BC Campgrounds - recommendations?

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Pat

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I'm considering spending the summer in BC. I would like to find a campground or two with full hookups, reasonable pricing, and mountain biking.  Whistler is way beyond my budget.  I prefer not to have to ferry to an island, such as Victoria.  This does not need to be near the ocean or any water, for that matter.  Good cross country bike trails are much more important.  Thanks.

--pat
 
The Okanogan valley, just N of eastern Washington should fit your bill.
 
Hi Pat,

Re Vancouver RV places in BC.  Let me confine this to the Vancouver area (I live just outside of Vancouver) and would suggest Burnaby Cariboo RV Park & campground at:

http://www.bcrv.com/

It's a very nice spot with very gracious owner / operators.  It's not far from downtown Vancouver (I stayed there for about two months in 2005 and commuted in to downtown Vancouver for my daily radiation treatment).  Rather than tell you what they have, I suggest you visit their website.

They are quite close to Burnaby Lake and I do believe there are biking trails there.  In North Vancouver, (across the harbour from downtown Vancouver) I think Grouse Mountain has mountain biking trails--it's a ski mountain overlooking the urban area.

If you narrow the criteria a bit from "summer" and "in BC," I might be able to offer you some further comments related to southern BC, from Vancouver to the Alberta border.

Ciao,

Doug


Spending "the summer in BC"
 
Pat:

We loved the Provincial Parks just north of Harrison Hot Springs.  Beautiful scenery, good fishing, and lots of biking.
 
If you want something further north and a bit more rustic, the Blue Spruce campground outsideof Prince George is a decent place.  It's a couple miles off the highway with a nice country atmosphere, but only a few miles from the city. Prince George is big enough to offer all the amenities but not so large it is hard to get around. The Riverside Campground & Golf Course in Smithers, BC is also a decent place and Smithers is quite a nice town. Both of these are along Hwy 16 (Yellowhead Hwy) in central BC
 
These look good.  Thanks.  I'm researching them all.  I wouldn't have thought to look at the Vancouver area, thinking urban rates would be high.  I've bookmarked websites for these.

--pat
 
Hi Pat, in the interior of BC, just north of the border and directly above Spokane (3 hr. away) is the town of Trail which has a huge Metals Smelter & Refinery (very interesting to tour and not as smoky as you might think), the Columbia River with great fishing, and this campground:

http://www.trail.worldweb.com/WheretoStay/Campgrounds/. I mention this just in case you are looking for Mountain Biking. Just up the hill (six miles up) is Rossland and Red Mountain a ski area, which has become well known for summer mountain biking. The area is also interesting for the town of Nelson (quite picturesque in a turn of the century railroad & gov't town kind of way) and lots and lots of small mountain lakes (some of which I wouln't attempt to take a trailer into, but the locals should be able to help on this topic).

If you are looking for the flatland bike riding, avoid Trail as there are basically two directions, up and down as opposed to the usual four.

Cheers,
John B.
 
cc:  I don't mind biking up, but I hate coming back down when it's steep.  I did the ski lift, bike down Big Mountain in Whitefish MT a couple times. I remember the crosswinds as I attempted to stay on a trail approximately 7" wide, straight up on one side and a really steep slope down on the other.  I enjoyed biking up Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County north of San Francisco, but I hated the few minutes it took to get back down. Even with disk brakes.  I'm more of a cross country rider.

I looked into the recommended park near Vancouver.  Their summer rate for a rig 31 feet or smaller was $800 per month US at current exchange rates.  That's their weekly rate times 52 divided by 12, since they don't have a monthly rate.  They have a 2-week minimum.  Almost a thousand Canadian.  Way over my budget.  It's seems to be a huge park with some workout equipment, a pool, and a few other things, but I think the cost is mainly because of its proximity to Vancouver. 

--pat
 
Hi Pat,

It's seems to be a huge park with some workout equipment, a pool, and a few other things, but I think the cost is mainly because of its proximity to Vancouver.

I don't think of it as a huge park--can't say for sure, but I think less than 200 sites.  Huge for me are places (Golden Village Palms in Hemet, CA) with over 1000 sites.

The sites are reasonably tight, yet the park is not cramped. 

And yes, I'm sure the price reflects proximity to downtown Vancouver.  You could try places a little further east (and just off the Trans Canada), but even there I don't think you'll find them that much less than the approx $31Cdn per day at BCRV.  Don't forget, tourism is big for Vancouver. 

