximately 3km east of town, you can’t possibly miss it no matter what direction you are travelling. The hot springs are fun for anyone keen to wade in geothermally heated water. We’ve done it once and while I have no regrets, once was enough for me.

As I have come to expect in most of the mountain national parks, there is no playground at McLeod Meadows. There’s certainly space for one, but I guess that just isn’t Parks Canada’s thang. I understand the whole park is a playground, but I remain steadfast in my belief that a playground would be welcomed by families in our national park campgrounds.

Similarly, there really isn’t any open field space for tossing or kicking balls. Not that I’d support deforestation to accommodate my wife’s bocce obsession.

Fishing and paddling sound like no-brainers in a setting like this and usually they are but as of 2026 there is a ban on both in hopes of curtailing the spread of whirling disease. McLeod Meadows doesn’t have a boat launch, per se, but an area in Loop G works as a makeshift launch for small craft and a warning sign is posted there explaining the current ban.

MicrOcubes/oTENTiks/Cabins

Another indicator of the lack of improvements at McLeod Meadows is the absence of oTENTiks. These canvas glamping tents are common additions to new and recently upgraded campgrounds on the Parks Canada menu.

Neither are there MicrOcubes, another glamping offering at national parks campgrounds, or cabins of any kind. Not that there should be, mind you. Just an observation that nothing modern has been added to McLeod Meadows in a long time.

Group Camping in McLeod Meadows

McLeod Meadows Campground does not have a dedicated group site within its borders. Crook’s Meadows, located 7.5 km to the north, is advertised as a group campground on road signage. However, online information reveals this group area is only available to non-profits or school groups.

It also seems to be currently closed (2026). I can only stress you check with Parks Canada directly if this group site is of any interest to you. As it appears to be unusable by the general public, I didn’t take any pictures of it.

Wildlife and Pests

You’ll likely encounter the usual assortment of forest dwellers on or near your campsite. Squirrels, chipmunks, and birds are the most common. The latter includes some especially noisy variants dressed all in black.

Larger creatures, some of which you may find scary, may also be encountered. As I mentioned earlier, I’m fairly certain we saw a black bear near the Dog Lake Day Use Area. Don’t leave your campsite a mess and take appropriate precautions when hiking and you’ll be fine.

Mosquitoes were present and worsened as the sun set. We had come to McLeod Meadows from Wasa Lake Provincial Park and the mosquitoes there were terrible, so this actually felt a relief by comparison. We were nonetheless able to enjoy a campfire but do come prepared with your preferred repellants of choice. Seasonality in population numbers apply.

Partying and Noise

Our immediate campsite neighbours were an … hmmm … earthy bunch. Not rowdy but neither were they peaceful. The hour of Disney soundtrack music we had to endure as we sat around our campfire the final evening was a bit much. To their credit, they were quiet when posted quiet hours arrived.

Interestingly, the next morning a park warden came around asking if we had called in a complaint the previous night. He was asking all campers since they’d received a complaint and were now checking up on it. I found this odd for two reasons. First, there is no cell service of any kind at McLeod Meadows Campground so how was this complaint even lodged? Secondly, what good is it waiting until the next morning to deal with said complaint?

Nothing seemed to come of this interaction, but it gives you some insight into the supervision, or lack thereof, that occurs here. Whether this increases on weekends, I don’t know. But midweek, mid-July we only saw Parks Canada staff this once.

You can hear the highway in the distance, big trucks particularly. Loops A and C will be loudest while Loops G, J, and K, the quietest. But none are deep enough into the woods to avoid traffic noise altogether. Thankfully, there are no trains.

And, of course, there’s always the risk of generators being nearby. We lucked out on this two-day trip and didn’t hear any, but they are allowed within restricted windows of time. Just don’t expect park staff to promptly enforce those rules.

WiFi and Cell Service

As mentioned above, there is a perhaps surprising lack of cell service at McLeod Meadows. Great if you’re looking to disconnect from our 24/7 world but it is less convenient if you need to call Yogi Bear to complain about other campers.

Not to say that its odd that there is no cell service in a national park, it just felt like we were “close” to town and would still get a bit of service. Mountains do wonders with interrupting signal propagation and my brain is poor at estimating things like this.

Completely unsurprising, the campground has no WiFi service of any kind.

Conclusion and Rating

Once is a disappointment. Twice is a coincidence. Thrice … well, that’s a definite trend. Each time we’ve camped in Kootenay National Park I’ve left commenting on the deteriorating infrastructure in the park’s front country campgrounds. McLeod Meadows Campground is the latest evidence that something is amiss with funding or mandate in Kootenay National Park. And that’s a real shame. Resisting the development seen in Banff and Jasper is fine but surely keeping what already exists presentable is worth the effort and expense. Kootenay is a beautiful park, and its facilities should reflect that even if remaining subdued.

That said, we did enjoy our two nights at McLeod Meadows Campground. I’ll give it 3.68 Baby Dill Pickels out of 5. Afterall, just having flush toilets is better than none no matter their modernity or condition. And while the limited supply of riverside sites is perhaps an oversight, the forested sites are nonetheless spacious and enjoyable. Sure, the campground could offer a bit more, maybe spruce up the place a bit, and fix the bridge, but you won’t regret camping here.