Nelson City Campground

We’ve been visiting for over 15 years, and the location is fantastic—walkable and bikeable to downtown, close to grocery stores, and near the public beach on Kootenay Lake. Staff are always friendly, and the convenience is hard to beat. Bathrooms could use an upgrade and were a definitely less clean on our latest stay, see photos. Campsites are close together, which is typical for city-style camping, but smoking—both cigarettes and cannabis—at neighboring sites has been an ongoing issue on this and previous visits. It’s disappointing that a city-owned facility doesn’t enforce a smoke-free policy; designated smoking areas would make a big difference. Overall, a well-located and convenient campground, but the persistent smoking issue detracts from the experience.

We mainly pay for a camp site for the showers and parking space. The camping space was cramped, and the showers were cold. Would have been better off parking infront if a community center for free. Would have had better showers for a small admition cost to a local pool. Not worth the $40. I've seen nicer camp sites for less money. They got three starts though because they have good costumer service, and a nice kitchen. They did have a good kitchen.

The bonus is you are staying right in Nelson, but the term campground is not like you might be used to. The facilities were decent, but you are more or less in a gravel parking lot, very tight to others. Very shady, so good in warmer months, a bit cool in September. Great if you just need to get a camping spot close.

A great little campground. So close to the lake Park for beach days, running and cycling. Pickleball is a 5 minute ride away (you must sign up). We were a 5 minute bike ride to town and grocery stores. Staff was very helpful. We will be back. (Ebikes are best as there are a few hills)

Very little to like about this place unfortunately… The location is great and the laundry machines are priced well but that’s about it. The facilities are tired and could use more care. The showers are lukewarm, the soda machine buzzes super loud, the lights around the complex shine thru the blinds all night… there is a skunk living under a shed building that stinks up the place. A few upgrades and more attentive staff and the place could be worth the price…

This is really well run. The young guys working are very kind, attentive and easy going. The facilities are well kept. Very clean. The tent platforms are very large & nice. Location is great. It's just very hard to sleep with all the noise from both streets on each side of the campground. If you're not a light sleeper, I recommend it, if you are, you may have a hard time with it unfortunately.

Location, location, location! Can’t beat it. This is NOT wilderness camping but if you read the website, you will know that. It’s run by very friendly staff and is kept in great shape. It’s tight camping with others who are here to enjoy the town of Nelson. We walked and biked all over Nelson from here. It can be a bit loud- bring your earplugs and sound machine! Don’t come here if you expect to be in nature away from the other humans! We appreciated this campground and the professional host- Albie who was very helpful. Laundry was great, showers and restrooms were clean. Enjoy the location of this campground.

Exceeded my expectations based on the previous reviews. Excellent location a few blocks from the park/beach and downtown. Clean bathrooms/showers. The younger guy with brown hair checked us in and was very friendly. Some sites are smaller but we have a fantastic view. Great for exploring, bring your bikes!

Nope. No. Nyet. Nein. How many ways can I say no? We made reservations for two tent sites during our motorcycle trip across Canada. We are veterans of the tent camping at primitive sites / truck stop / RV park scene, so I'd offer that our standards are pretty reasonable and based in years of experience. We rolled in after putting in about 500 miles. Immediately upon approaching the site, we began having those weird gut feelings telling us something wasn't quite right. The site itself is built into a hillside and the retaining walls outlining the park are covered in graffiti. As soon as I put my kickstand down, I got a weird stare down from some sketchy tweeker who I couldn't tell if he was eyeballing my equipment or challenging me to a dance off. The tent sites here are akin to a homeless camp. Cramped, dirty, and full of some people of questionable intent. The RV portion is little more than a gravel parking lot that is nut to butt as far as spacing goes. A fellow motorcyclist from Australia approached us and told us that we'd be best served to move on. He pointed out the sketchy tweeker and his entourage of turds, stating that they were confrontational, rude, and frankly of questionable moral character. In all fairness, Nelson has kind of a hippie artist vibe to it, so I wasn't all that shocked that the campsite embraced that ethos. The staff at the campsite were completely professional and I felt that the attendant wasn't all that shocked that we decided to move on. He even offered up multiple other options in the area. Let me be clear. There is no way I would stay at this campsite with 5 grown men, let alone with my family or kids. If you are completely self contained in a van or RV with a way of securing your property, you'll probably be ok, but you'll be rolling the dice. Bring a knife and your best parachute pants. The chances of a dance off or knife fight breaking out are good.

Not sure why this place has such poor reviews. My husband, dog, and I stayed here 2 nights over labour day weekend 2020 and we had a great time. It's called City of Nelson Campground, so yes, you are right in the city. Short walking distance to a TON of restaurants and assorted shops. Excellent dog beach within walking distance (~15 minutes or so). Check in was easy, the employees were very nice. Fellow campers were awesome. This place had a great vibe. Showers and bathrooms available, water pressure and temperature was great. A bit of road and train noise, but that's a sacrifice you make to be in such an awesome location. 100% would come here again!

good, close to town,very nice bathroom and pavillion. bad, there are no sites,you are just crammed in everywhere.rv,s have ext cords laying on ground everywhere.we were bicycling selkirk loop , why anyone with a rv or car would want to stay there is beyond us.nelson was the most overated town on the loop.bums and kids begging for money all over town. kaslo and city campground much nicer.