Camping on Vancouver Island

Cedar Springs Ranch is for sale.

http://www.cedarspri...m/services.html

$2.7M seems pretty reasonable on the face of it.

Listing:  https://www.realtor....2L0-Z3-Mill-Bay

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 17 May 2018 - 11:11 AM.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...5057159?cmp=rss

For those of us that camp on the west coast in August, when the fog rolls in, you can see the water droplets.  It's like a continuous drizzle.  

So now I have no way of drying out gear.  Great!

On our fishing trip over the long weekend to some pretty remote VI locations have to give a shout out to three new (to me) campground facilities which I wholeheartedly give a thumb's up to for those folks into fishing, kite boarding, paddle boarding or hiking; first is the Ditidadt First Nation near Nitinat Lake, a mecca for wind and kite board surfing:

https://nitinahtcampground.com/

The Ditidaht are super friendly and helpful; the campsite is on band land obviously, literally a 60 second drive from the village proper. It gets busy this time of year because it is the northern terminus of the West Coast Trail. Aside from hikers from all over the world there are fishermen like our group who mostly stay at the ten unit motel run by the FN, and frequently logging crews since the west coast of VI and points north are basically "logging central". Note there is currently a lot of logging activity on the central west coast of the island so be vigilant especially on the logging routes as they increase in gradient and elevation. The big rigs and heavy equipment are certainly not going to move to get out of your way......

Next up is the China Creek camping area which is a huge facility catering in particular to the RV and boating crowd.

https://campchinacreek.com/

China Creek is located well up the Alberni Inlet and is a major recreational boating destination; like Nitinaht there are plenty of sites for RV's of all sizes and of course tents.

Note that both of these campgrounds are accessible only via the Carmanah Main and related logging roads such as the Gordon Main, the Walbran Main etc. These are major league logging roads and not for the faint of heart; if you don't own or have access to a vehicle appropriate to these route conditions then go elsewhere.

This is all serious back country terrain so plan accordingly and include emergency food/water, a compass, maps, extra fuel, first aid kit, warm clothing, tool kit, shovel, chain saw etc. And yes bear spray as we encountered a big male black bear high up on the Carmanah Main, and were fortunate to see some Roosevelt Elk across a meadow near the Gordon Main.

Last but certainly not least is the Stamp River campground just past Pt Alberni which we also accessed via the Carmanah Main only because we were coming from the west coast. Obviously you can get there via the Island Highway if you're heading up the east coast of the island.

http://vancouverisla...tamp-river.html

This is a smaller but beautiful first class location/facility perched literally beside the Stamp River which is one of great fishing rivers on the west coast. Its about a 15 minute drive beyond Pt Alberni proper. You can fish literally steps from your tent or RV but read the regs first for restrictions, which are strictly enforced (it was one of the few recreational locations in my recent experience where DFO actually showed up to check our licenses).

Edited by AllseeingEye, 02 July 2019 - 08:56 PM.

Awesome recap, ASE.

Here's a view of the lake from up above Carmanah Main, looking west. I snapped this a few weeks ago. Dididaht would be just to the left of where you can no longer see the lake shore on the opposite side.

https://www.independ...t-a8984691.html

^^ Europe had a heck of a hot June, for sure. But Victoria's was pretty average.

Yup recognized it right away, heh. Good pic. Here are a few of the Nitinat River, the Stamp River, the Alberni Canal also taken from Carmanah Main, and a view looking south from the latter which underscores what kind of terrain and country prospective campers can expect especially on the west coast.

Out of the sites we saw and visited China Creek is physically the most impressive - its huge, with a significant boating component - while the Stamp River campground which is smaller, around 30-35 sites, was my favorite mainly because the river is literally ten meters from the nearest camp sites. Also as its within 20 minutes of Pt Alberni in the event you need emergency or other services you can reach them relatively quickly. Otherwise once out in logging country you are on your own.

Camping in provincial parks will be open to only B.C residents this summer, the provincial ministry of environment has announced.

People with previous bookings received an email this morning, informing them that non-B.C. residents with existing reservations will be cancelled, with a refund. The email stated that any new reservations made after May 15 by non-B.C. residents will be subject to immediate cancellation without a refund.

https://www.vicnews....-amid-covid-19/

who is going to check all the IDs in beacon hill park?  tents and motorhomes.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 May 2020 - 06:36 PM.

doesn't this happen almost every year?

“Overwhelming numbers” of people trying to reserve campsites on the first day of availability led to technical problems with bookings on the B.C. Parks Discover Camping website, the Ministry of Environment says.

Some took to social media to complain about not being able to get their summer vacations squared away.

https://www.timescol...ites-1.24140801

Why leave town when you can camp for free at many of Victoria's city parks? 

Why leave town when you can camp for free at many of Victoria's city parks?

And food! Brought right to your door.

Residents will once again be able to enjoy some of Greater Victoria’s camping options.

The Capital Regional District (CRD) will reopen regional park campgrounds on June 5, including sites at Island View Beach, Sooke Potholes and Jordan River regional parks.

https://www.vicnews....al-campgrounds/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 27 May 2020 - 04:06 PM.

^ island view is super tight and cramped sites jammed together. They really should half the number of sites, not just for this summer but permanently.

And food! Brought right to your door.

Edited by todd, 27 May 2020 - 08:25 PM.

Spring and summer have produced a bumper crop for sales of recreational vehicles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Craig Little, owner of Arbutus RV & Marine Sales, says sales have increased 25 to 40 per cent compared to last year.

“We set a record in February, and March was right up there as well,” says Little, who co-owns five locations on Vancouver Island with his wife, Rose. “There was a drop in April, but it picked up again in May and we’re having our best June in 32 years. There’s a significant increase in first-time buyers who haven’t experienced the lifestyle before.”

https://www.vicnews....ore-and-beyond/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 August 2020 - 04:55 PM.

too many RVs, not enough places for them to go...