Family-friendly Easy Camping Trips

[rayhyland]

Hi Folks,

We were wondering if anyone would be keen on some easy kid-friendly camping trips?

Although we do enjoy trips like Whipsaw that are further offroad, sometimes it is also nice to just have an easy drive to a nice campsite next to a creek or a small river, and spend a day or two relaxing and letting the kids build dams out of rocks, or try their hand at fishing and wienie-roasting.

There are some great spots we have visited along hwy 3, that are not too far from Vancouver. Far enough to be off the beaten track but not so far that the kids go stir-crazy in the back seat.

Please let me know if anyone is keen on some trips like this and we will try to organise a few suitable trips this summer.

If you have any suggestions please feel free to post them here too, we are always on the lookout for new spots.

The sites I am thinking of off the top of my head are:

1. The free creek-side camping site on the old Hedley road near Princeton - this is a well-maintained provincial site but it's on the old road, away from the highway, so it's usually pretty empty, it has a kid-safe section of river, and has a section of the old Dewdney wagon trail on the hill behind the campground for exploring. Not much shade at the river but the campsites themselves are shaded. Minutes from the restaurants in town in case of a heavy rainfall that washes out the wienie roasting.

2. The Copper Creek campsite that Pete showed us - this is a "primitive" site, it's well hidden so it's clean, and easily accessible by any land-rover but not by a trailer or motor-home so it's nice and quiet. Has the big creek for fishing, and a little creek for the kids to play in. This is a shady site so good in the hot months.

3. The old ghost-town by Coalmont. The Provincial campsite is usually full and busy, but across the creek there is a nice spot on the creekside below the old ghosttown. Nice little creek to dam up, and lots of crooked trees to climb. Also we are close enough to the provincial site to walk over to use their toilets if one prefers them to the "digging a hole" option.

[discojonny]

Ray my family is looking for the same thing. my kids are 5 and 7. I am looking at the last half of july and the first half of august as the best possibilities. The Mcgillvery trail sounds good but I think not for the family.

[PaulC]

Look up Cabin lake...i have camped there a couple of times....even over a long weekend and had only one other camper show up.

[Flyingcatfive]

Hi Ray,

Were up for some of that - trying to get out the next weekend here rain or shine. We have the 2 3/4 and 15 month boys! They love the whipsaw too but the quick escape is nice in between some of the rougher ones.

Jason

[ANDYD]

Hi Ray,

All good locations, count us in.

Are you heading over to the family friendly Rover Rally on the Island this week???

cheers,
Andy

[rayhyland]

We decided against that one Andi, looks like fun though. Maybe next year.

[rayhyland]

OK Folks, sounds like there is enough interest to do a few trips.

To summarize the previous posts, the location would be not too far from the lower mainland, and we would pick a kid-oriented campsite with a creek, lots of shade, and have a campfire for marshmallows, smores, etc. Those with no kids but just wanting a relaxing camping trip are still welcome.

For the first trip, I was thinking either we do

July 17/18th for those who don't want to take the kids on McGillivray,

or

if there are people who want to do McGillivray and the family trip, then we could do the family-trip the following weekend, June 24/25.

That's right around the corner, so please chime in asap.

Thanks everyone.

[discojonny]

I am up for some family camping next weekend. I am not aware of the mcgillvray trip, but am up for anything really.

Jonathan

[rayhyland]

Well, as it turns out I am a sponsor of the Hope Motorsports Summer Smash next weekend, and I need to have my truck there on display.

So we will do the weekend of 24/25th instead. Does that still work?

Ray

[ANDYD]

Hi Ray,

July 24th looks like it is earmarked for installing the planking on the Whipsaw bridge.
Maybe that would be a good weekend to grab that spot you cleaned up down by the old Granite City river. We can get the kids to help finish the bridge then retire with a beer besides the river?

Just a thought...

Cheers,
Andy

[rayhyland]

Hi Andy,

I am having difficulty accessing the Calendar section of the forum to see where the free dates are, is it just me or are we having technical difficulties?

ray

[ANDYD]

Hi Ray,

Yes, the Calendar seems to be temp. down? Not sure why.

I will have a chat with our Webmaster...

Dave B, are you out there???