Best Camping / Outdoors Places

[The Pinkfingers]

We're planning a road trip for July (providing our Delica gets here by then )

What are the best spots to drive a Delica to - camping and sight seeing. We're not interested in West Edmonton Mall - more into natural wonders where we can also geocache. So...

1. What's your best spot?

2. Why is it your best spot?

[kb&2dogs]

Any where on Vancouver Island (presuming you don't mind the ferry ransom) north of Nanaimo. Get a backroads map book for free or cheap camping at Forestry sites. Lots of lakeside locations especially north of Campbell River, and a really nice spot outside Gold River (Muchalut Lake)

[clw54]

Check out this spot. Total wilderness ocean front camping. No water,electricity though they do have pit latrines. Doesn't get better than this. Near Uclulet on the Island. I should keep it a secret but for you guys I will share. http://www.musselbeachcampground.com/
Chris

[sasquatch-hunter]

I love to camp out on the west side of Harrison Lake, particularly all those spots after 20 MIle Bay.

[BCDelica]

Mussel beach a secret, don't think so - as long as people have that fear of a short gravel road with bling bling vehicles (FannyBayDelica popped to mind, LOL) or mega RV's it'll be good.

Fav/best destinations to get away for us on VI - if we actually want to pay for a campground; San Joseph Bay and Pachena Bay Campground. We like to be set for camping without a site (porta potti, folding table, etc), but don't start a BC backcountry road trip without noting forest service campsites along the route.

Cheers

[FalcoColumbarius]

Hey Pinkfingers, nice to meet you the other week. Get in touch with me and we can go for a coffee where you will be less likely to get wallpapered into the scenery... smiles.

Anyway, if you go down to North Shore Off Road, they have a book there called "The Backroad Chronicles, Volume One". It is $23.00, or there abouts ~ and really well written. It has a phenomenal description of various places that the author went to, including the environment, the conditions, the history of the place &c. It will inspire you, to be sure... smiles.

Falco.

[The Pinkfingers]

Hey Pinkfingers, nice to meet you the other week. Get in touch with me and we can go for a coffee where you will be less likely to get wallpapered into the scenery... smiles.

Anyway, if you go down to North Shore Off Road, they have a book there called "The Backroad Chronicles, Volume One". It is $23.00, or there abouts ~ and really well written. It has a phenomenal description of various places that the author went to, including the environment, the conditions, the history of the place &c. It will inspire you, to be sure... smiles.

Falco.

Cool thanks. Will do.

Thanks everyone for the ideas. Keep 'em coming.

[konadog]

Here is one of my top spots - the caver's cabin at Thanksgiving Cave near Tahsis. This shot was taken on the May long wknd Drat, 3 meters of snow STILL! There was almost twice as much at the peak of the season. Way over the top of the cabin. The weight almost crushed the 'ole shack but a group of young intrepid cavers slogged up there a couple of months ago and spent 2 days digging her out. Nice area, lots of steep, gnarly mtn. logging roads to rattle around on. VERY rugged country. Can't wait to be able to drive up there in Hazel - hope this year's snow is clear before it starts again in the fall !!!

[39Ronin]

I guess this is a post about a not so good camping spot but anyway... My 4 year daughter and I went to go camping with a buddy of mine and his family over the weekend and thought we would stay close to home as it is my daughters first camping experience (other than last summer one night in our tent in the yard) and we drove out to the Mamquam FSR past 9 mile, some of you may know this spot from the Test of Metal course. After the bridge on the right of the road is a river bank of sand, rocks and well thousands and thousands of shotgun shells mixed in with a variety of glass. A few other campers had made their way there, not to sound judgemental but they were the rowdy shotgun, fire buidling drinking type. So we found our own little spot a km away or so in the woods next to a burned out car and less shotgun shells. It was challenging to ask our kids constantly to stop touching shotgun shells and the like... so we packed up and went home. My little girl thinks we went camping even though we really didn't. I guess the question is how far do you have to go to avoid things like this?

[andre66]

I guess this is a post about a not so good camping spot but anyway... My 4 year daughter and I went to go camping with a buddy of mine and his family over the weekend and thought we would stay close to home as it is my daughters first camping experience (other than last summer one night in our tent in the yard) and we drove out to the Mamquam FSR past 9 mile, some of you may know this spot from the Test of Metal course. After the bridge on the right of the road is a river bank of sand, rocks and well thousands and thousands of shotgun shells mixed in with a variety of glass. A few other campers had made their way there, not to sound judgemental but they were the rowdy shotgun, fire buidling drinking type. So we found our own little spot a km away or so in the woods next to a burned out car and less shotgun shells. It was challenging to ask our kids constantly to stop touching shotgun shells and the like... so we packed up and went home. My little girl thinks we went camping even though we really didn't. I guess the question is how far do you have to go to avoid things like this?

As a responsible firearms owner i am disappointed to hear about the shotgun shells littering the ground where you chose to camp.
I have not gone out shooting (yet) on crown land but i promise you that anything i bring in, i will take out with me and if i see any other firearm related garbage left by others i will do my best to take that out as well.

Andre

[39Ronin]

Thats good to hear, I know there are responsible recreationists in every group. Like you said pack out what you brought in. I would have pitched in and cleaned up but it would have been a full time job of 5 days 8 hours a day to clean up that area and just keeping the kids safe was a full time job.

[jessef]

Check out this spot. Total wilderness ocean front camping. No water,electricity though they do have pit latrines. Doesn't get better than this. Near Uclulet on the Island. I should keep it a secret but for you guys I will share. http://www.musselbeachcampground.com/
Chris

In the winter it gets some heavy swell in there thumping the reef.

[The Pinkfingers]

We went delica-camping last week to Golden Ears. It was a pretty good campsite (we were at Gold Creek). Nothing super exciting, but a good place for families. Kids went swimming in Alouette Lake, and I did a 20km hike to the ridge before the peak. The trail is not marked too well, but it was an interesting hike nonetheless. Passed a couple of wilderness campsites. On the ridge the bugs were bionic, and I did not have a mosquito hat.

[patty]

Interior of B.C. "Scotch Creak". Though reservations would have had to been made well in advanced for the summer months.

[dfnder]

Hello,

These places are not so hidden but certainly enjoyable...

I told a friend the other day if I am ever to spend a single day camping with the family that the one place it would be is Bromley Rock http://princeton.travel.bc.ca/listings/ ... ark/21731/

Bromley Rock is where my family always stopped for a swim and to stretch our legs when I was young. I have continued the tradition with my family whenever we go that way and now my kids love the place.

The other place my children have really enjoyed was Katherine Lake on the sunshine coast http://www.scrd.ca/index.php?page_id=344

This lake was really quiet during the week which was nice and then on the weekend many locals came to swim and relax.

Cheers, Peter