Our 3 Favourite BC Camping Spots

We love to go camping, and we have our favourite BC camping spots we like to hit, although one of them we don’t get to anymore. I feel uneasy as it is very close to where my previous boss has a cabin, and I just don’t feel like running into him at the beach. But if that weren’t in the way, we’d still go camping here at least once a year!

Camping is my happy place and it’s how I spent summers growing up. Even if we didn’t go very far, just up to Cultas Lake it was a great time. Going with friends or with family, camping was always something I looked forward to. And to this day, I look forward to every camping trip. At the time of writing this, we had just been in Tofino and it rained A LOT.

Rain doesn’t matter to me with a proper setup. I worked really hard to convince Jason to add some shelter to our camping supplies, specifically for beachfront sites where trees aren’t necessarily there to help create a tarp shelter. I love my husband, but sometimes it takes a lot of work to convince him that something is necessary. But now we have these things, he’s happy, and I’m over the moon about being not only correct but now also sheltered. I’m a Leo; I love to be correct 😉 I don’t love bringing endless jackets with me, and I am not using an umbrella while camping.

Let’s go over our 3 favourite BC camping spots and their pros and cons.

MacKenzie Beach – Beachfront Camping

Vancouver Island

Since we did just get back from Tofino, let’s start there. This was our second camping trip together way back when, and we fell in love immediately. Now, when we came here back in 2007 or whatever year that was, you couldn’t reserve beachfront spots. Those spots were on a first-come, first-serve basis. On our first night, we were in the forested area, and got up and headed to the office to get in line to try and snag a beachfront spot. And we did! I love being by the beach, and so does Jason. Now that we have Brie, she lives her best life there.

The beachfront sites are walk-in only; no cars. Cars need to stay up in the parking lot, so if you’re bringing a lot of stuff, this may be a deterrent for you. But to us, it’s worth it. We bring the tent, tarps, and canopy down there first, get it set up and then bring the rest of the stuff. Remember to keep your food in sealed containers and this is the only site we go to where we keep food, not in the car. I mean, it’s BC so really it’s bear territory 9 times out of 10.

The beachfront sites are very close together and on the smaller side, so if you’re wanting a bit of privacy, these may not be the sites for you. However, when we’ve come with my sister and Brett, we’ve taken two sites as I think they have a max of one tent per site. MacKenzie Beach is dog-friendly, and Brie just loves to run along the beach. There is a restaurant and cafe on-site, full washroom amenities (pay for shower), and a rental shop for paddleboarding/wet suits. MacKenzie beach is not for surfing, but Cox Bay just down the road is fantastic for surfing. You can purchase firewood and ice on-site as well, however, we have not had much luck with their firewood. So we bring our own or grab some on the way.

Getting to Tofino involves a Ferry ride to Nanaimo from the mainland, and then it’s about a 3-hour drive from Nanaimo to Tofino, not including the construction. The bain of my existence is this never-ending Kennedy Hill construction where they only have one lane that alternates at the top of the hour 15 minutes each way.

I hope that it’s finished by next Summer, but honestly, it’s been about 15 years, so why stop now.

Katherine Lake – Forest/Beach Camping

Sunshine Coast

I absolutely love the sunshine coast, and it’s basically an extension of the lower mainland. But the vibe is very Island, and I love it!

Our friends introduced us to Katherine Lake campsite back when I still worked at the furniture store which I left in 2014. We would always get the back two campsites so we’re forested but can see the lake. Brie was allowed here as well, and she loved it. The dogs can’t be on the beach, but she can get into the lake from a different access point.

The sites are quite large and close to the washrooms, and you can drive your car up. Definitely keep your food in the car when on the Sunshine Coast 🙂 It’s a very small lake but keeps the crowds away. The ownership is amazing, but if you want a spot, you’ll need to book it once they open up reservations.

I really do miss camping here, and if I could get over the fact that this is where my previous boss’ cabin is, I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Kentucky-Alleyne Lake – Beach/Forest Camping

South-Central Interior of BC

This is a recent discovery, and honestly, its biggest downfall is that it is a Provincial Park.

In 2020, we discovered our love for stand-up paddle boarding, and we bought ourselves a couple of boards from Thurso Surf. As soon as we got them, we wanted to take them out, and the weather gods were in a good mood. It was October, and typically in the interior, the weather is cool. Nope! With temps in the low to mid-20s (celsius for those of you that don’t think metric), we booked a hotel in Merritt and took our boards up to this lake that Jason had found.

We loved Kentucky-Alleyne lake (only Kentucky; the Alleyne side was closed for the season) and knew we wanted to come back and go camping. We rolled our eyes though because we knew it would be difficult. I’d honestly rather purchase concert tickets than attempt to snag a BC Provincial Park camping site. It’s no joke around here, but we did manage to snag a spot at the end of July 2021. Let’s just be thankful the flood occurred before we were away because there is limited cell reception.

We had a spot right on the lake, so we just kept our boards down by the path and headed out a lot. It was very smokey last summer, and honestly, I should’ve probably not been out in the smoke for that long, but YOLO!

The spots are drive-in, and as it is a BC Provincial Park, the amenities are barebone. But if you can get over using an outhouse, the lake is totally worth it. If you only know City Ashley, you would think there’s no way that a camping Ashley even exists, but it’s true. Outhouse on a random road trip; no thanks. Outhouse when camping; what, like it’s a problem?

For camping, there is a decent amount of privacy, and the sites right along the lake, don’t have much shade. This is the other reason I wanted to get a canopy – the poor dog needs shade and honestly, so does my Scottish skin lol. There’s little to no cell reception (for Rogers customers anyway), which is perfect for me. The less contact I have with the outside world, the better. Camping Ashley very much loves being disconnected. Odd for a social media manager, hey?

There was a fire ban in 2021, so not having access to firewood wasn’t a problem, but you’re only 15 minutes outside of Merritt which is a city that has everything you’d need.

BC Camping Spots – Private or Provincial?

Honestly, I prefer private sites. But that is solely for the reason that snagging Provincial park spots can be so difficult and you have to be flexible with your dates. You can only book two months in advance, and if you’re not logged in and ready right at 7 am, you’re not getting a spot.

We did snag another Kentucky-Alleyne spot this year, but we’re not going until the end of July, and there will likely be a fire ban in place. We have limited flexibility due to summer schedules between Jason and Derek so I’m so thankful we could make it work. We promised Anna we’d bring her, so at least we’re not breaking a promise!

Most people prefer the private spots as they have more amenities such as showers, but to me, I would rather wait until I get home because you just never fully full clean if you’re having a quick shower. BC Parks has some gorgeous lakes and rivers, so I would recommend trying to snag a spot if it is somewhere you want to try. I do know that Kentucky-Alleyne allows off-season camping that is a first-come, first-serve basis. You can learn more about which BC Parks allow this on their website.

If you live in BC, which do you prefer? If you live outside of BC, do you prefer Provincial/State parks or do you prefer private sites?