The ol’ Demmit Campground in northwest Alberta is so named because if you blink and drive past it you say “DEMMIT!” I realize it’s technically a campground but I am treating it as a rest stop for this blog post because that is how I used it. Besides, judging from their brochure, even the folks who manage the area are not sure of its precise identity, proclaiming it as “an ideal spot for overnight camping, a resting spot for travellers, or a day for exploring the wilderness.” It’s the best of three worlds!
Although there is a caretaker who may show up to do the rounds the campsite isn’t staffed and uses the honour system. You get your own registration envelope, pay in cash, and assume no one will knock down the collection box for its contents.
Demmitt is part of the Grande Prairie Parks system located in that weird borderlands area between Dawson Creek (northeast BC) and Grande Prairie (northwest AB). An area so obscure that the two sides seem to have banded together for comfort. I actually had to look up which province Demmitt was in, partly because that area of Canada is a bit confusing but mostly because the brochure authors helpfully stated the park was “northwest of Hythe.”
The campsite is open from May 15 to October 15 unless you’ve got one of those front-mounted snowplow things for your truck. I can only assume the number 15 is significant to the no-doubt numerologically inclined park managers, because there are 15 campsites and the cost to overnight is also $15. Spooky! The sites have picnic tables and fire pits, but no electrical or water hookups. There are pit toilets, and a covered group shelter building, both of which looked pretty recently constructed. It’s a good little place for a quick, cheap overnight stay. First come, first self-served.
