St. Malo Provincial Park — Attraction in Rural Municipality of De Salaberry

We generally enjoy this park a lot and have for many years but a member of our camping family had a situation this weekend that ruined their weekend. The situation I feel could have been handled quite differently on the park staffs part, as the pair seemed to be having a bad start to their shift. We were all gathering for dinner on Saturday, on one site to share a meal together, enjoying each other's company, and spend an early evening together, like we have for many years at this park. While eating, we got a visit from 2 park staff asking for the person who was camped at a specific site, 3 sites over. They went with the officers to see what was going on. When they arrived at the site the park staff stated that their little dog could not be left alone in the camper ( the dog was not barking or fussing ) and they could be fined. The camper let them know that the officers on the previous shift had indicated it was okay to leave the dog there as long as the windows were open and had screens. It was not hot out and had plenty of breeze and this little dog is older and likes to sleep. After the camper shared this, the officers seemed to be irritated by the comment. They then proceeded to look around and indicated that they were going to issue a $300.00 fine for an unsupervised fire, which was 2 pieces smoldering in the fire pit with the grate closed over top. The camper indicated that they were unaware of that policy (the brochure did state no unsupervised fires, as we checked later ) and indicated that perhaps a warning was more in order and they would ensure to not leave any coals in the pit in the future. The officers proceeded to issue the ticket. I do not feel that public servants should have bad attitudes or look for reasons to teach lessons. They were both rude and could have handled this situation a lot differently. They need to ensure they are representing the parks in a helpful and friendly manner to resolve issues, not to immediately teach lessons in punitive ways, especially when there is 100% cooperation and acceptance of the ticket ( even though I would not have considered the pit to have a fire in it. It was contained and in the proper fire pit...

The park was easy to find. It is located near the town of St Malo . There is pavement all the way until you turn into the parameter roads. Signage is adequate. Check in was efficient and friendly. The rules are fairly basic.

Our site, Bay 1 site 5, was a pull through that was easily long enough for our Coach and Towed. Services (30 amp only) was to the left side. Distancing is very reasonable for a Provincial Park. All sites had a vegetation barrier. Each site has a table and a fire pit. Our site was flat and even. Overall the park was pretty and well manicured.

There is no included wifi. We did find a few OTA TV. Satellite might be difficult because of the trees if you don’t have a portable dish. We did not use the washrooms or pay showers but we checked and found them clean. Cell service is a little sketchy. The most we found was two bars.

There is are pathways that runs along and through property. Canoe and Paddle boat rentals are available at the man made lake as well as a sandy beach. There is a concession stand as well that sells Ice Cream etc.

The village of St Malo is about 2 Km by vehicle where you can find a restaurant/pub and a grocery store. We found this park to be a well run Provincial Park. We paid $19.95 inc tax per night and we feel we received very good value. We will be back if in...

St Malo Provicial Park - Manitoba

Overall good experience during our visit in September 2023.

Pros: -2 seperate very clean beaches -4 playgrounds located throughout the park, a little dated but functional -decent sized calm lake good for canoeing (no gas powered motors allowed on the lake) -numerous sites most of them private -small store and firewood available on site -modern rager station -adjacent to a small town and off a major paved highway -only about an hour south of winnipeg -well kept park -modern showers available (coin operated) -mini golf in park -modern washrooms throughout park -no wildlife concerns -water and dump stations readily accessible

Cons-

-Very busy during weekends -busier than most provincial parks during the week -some washrooms are dated and some showers are awkwardly open and accessible to all inside washrooms (just a curtain no door/lock) -minimal hiking trails -washrooms, showera and some outhouse are becoming date but still fully functional

Overall...