Forum Discussion

Brett_G's avatar
Brett_G
Explorer
Jul 15, 2019

Places to stay in BC

Hello. My wife and I are travelling from Victoria BC to Calgary AB.
We’d like to boondock in areas that have beautiful lakes & mountains as backgrounds.
Does anyone have any specific suggestions?
Waiting to hear from you...
  • Ten-four, good buddy! You can see that it's been a while since I tried to boondock in BC!! ;)
  • Dan..the use of CB's is pretty much long past in most resource based industries...ie:logging. They have moved to VHF. No license required but there's no more lingo.

    Brett..if you are truly wanting to look for out of the way places, check out the Backroad Books. The province is represented in 5? books and they show every single wee road in the province, along with lakes and parks. Great resource. Aren't they Off-Highway....


    Gary Haupt
  • Well I’d like to thank all you travelling folks for your answers and your help it’s been great. ??
  • Brett, there are places to boondock on Crown land, but be aware that if there is active logging, you need to be able to pull over and let the trucks through.

    Some folks carry CB radios so that they can monitor truck traffic. If there is a truck coming down the hill with a big load, you will want to stop in a wide spot and wait. The corners can get very tight -- the logs often stick out over the end of the truckload and "sweep" the shoulders of the road.

    There are other folks on this forum who know a lot more about this than I do, but I know just enough to be a little wary of taking a trailer into a logging zone.

    Having said all of that, the ordinary campgrounds in the Canadian national and provincial parks are world-class. So although the boondocking is not as "free and easy" as it is in the western part of the USA, the campgrounds are excellent. Great views, great locations, well maintained and staffed.
  • You asked for boondocking...are you asking for free sites or sites without the hook-ups?

    There aren't 'that many' free sites on lakes and creeks. Forestry sites tend to be away from lakes and streams. Not impossible to find...but few. If you are able to post your route to Calgary, there may be a few places to be suggested.

    Gary Haupt
    BC
  • How far are you willing to go off the highway? There are many forest service campgrounds that are little more than clearings in the bush beside a lake or stream but the roads can be rough. Check out Okanagan Lake Provincial Park and Kekuli Bay Provincial Park, no hookups but very clean and the views are stunning.
  • Hi,

    Welcome to the forums!

    There are a huge number of places to boondock in B.C.

    https://freecampsites.net/#!British+Columbia&query=region

    Many are accessible only by logging roads.

    Brett G wrote:
    Hello. My wife and I are travelling from Victoria BC to Calgary AB.
    We’d like to boondock in areas that have beautiful lakes & mountains as backgrounds.
    Does anyone have any specific suggestions?
    Waiting to hear from you...