Hope you'll still visit BC; the prices will be lower outside of the urban areas.  In Cache Creek, Brookside was $22/day; provincial campgrounds are less, but generally don't have any power and quite often no water.

Ciao,

Doug


 
Pat:

We have stayed at both Burnaby and Capilano RV Park just across the Lions Gate Bridge in North Vancouver. Both are VERY tight for our 40' m/h but we have found Capilano to be much less expensive and more convienent to a shopping center next door, downtown, the north coast, and to Lions Gate Park that has great walking and biking trails.

Both are in built up areas so if you are looking for the great outdoors it is a fair distance away.
 
I'm interested in monthly rates, which are generally a whole lot cheaper than daily rates. I heard from another park way inland at Okanagan. Monthly rate was over $600 US, plus tax.  I can go 14 miles south of the border on I-5 for $400 per month.  It's almost a suburb of Vancouver.  Less hassle with cellphone fees, auto and health insurance.  And, of course, currency.  I thought the spaces at the Vancouver park looked small. 

Interesting learning experience. 

--pat
 
I can go 14 miles south of the border on I-5 for $400 per month.

Well, Pat, that's roughly $10+ / day and I don't think I've ever come across a park, not even a BC provincial park (which I think all charge but few provide any services other than showers and flush toilets in some cases) for $10 a day.

But, there's a lot to see in WA.

Ciao,

Doug
 
Doug:  Once you get into monthly rates, you can find some great bargains.  In fact, $400 per month is the park's summer premium rate.  I know parks that charge significantly less year round, and they're very nice places.  Many park owners are becoming more interested in monthly tenants, so I assume it's a lucrative market.  It works for me, because I like to blend in and get to know an area. The place I spent the last two summers, I even got a library card. 

--pat
 
Pat said:
Doug:  Once you get into monthly rates, you can find some great bargains.  In fact, $400 per month is the park's summer premium rate.  I know parks that charge significantly less year round, and they're very nice places.  Many park owners are becoming more interested in monthly tenants, so I assume it's a lucrative market.  It works for me, because I like to blend in and get to know an area. The place I spent the last two summers, I even got a library card. 

--pat
Click to expand...

Hi Pat,

We're, I suppose, the opposite to you in a pattern of park residence.  Ten days in one spot is just about our max.  I think that when we spent three and a half months in southern CA and AZ in the winter of 2004, our longest stop was in Hemet for two weeks.  Mind you, we stayed at the same Hemet park twice during that period.

And of course, we're not fulltiming--you are, aren't you?

Ciao,

Doug
 
Doug:  I fulltime, for the most part. I house sit for my brother, which is turning into 4 months this winter.  They have a 30 amp outlet, water, and MH slab alongside the house, so I could live in the MH, but my cat loves the house.  My brother and sister-in-law have fun in their MH on a lake fishing.  I'm in my MH Nov through Jan and May through Sept. 

Right now I'm at McDowell Mountain Park northeast of Phoenix.  Great place.  My two weeks are up tomorrow morning.  Hope I don't get bumped to overflow.  I checked occupancy at 5 this afternoon, and there were still about 4 sites available.  At least one MH came in after that, though.  Don't these people have jobs to go to on Monday mornings? Sheesh.

--pat
 
Right now I'm at McDowell Mountain Park northeast of Phoenix. 

Ah yes, I know of that spot fro when we spent our first winter down that way in winter 2004.  We haven't stayed there, though.

Take care,

Doug
 
Some of the best mountainbiking can be found at Silver Star Mountain near Vernon BC. Around Vernon, there are a number of places that are great for biking. There is a nice trail at Kalamalka Provincial park where you can bike about 4Kms down to Cousons Bay and enjoy a somewhat secluded beach. As for RV places to stay, there is a nice sheltered RV park near Kalamalka Lake that is affordable and a short walk to the beach. From Vernon, you can also visit the Kettle Valley Trestle System which was an old mountain train trail turned into a biking route. Some of the bridges burned a couple years ago but I think they were rebuilt.

Mile By Mile Highway Guides has info on the area and a link to Kettle Valley info.
http://www.milebymile.com/main/Cana..._British_Columbia_road_map_travel_guides.html

Whistler is crazy expensive. You want to visit the interior of BC. The weather is a lot warmer and drier in the summer and there are wine tours. Remember that in Canada you can get a DUI conviction if your riding your bike after getting into the sauce!
 
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