Brigitte Legault – Inside Kananaskis Campground Services: Running 20 Campgrounds, Two Stores & a Seasonal Business

Brigitte Legault and her husband Dylan run Kananaskis Campground Services, managing nearly 20 campgrounds, two stores, a gas station, and 45 day-use areas across the Elbow Valley, Sheep River Valley, and Highwood. In this episode, she tells Gregg Hinton what it's like to operate a high-intensity seasonal business where Alberta Parks is the only customer and demand is never the problem.We get into the real cost of cleaning up after campers and why Leave No Trace matters, the underrated campgrounds most people never find (Beaver Flats, Blue Rock, Etherington, Cataract Creek), close calls with wildlife, and the transformation of the McLean Creek store into a community hub—ice cream, dirty sodas, local goods and Cowboy Trail Brewery's non-alcoholic Trail Ale included.A great listen for anyone who camps in K-Country, runs a seasonal or small business, or loves the Bragg Creek and Kananaskis community.Visit kananaskiscampgroundservices.com · Book through shop.albertaparks.ca · Grab your Kananaskis Conservation Pass before you go.00:00 – Intro (and the all-important Bigfoot question)01:30 – How Kananaskis Campground Services started02:30 – The scale: 20 campgrounds, 2 stores, 45 day-use areas, 28 staff04:00 – From Calgary tech consulting to the woods06:30 – Why Alberta Parks is the only customer08:00 – Leave No Trace, rates, and cleaning up after humanity11:00 – Different user groups: OHV, mountain bikers, hikers, birders13:00 – Best-kept-secret campgrounds: Beaver Flats, Blue Rock, Etherington & Cataract Creek15:30 – Where KCS sees itself in 5 years17:00 – Seasonal staffing and the travel-in-winter lifestyle20:00 – Wildlife encounters (bears, and one aggressive owl)23:00 – Building roots in the Bragg Creek community25:00 – Inside the McLean Creek store: ice cream, dirty sodas & Trail Ale29:00 – Rapid-fire: childhood dreams, first jobs & worst jobs33:00 – How to book & visit Kananaskis this season