Rainbow Valley Campground brings comfort camping to Edmonton's river valley

Dome comfort campsites opened at Rainbow Valley Campground in May 2024. (Adel Ahmed / CTV News Edmonton)

Edmonton's Rainbow Valley Campground is now welcoming visitors who enjoy a less rugged experience. 

On May 12, the campground opened three comfort camping sites – sometimes also referred to as "glamping," or glamorous camping – fully equipped with furniture, air conditioning and heating, a refrigerator and more. 

Each insulated dome is eight metres in diameter and four metres tall and features a picture window of sorts looking out into the North Saskatchewan River valley. 

• Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News Edmonton, right at your fingertips

The campground's marketing and communications manager told CTV News Edmonton he hopes the new experience introduces more people to the river valley and Whitemud Park.

"There's so many bird watching areas around here, the walking trails. It's just a complete vibe of comfort, comfort camping, and you're still in the city. You're not too far from home. You are kind of away from home by being in the midst of – you almost can't tell you're in the middle of a city," he said.

"Take advantage of this mature campground with all these huge trees, but also a few amenities that make it nice and easy to enjoy yourself."

Additionally, the campground hopes to take bookings a little into the shoulder season because the spaces are insulated and heated. 

So far, Dea said there has been "good uptake" although slots remain open throughout the summer. 

"We want to do more. Not in the immediate future – we want to get these running, get good at it, and then improve on the next," he told CTV News Edmonton. 

While no cooking is allowed inside the domes, nor do any have running water, there is a bathroom nearby and each site has propane for cooking. 

The campground is open until Sept. 30. The domes are expected to stay open a little past that. 

The domes are priced at $300/night for a minimum two-night stay. 

Four tent campsites were removed to create space for the domes. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Adel Ahmed