Yes, you heard that right. Glamping in Edmonton.

While searching for something unique to do we stumbled upon Urban River Adventures which is an Eco-tourism glamping site.

When we booked for the last week of September, we knew that we were pushing our luck with weather.  Surprisingly, we had sunny, 30C degree days and dry, cool nights. The gold colour was at its peak! We could not have timed it any better.

It is located along the North Saskatchewan River, which is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. The site is made up of upper-level domes that have spectacular views of the river valley and lower domes that have the full waterfront experience.  Even the outhouses had spectacular views! 

There is limited cell service, lights run on solar power, and there were open-air showers. We believe that comfort zones are meant to be pushed so that you leave with a story to tell and an experience to remember. Plus, we fell asleep to the chorus of coyotes, elk and geese under a clear, dark sky. You can not ask for better than that.

We bought in to the VIP Package, that delivered custom meal kits each day. They were prepared by a local food truck and the flavours came to life over the campfire. I would compare this to a meal subscription box like Hello Fresh, where the prepared ingredients are delivered and all you have to do is cook it.

While glamping in Edmonton may not be on everyone’s bucket list, the golden views overlooking the shores of the North Saskatchewan River gave us a whole new appreciation of Edmonton as a vacation destination.