RV parking and Calgary West campground

[dennis1]

We are in the planning stage for Calgary Canada. We will be visiting the Calgary Convention Center for a Convention in May 2015. Coming from Washington State to Calgary. What kind of weather should I expect in May? What kind of parking is available for a Truck Camper near the Convention Center.

[gbw]

oh man, I completely missed that you are staying at the Calgary West Campground. I initially read it as Calgary West Campground(s)... basically campgrounds west of Calgary. Sorry, I gave you a little more info than you requested.

I also concur with the LRT west leg at 17th ave and Sarcee advice. Easy to get to and find.

[dennis1]

Thank for all the info. Looks like LRT is it.

[Far_Roamer]

Hi Dennis, as you are camping at Calgary West Campground your best bet will be the taking LRT from the EB Sirocco LRT Station at Sarcee Trail & 17 Ave SW, about a 15 min drive from your camping spot. There is a Park and Ride lot there where you can leave your truck. The train will zip you down town and has a stop very near the Convention Centre. As others have indicated surface parking is hard to get and expensive.

April and May are the Jekyll and Hyde months, arctic air competes with warm wet southern air and the jet stream flips back and forth... you never know what you’re going to get, bring summer clothes as well as parkas!

[gbw]

Hello,

I work downtown Calgary. I would not generally recommend driving a camper downtown. I rarely drive my truck downtown and spaces are tight. There are a few spots which are above ground which don't have overhead limitations. I'm 6'7" with my canopy on and I don't fit in 90% of parkades, obviously you will be taller but I'm just giving you a general idea. Parking is insanely pricey. You will generally not find anything cheaper than $20 per day. Expect $30.

The West side of town is much nicer than the East. As another poster mentioned, look into travelling via C-Train. The West arm is pretty decent to get into downtown but parking at the station may be a little limited. The NW arm is pretty good to commute into and there is some great camping spots N-NW-W of town. There is also the south leg of the train. It is a much longer commute into downtown, expect at least 30 minutes from the very southern station. There is also some great spots south of town to stay overnight. It is also very easy to drive to the southern most station and park. Heads up, it looks like there is tons of open space to camp and explore just west of town, it is Native reserve, pretty much a no-go-zone.

May is sure a variable month for weather. I've had a week of +25C and a week of +5C. You may get a dump of snow but it will likely be gone in a day. You should expect rain. May and June are the rainy months in Southern Alberta. On average, I would expect 15C during the day as mentioned.

PM me if you would like more information. Spots to stay, decent restaurants, a good pub or two downtown, local attractions etc.

[hedge]

Calgary has some of the most expensive downtown parking in the country and the spots are not large either. I think I'd try find something outside the core and take the c-train (LRT) to get downtown.

[Mr_Biggles]

May weather can be unpredictable. Generally around 15C during the day and 0-5C at night. We can get the odd snow storm too. Heavy, wet snow, but usually melts the next day.

[Gripnriprod]

Try this LINK