Medicine Hat Family Fun

If you are a stay at home parent, a working parent, single parent, or otherwise, the odds are that you are always looking for something new to do with your little one(s). Here are a few things that my family enjoys doing around Medicine Hat that are fun, outside, and quite budget friendly! Make sure to share this with friends and save it for inspiration later!

Go Rock Hunting!

Rock hunting? If you're new to Medicine Hat, or visiting, then you may not have heard of Medicine Hat Rocks! Many members of our community paint on rocks and stones with their own unique designs, and then hide them around the city parks. A popular hiding location is Police Point Park, which is perfect because it is centrally located.

This activity is great for little ones because not only do they get to find the rocks, but they can find a new place to hide them! They can also collect a few fresh rocks to paint themselves and hide later. Parents, be sure to join the Medicine Hat Rocks Facebook page so you can post yours and your child's findings and hidings.

Echo Dale Farm + Lake

If you are looking to get out of the city, but don't want to take too long of a drive, then Echo Dale is an amazing location. It's my family's Go-To place for a quick day-cation.

It's so beautiful year-round, however the summer is when this park really shines! The park houses a historical farm and the entrance to a long since closed coal mine. Entry is free, and not only do you get to read about the history of the place, but the also bring in several animals for you to visit while you're there. My son's favourites are the donkeys and the chickens. There are also pigs, ducks, goats, and horses. Sometimes there are even some cats that will follow you wanting some attention for themselves. If that's not enough animals for you, then it's good to know that the park is also on-leash dog friendly, with an off leash area on the other end of the park.

Another great feature of this beautiful park is their swim lake and fishing pond. This photo was taken at the beginning of the season for the swim lake, so it was more shallow than usual but my son loved playing in the shallows and the water markers that were up on the sand. There's plenty of beach and walking paths all around for families to spend the day exploring.

If you're not much of a beach family (I'm sure not one to spend all day in the sand), then don't worry! There are a few play structures both on and off the beach that you'll find as you walk the trails.

I almost forgot that the fish lake allows for you to take some boating devices like kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards. Personally I would like to take my son fishing here for his first time. I think it would be a great starter location where we as a family could all be really relaxed and enjoy the day together.

Elkwater - Cypress Hills

So funny story about Elkwater. I spent a lot of time going snowboarding as a kid in the Cypress Hills Provincial Park, but I never went there during summer! I only realized that this was the same place, when my husband, son, and I took a random drive out toward Reesor lake which is deeper in the Provincial Park than Elkwater is. Needless to say, when my son gets older, we'll definitely be taking him there for his first snowboarding or skiing lesson. I mean, I'm hoping he chooses snowboarding because then my husband and I can hopefully teach him, or maybe even his uncle (who taught me).

Now, more about Elkwater. This will be for a day when you have extra time, because it is 45 minutes one way out of Medicine Hat towards the Eastern Alberta boarder. Don't want to do that kind of drive for just one day? No worries! There are more campgrounds and lodges than I can list. I'll have to leave that up to you! However, the one that I want to grab right away for the next camping season is the Firerock campground, because there are some amazingly private sites that are surrounded by woodland. Definitely top of my list to try out!

You definitely won't be bored while you're there. There's swimming, boating, frisbee golf, and plenty of trails to explore. Plus, if you want to take your time exploring the rest of Cypress Hills you'll definitely will have no shortage of options. Then once you get back from exploring, you'll likely be able to find a food truck or two near the main beach. Most often when I've visited, there's a Swirls Ice Cream trailer waiting and ready to fix your sweets cravings!

Hopefully these give you some inspiration for your next family outing! Don't forget to pass this on to your friends and family with little ones that are planning a visit Medicine Hat.

Thanks for reading!