Western Canada Class C Dry Camping

[NanMWright]

Hi Folks,

I'm traveling Vancouver Island and the rest of BC and Alberta in my Class C. This is beautiful country and I'd like to stay awhile if I can find more affordable campsites, or appropriate dry camping areas. 

Can anyone provide suggestions?  Right now I'm in Nanaimo.

Nancy

[desertdeals69]

You might try Provincial parks.

[mweiner]

2 hours ago, NanMWright said:

Hi Folks,

I'm traveling Vancouver Island and the rest of BC and Alberta in my Class C. This is beautiful country and I'd like to stay awhile if I can find more affordable campsites, or appropriate dry camping areas. 

Can anyone provide suggestions?  Right now I'm in Nanaimo.

Nancy

Do you have solar panels? 

[manholt]

Nancy.

There are several cost effective RV Parks between Sydney and Campbell River on Vancouver Island .  Your biggest expense is the ferry's!  DD69 is correct about the parks, some have basic service others not, all have a "dump"!

Sorry, it's been a long time since I did that loop...send a PM to Tom Butler.  He's been everywhere!  Or close to it.

[tbutler]

Yes Carl, I've been to Nanaimo.  I've even had Nanaimo bars.  In fact we have friends at Sandpipers who make their own Nanaimo bars for us once in a while.  Love them.  We had lunch at the Dingy Dock Pub in Nanaimo!  Highly recommend for the food and the experience.

We never boondocked on Vancouver Island but on mainland BC we did overnight on some vacant parking areas.  Got one hostile attitude at the mining museum north of Vancouver.  We parked Sunday evening planning to visit on Monday morning.  We went in to buy tickets and tour the museum and got greeted with basically, "Get that thing out of here."   She did tell us where we could park nearby and we did.  She told us we should park in an RV park.  I told her there was nothing nearby that would accommodate our rig. 

After that experience we didn't encounter any resistance to parking on empty ground as just an overnight.  We've done it periodically throughout Canada, never more than an overnight.  Even found Walmart stores in Newfoundland that allowed overnight parking! 

All that said, I can't make a specific campground recommendation.  It was 2006 on our way to Alaska when we were last camping there.  I did check and AllStays Camp and RV has dozens of RV parks on Vancouver Island.  A little bit of exploring the possibilities should help you find more reasonable accommodations.  We have friends on Vancouver Island.  They moved onto private land and work as house and dog sitters when the landowner is away. You might find a kind of workkamper arrangement.  I know you can't work for pay in Canada but perhaps you could exchange some clean-up, gardening, landscaping or other work around the campground to help reduce your camping fees. 

From the AllStays Camp and RV web site I found the Stamp River Provincial Park.  It looks to be a very nice Provincial Park on Vancouver Island.  It has vehicle accessible sites for $18 and a senior rate in the off season (before June 14) for $9.  Some of the sites can be reserved, others can not be reserved.  Just one example.

AllStays also has many inexpensive city parks and free parking places not necessarily on Vancouver Island but in many other areas.

 

[NanMWright]

Thanks Carl and Tom,

Unfortunately I broke my leg and had to return to WA State for recovery. But I'm heading back to Western Canada by beginning of December. I appreciate the link to AllStays Camp and RV.  I'll have a look at that before I head out.

 

Nancy

[wildebill308]

Sorry to hear bout your leg. Hope you get better soon.

Bill

[manholt]

Quote

Broke my leg.

Hope you had some help in WA.  Hard to care for pets of any kind, with a broken anything!  Good Luck on your Journey!