Tourists turn McMahon Stadium parking lot into temporary Stampede campground

RVs fill McMahon parking lot for Calgary Stampede camping.

For most of the year, the west parking lot at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium is just a place to park for Stampeders’ games – but during the Calgary Stampede, it becomes a temporary campground.

Hundreds of RVs, trailers and luxury motorhomes roll into the lot each July.

Most of the units are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars; others are worth millions.

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The license plates are mostly from the United States, ranging from Florida to Washington.

They all come as a part of an organized excursion through Fantasy RV tours, which has been hosting the RV gathering during every Calgary Stampede for more than 15 years

Andrew McDonald, who helps run the tours, says the setup often catches the attention of people driving past the stadium.

“When you drive by … It looks like an RV show,” McDonald said. “We park for the whole duration of the Stampede.”

McDonald says some of the visitors are in Calgary specifically for the rodeo and midway, while others are passing through as part of longer tours.

One group, he said, is using Calgary as a staging area for a 61-day trip to Alaska.

McDonald says when guests arrive, they’re given an orientation breakfast at the Calgary Tower and unlimited CTrain tickets.

He says they are shown where the Stampede grounds are, where the Saddledome is and where to get on and off the train.

“It takes us about a day to build this campground,” McDonald said. “The power goes in first … Once the power is in, we bring in high-speed internet for our guests.”

After that comes water lines.

McDonald says the stadium has also made shower rooms available, something guests had asked for years ago.

He says the tours are beneficial for local businesses.

“We’ll bring 300 people through, and they’re bringing their money and spending it all over the place, which is great for everyone,” he said.

“We tell them about Nick’s across the street, there’s a DQ across the street and there’s a rib place,” McDonald said.

“It’s a great way for us to share the Stampede with the rest of the world – and everyone has a blast.”

John Kriedet, from California, says he’s excited to visit the Stampede grounds.

“I am. I really am. I’ve never been,” he said.

“I think I’ve been to one small rodeo once in my life … I want to see the chuckwagon race more than anything.”

Steve Sandler, who lives in Texas and spends summers in Montana, came to Calgary in a Prevost motorhome worth close to US$2 million.

He says he’s looking forward to seeing how Calgary’s rodeo compares to what he has seen back home.

“From where we came in Montana, it’s only a five-hour beautiful drive,” Sandler said.

He says he and his wife expect to spend three or four months a year on the road.

Their motorhome, he said, gives them the flexibility to travel without giving up the comforts of home.

“It’s basically your home on wheels.”

Sandler says the coach can travel about 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometres) on a tank of fuel.

“It’s big and heavy because it’s a bus, but it’s really easy to drive,” Sandler said. “Believe it or not, this actually gets pretty good mileage.”

After Calgary, Sandler said he plans to return to Montana for a wedding before heading out again in September on another Fantasy RV trip, this time to see polar bears in Churchill, Man.

He says one of the biggest appeals of travelling with the tour company is that the details are handled in advance.

“They set this up, take care of all the details,” Sandler said.

“All I have to do is just be the old fat man that has to drive the bus,” he joked. “They set this up and take care of all the details “

McDonald says visitors aways leave with a strong impression of Calgary, the mountains and the Stampede itself.

“They get up here and see the beauty of the mountains and they’re thrilled to death.”

For McDonald, the sell is easy.

“It’s the greatest show on earth,” he said. “It’s a great thing for us who run it, because we just have to get them there, and the Stampede does the rest.”