Parlee Beach Campground Review- Shediac, New Brunswick

My mom at Parlee Beach Campground in the 80s

My dad at Parlee Beach Campground in the 80s

I've been camping at this campground almost every Summer since I was a toddler- so I've got over 25 years of experience camping there. We started taking our son camping there when he was just 18 months old. We took him to Parlee Beach for the first time at 4 months old.

Since becoming a parent and being a part of various local mom groups I've seen Parlee Beach Campground get mixed reviews. I'm writing this post to give you an honest review built on years of experience camping there, including pictures, stories, and tips and tricks!

Parlee Beach Provincial Campground is a campground located at 45 Parlee Beach Rd.
Pointe-du-Chêne (Shediac) New Brunswick. It features 207 camping sites for both tents and trailers. My favorite part about it is how convenient the location is- it's a 10-15 minute walk to Parlee Beach, has a playground for kids, is directly across the road from the Neptune Drive-In Theatre, and is within walking distance of a convenience store. Restaurants, shopping, a splash pad, grocery stores and pointe-du-chene wharf are a 5 minute drive away.

Booking Tips

Like I mentioned before, we have been camping there for years, so through experience, I've learned the best way to book a site. If you've been camping here before, you may have a favourite camping site. If you love the spot you stay in, write down the site number! It makes it so much easier to book the same site again when you know the number. When you book online, you have the option to choose which site you book and see photos of it. "Campground C" is the open field with sits on the other side of the playground. The sites are nice and grassy, but you are essentially camping in an open field and there isn't a lot of trees for shade. You also have to walk across the field to reach the washrooms and showers, which isn't ideal for tenters. We have never camped in this section.

"Campground A" and "Campground B" are both right beside each other/flow into each other. I'm not even really sure why they label them separately, as there is no distinct separation between the two. Both have serviced and unserviced sites, trees for shade, etc. There are definitely some sites that are better than others, so I encourage you to check the photos on the booking page for each site you're interested in. They accept credit cards or debit visa, so it's super convenient to book online! If you love your site, after your trip you can even book it for the year ahead at the office while checking out.

Note: When you get there to check in, they will need your license plate number and a $10 deposit for the security gate key card. This is not included in the booking price, but you get your deposit back upon checking out.

Click HERE to see the map of the sites and to make your reservation.

We made the mistake of NOT checking the photos on the site below and ended up sleeping on a slope, on top of tree roots and pine needles. Not ideal.

This site below was much better. It's on a grassy lot, near the bathroom and showers, which was perfect for us last Summer when our son was potty training. I highly recommend checking how far you are from the bathrooms before booking your site. The website has a handy map of all sites that details which sites are serviced and which are not, shows where all of the bathrooms and showers are located, and if you click on each site it will bring up an actual photo of the site. If you're worried about hearing people going to and from the bathroom- it honestly did not bother us at all. We barely noticed the people going to the bathroom and no one walked through our site to get there.

This is our FAVOURITE camp site! We’ve booked this exact site for several camping trips. You can choose your site on their website!

In regards to the cleanliness of the bathrooms, I've never noticed an issue. The one near the site we book is newer and very clean. Keep in mind that you are camping near a beach and you will probably see sand on the bathroom floors from time to time before the bathrooms are cleaned. I've seen this complaint in other forums before and honestly- it's camping, lighten up.

NOTE: The showers are coin operated and take quarters. We have always had hot water while showering here.

I love getting a spot near the back or edges of the campground because the roads are much less busy than the center roads, which is great for playing with the kids and not worrying about traffic. My son LOVED having that tree to play on and around, and it provided great shade on hot days.