Travel Article: Camping in the Okanagan

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	Summer Fun on the Lake¹

Whether a bare-minimum backpacker, an RV family who brings everything including the kitchen sink or a camper looking for an experience somewhere in between, one will find that the Okanagan boasts a diversity of options to suit all camping styles and needs. Offering varying levels of cost and amenities, the Okanagan features three types of campgrounds from which to choose: provincial park campgrounds, Forest Service recreation sites, and private campgrounds and RV parks.

Regardless of one's camping style or camping needs, the Okanagan's climate and landscape along with the British Columbia Ministry of Tourism offer happy campers easy access to a variety of amenities meant to enhance the camping experience. Some of these include a wide assortment of fresh fruits and produce, local fairs, music festivals, winery tours, farmer and flea markets, as well as many outdoor stores and water sport equipment rental companies.

The culture of camping as a leisure activity has evolved to become more inclusive, increasingly attracting those who might, at one time, have considered themselves unwilling or unable to pitch a tent. Okanagan campgrounds, both public and private, have adapted their sites to become all-embracing by adding such innovations as the modern yurt and providing the amenities required of the lifestyle RVer.

PROVINCIAL PARK CAMPGROUNDS

Provincial park campgrounds offer clean and reliable amenities to campers at a reasonable cost. Not all provincial park sites offer vehicle access, but those that do usually provide fire rings, picnic tables, flush and/or pit toilets, firewood for purchase and drinkable water. Some of these camping areas also offer such amenities as showers, playgrounds, RV hook-ups, sheltered kitchen areas, group camp sites and interpretive programs. Most backcountry sites have few or no amenities though some offer tent pads, pit toilets and food storage poles.

Most provincial park campgrounds are open with sites available to campers after April 1 and closed by October 31. Several of the campgrounds have at least a portion of their sites available by reservation up to three months in advance during the peak season, with the rest available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Camping Favourites
One of the larger and most popular provincial park campgrounds in the Okanagan is Herald Provincial Park Campground, located on Shuswap Lake, not far from Salmon Arm. This campground has 119 sites and includes flush toilets, showers, double sites, a boat launch, day-use area and a self-guided nature walk to the beautiful Margaret Falls.


The Margaret Falls²

Just south of Vernon, on Okanagan Lake, is Ellison Provincial Park Campground. This scenic campground has 71 campsites and includes amenities such as flush toilets, showers, playground, yurt sites and a day-use park. Campers choosing to stay here may also enjoy easy walking trails, beach access, a dog beach and a rock climbing area.

BC FOREST SERVICE RECREATION SITES

There are more than 1,200 Forest Service recreation campsites located in British Columbia. These rustic campgrounds are located on government-owned Crown land and are found on or near lakes, rivers and trails. Access to many of these campgrounds requires the use of a four-wheel drive or high clearance vehicle, while some campgrounds can only be reached by water or on foot. These sites cost very little and offer minimal amenities such as picnic tables, fire rings and pit toilets. Drinking water and cut firewood are usually unavailable so it is a good idea to get a firewood cutting permit from a Forest Service office and bring your own drinking water.

It is important to check on area campfire bans that may be imposed during the hot, dry summer months. Campers using these campgrounds are expected to carry out everything that is packed in, including all garbage. All sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are open year round.

Camping Favourites
Hidden Lake, located between Enderby and Mabel Lake, offers three medium-sized Forest Service recreation site campgrounds with a total of 46 sites. Each campground provides campers with a tranquil retreat away from the hustle and bustle often associated with privately-owned campgrounds and RV parks. The Hidden Lake recreation sites are accessed by a gravel road and offer a boat launch.

Located outside Vernon, on Westside Road just past Fintry Provincial Park, the Evely Recreation Site basks on Okanagan Lake. This campground offers 50 sites and is accessible to RVs. Campers have access to a small boat launch and a beach for swimming. There is no drinkable water located at this site.

PRIVATE CAMPGROUNDS & RV PARKS


	An Okanagan Lake Beach³

The Okanagan hosts a number of privately-owned campgrounds and RV parks that range in cost depending on their proximity to water and the amenities offered. As they are popular with RV enthusiasts, both campgrounds and RV parks generally provide pull-through sites and sani-dump stations as well as water and electrical hook-ups. Other amenities typically found in privately-owned campgrounds and RV parks include fire rings, picnic tables and such luxuries as flush toilets, showers, laundry facilities, Internet access and supply stores.

As the RV holiday has become a way of life for many North Americans who now live a portion, or all of the year, in a RV park or on a permanent pad in a RV resort, nearly all private campgrounds and RV parks offer the opportunity to reserve sites and many are open year round.

Camping Favourites
The Nk'Mip Campground and RV Resort is a private campground located a short distance from Osoyoos on Osoyoos Lake. Open year round, this property offers 300 campsites that range from simple tenting sites to deluxe 50-amp, full hook-up RV stalls with cable TV. Other amenities available at this campground include high-speed Internet, an indoor pool and hot tub, a marina with water sport equipment rentals, RV rentals, a convenience store and arcade, laundry facilities, flush toilets, showers and yurt sites. There are numerous recreational opportunities available nearby, including several championship golf courses, wineries and hiking trails.

Located at Mabel Lake is the Mabel Lake Resort and Airpark. This lavish resort features the Club Kingfisher, with privately owned RV pads, as well as 90 fully serviced RV sites at the RV park and campground. The resort also offers beach front cabins, a playground, convenience store, RV rentals, boat rentals, a liquor store, marina with gas, boat launch, air strip and the Mabel Lake Golf and Country Club. Guests at the resort can enjoy additional activities such as hiking, horse shoes, swimming and other water sports.

YURTS

As an alternative to tents and RVs, the yurt is an eco-friendly, portable, circular dwelling which is being added, in increasing numbers, to campgrounds. Several provincial park and private campgrounds offer a limited number of yurt sites.

Each yurt usually contains one or more beds, a table and chairs. Yurt sites, like regular campsites, feature fire rings and picnic tables. Some campgrounds will permit the addition of a tent on the yurt site as well. Yurts cost more than regular tent and RV sites but are usually less expensive than traditional cabin rentals.

If you enjoyed this feature, take a look at these great WorldWeb.com articles:
• Thompson-Okanagan Accommodation Guide
• Camping on Vancouver Island

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

Summer Fun on the Lake; Penticton, Okanagan, BC, Canada

Margaret Falls; Salmon Arm, Okanagan, BC

A Beach on Okanagan Lake; Kelowna, Okanagan, BC, Canada

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Camping in the Okanagan