Shaw's Point Resort is at the edge of Lesser Slave Lake in Alberta, Canada, and is a 210-acre family-owned campground. It is known for its yearly Canada Day celebration featuring fireworks and parades. The Golden Walleye Tournament, which takes place each September, is also a prominent event hosted on the premises. Guests can also enjoy boating and fishing since the resort is located on the edge of Lesser Slave Lake. Many amenities are available such as an on-site store, restaurant, laundromat, open-air market, and convenience store. Visitors should also be aware that Shaw's Point Resort has a first-come-first-serve policy on almost all available units except for its seasonal campsite and five cabins. Mariah Herben and her family own the campground.
Shaw's Point Resort is located on a small peninsula near the northwestern corner of Lesser Slave Lake. The lake has been known for its fishing and boating opportunities in Alberta, Canada, and is about a half-hour drive from High Prairie, the nearest town. Its larger counterpart, Slave Lake, can be found an hour away from the campground. The remainder of the surrounding area mainly consists of dense forests and small rivers.
Portions of the campground are more wooded than others. More specifically, Mariah Herben, one of the resort's owners, estimates that trees provide shade for approximately half of the camping area. The vicinity predominantly lacks mountains or hills, making for a relatively flat landscape. One notable landmark is a place named The Lookout. Visitors can enjoy a view atop the highest point of the area, allowing them to see natural white sand beaches on both sides.
There are approximately 600 units available at the Shaw's Point Resort. Some of these are seasonal sites, meaning that their corresponding visitors pay a yearly rent for access to those spaces whenever they want to stay. These sites also include individual sewer lines. Additionally, service sites are available and are typically used by senior visitors or others with special needs. Water hookups and electricity are provided, with power available at 15, 20, 30, or 50 amps depending on the campsite. An overflow area without amenities is also open to visitors who want to camp overnight.
Five cabins are also available and can be reserved in advance. All but one have a single bedroom, that being the fifth cabin, which has two. Each cabin ranges from having two double beds or bunks with an additional single bed per bedroom. Individual bathrooms and showers are also part of each cabin save one, which has a bathroom but no shower. They also include couches, chairs and tables, TVs, DVD players, fully equipped kitchens, grills, ovens, stoves, and refrigerators. It is asked that guests who plan to stay at the cabins bring personal bedding, pillows, and towels.
The Shaw's Point Resort also provides several on-site amenities. A general convenience store located southwest of the campground can provide visitors with groceries, snacks and candy, firewood, fish tackle, and RV hardware. Additionally, pizza and burgers are available at the Shaw's Point Restaurant on the southeastern end of the resort. An open-air farmers market opens every Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, in addition to Saturday nights for kids' movie viewings. It can also be reserved and function as a gathering place for larger groups of people. Rentable storage units, a fish cleaning station, a laundromat, and a sewage dumping area are available. Finally, visitors can take their children to two playgrounds and separate horseshoe pits on the premises.
Apart from the park's base features and amenities, various rentals can be accessed through Shaw's Point Resort. The resort offers eight pontoon boats, several kayaks, and a canoe. Two marinas for docking and launching boats are located at the edge of the campground. A dog beach is open for guests to bring their pets. The resort also operates a few water treatment plants, which means that all the water at Shaw's Point Resort is drinkable.
Because High Prairie, the nearest town, is half an hour away and has a population of roughly 2,500 people, guests generally do most of their activities at the resort. If they don't, they can visit High Prairie and visit the local museum. The owner Mariah also recommends they visit either The Boondocks restaurant or the Spotted Fawn Coffee Roasters. Visitors can find local grocery stores if they have the need.
When it comes to the atmosphere of Shaw's Point Resort, the owners' main goal is for visitors to feel like they are "in a second home" or "being taken care of by family." Since it is a family-owned business, they feel it should be their aim to form a family-centric community that promotes a sense of "hominess," and attempt to create a positive relationship with their customers. If guests have a special need or want to give feedback, the staff do what they can to act in a promptly manner.
Mariah, one of the property's owners, along with her family, prioritize maintaining a good relationship with their visitors. They have created several Facebook groups where their guests can join and keep in touch with Mariah and her family. She feels like this has largely contributed to the "tightly-knit atmosphere" of Shaw's Point Resort. Many of the reoccurring visitors know each other well because of the time they have spent at the campground. In fact, Mariah estimates that about 60% of people who come to Shaw's Point Resort are regular guests. Some of them have been attending since before the campground was officially established in 1985, and Mariah feels like she has many satisfied friends among her visitors. One patron said the following of the campground: "Amazing place to have a camping trip with good access to fishing by shore or boat..." Mariah feels like her guests are mainly drawn to the environment and familial atmosphere of the site.
Shaw's Point Resort has a first-come-first-serve policy on all their campsites except for the season sites and the five cabins, which can be reserved in advance. The resort is mostly pet-friendly and includes the dog beach, but pets are not allowed in four of the five cabins.
Apart from the Saturday night kids movies and farmers market events, other events near Shaw's Point Resort include a Canada Day celebration every first weekend of July with an on-site fireworks show. This celebration also features a parade, bouncy castles, and other family-friendly activities. Each first week of September, the resort hosts the Golden Walleye Tournament. Visitors can fish competitively and mainly catch walleye or pike. Due to these activities, Shaw's Point Resort is a common gathering place for family reunions and fishermen.
In the early 1980s, Carson and Ann Porisky acquired the land and used it as a gravel pit. However, Carson felt that the campground industry was in high demand and loved the land, so it was converted to a campground in 1985. It has functioned as such for the last 37 years and has been passed down from generation to generation. Currently, their great-granddaughter, Mariah, and her immediate family are the owners of Shaw's Point Resort.
Mariah loves what she does. She says her favorite part about her job is the family-centric community she has helped build, coupled with the environment that the land provides. It is anticipated that Shaw's Point Resort will operate for many more years by her and her family.
The campground has seen several renovations during its 37 years of operation. The stores and laundromats were upgraded about eight years ago, and the farmers market was added in 2017. In the future, Mariah's family plans to include more events in their resort. They also want to build a new, larger laundromat and a new restaurant.
Campground
Mariah Herben
Carson and Ann Porisky
