camping
 

what is camping like in Canada? and do many people camp with tents or do they prefer caravans & cabins?

i love camping (with a tent) and plan to do it a lot in summer (mostly in Alberta and BC i guess) and want to take the dogs too.

any recommendations?

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nice set of wheels! but i always associate those 'homes on wheels' with pensioners, Germans and the Dutch. can you really call that camping?

seriously, does anyone still camp with a tent?

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Yes tonnes of people camp with tents. Camping is HUGE here. Lots of people upgrade to something more luxurious when they can afford it as many sites only have eco toilets - saying that many more have more faciilities too. One thing I have noticed with tenting is that the tarp is put over the the tent (suspended in the trees), I suppose it helps keep the tent dry. Have a look at the Woodalls site.

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thanks for the tip. i've bookmarged the Woodalls site :thumbup:

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If you are thinking of BC take a look at www.discovercamping.ca It is the site for advance booking camp sites in the BC Provincial Parks. Not sure how they feel about dogs - would guess ok if on leash. The site doesn't start taking bookings until April 1st so gives you some time to research....You don't HAVE to book in advance but if you know a great place it does help!

Have fun
Lisa

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excellent, thanks! I'm jumping the gun a bit with my research. We will only move to Alberta (hopefully) towards the end of this year, so the camping will have to wait until 2011 :)

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Camping in Canada is meant to be a big thing for them but I've found their campsites are really quite crap and not very pleasant at all. In the UK the campsites are much better. Some have swimming pools, fish and chip shops, pubs, discos and even amusement rides for the kids. My Dad would even get his morning paper delivered to our caravan. Over here they don't have half the facilities you got back home.

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Depends. There are plenty of Butliz type campsites in Ontario and Nova Scotia. Generally the federally run ones are of that nature; people packed tightly together, kept docile by massive consumption of drugs and alcohol, while the provincially run ones are geared more to people who want space. There are exceptions, of course, some provincial sites near
Toronto have the charm of Coney/Canvey Island or Wasaga Beach.

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Maybe its just BC that has crap ones.

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We go camping ( In a tent) 3-4 times during the summer and love it , We are in Ontario and like Algonquin Park the best. Check them out at ... www.ontarioparks.ca

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actually, that doesn't appeal to me at all! I like to camp in nature, with space and without crowds. A toilet & shower will do me fine.

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http://www.discovertherockies.com/Wh...y/Campgrounds/

There is a great selection of campsites, within two hours driving from Calgary.

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I think this thread is about camping.

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In BC there are a number of 'walk in' campsites in the Provincial Parks....Obviously they don't let in the big monster campers......Another way to avoid the masses - if that is what you want is to go for the campsites with minimun amenities - i.e no showers and no hook ups.....! The Pr Park campsites that I have stayed in have been pretty nice with hedges separating each spot....You do have to get your booking in for those ones though as they vanish pretty quickly!
L

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:rofl:

You are Adrian Mole all grown up, and I claim my five pounds!

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We moved to Alberta (Cochrane) 16 months ago and were lucky enough to buy ourselves a trailer at the start of last summer. I know some people don't consider it "proper camping" but, hey, I like a few home comforts.

The majority of people camping do seem to have a trailer, motor home or trailer tent although you do still see a fair share of tents; just need to make sure you food is kept in bear proof containers!! We've got friends who camp with a tent and they love it.

So far we've only camped in Alberta and I've found the campsites great. Yes, they all vary with regard to facilities but all the ones we have been to have been in more remote places where you can enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. I would hate to go to a site with all the (as someone mentioned previously) Butlins like facilities. We usually go with friends and spend the evening sitting around the campfire with a few drinks and having a laugh. Kids love it too; we usually take their bikes and they enjoy doing their own exploring around the campsites.

I think many of the Alberta campsites are now taking bookings from March.

Roll on summer!

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There's world class camping 20 minutes from me in south Calgary. The provincial park in Bragg Creek has about 8 campgrounds. Many campgrounds have decent washrooms, showers, electrical hookups, and even playgrounds for the kids.

I remember (tent) camping in England, Wales and Scotland and it was all about endurance and fortitude. Though my parents did buy a nice caravan after being washed out in Scotland.:thumbup:

For a young family in Alberta the best camping would be near a warm lake in Southern BC: Christina Lake springs to mind!:thumbsup:

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I went "Canada" camping for the first time ever last year. Granted we do have a small old trailer so its not really "tent" camping but it was so much fun.

We stayed at a place calle Police Outpost right near the Montana border, and about a half hour from Waterton.

We took the boat too and basically all we did was explore, fish and hang out round the fire at night.

There were no amenities at this campground other than toilets and it was the most fun holiday I have had :thumbup:

(apart from half the campsite was closed for the week because a grizzly kept coming into the family bit :eek:)

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Isn't caravaning just as bad as camping? :D:unsure:;)

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You can also try http://www.discoveralberta.com/WheretoStay/Campgrounds/ and http://www.albertaparks.ca/

When you do get here you can go to the local tourism place and pick up a guide as well, we used to keep one in the RV. I think it's more important to book in advance for RV's and for long weekends.

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Thank you :thumbup: I shall have a wee look at those.

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Yes, but it's not "caravaning" here! LOL You call them trailers and they are much bigger and nicer than UK caravans. In the UK, you'd be stuck inside some tiny caravan all week while it poured with rain!! LOL Just had a flashback to childhood caravaning holidays in North Wales!! Like many, ours has a slide out which means, at the touch of a button, one side slides out to give you loads of room inside. If they were like that in the UK, you wouldn't mind spending the week inside one.:thumbsup:

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Yeah, I always hated UK caravaning :unsure: - my idea of hell :thumbdown:

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We live on Vancouver Island and camp a lot in our tent with our kids and the dog! The provincial parks here are great.
Our faves are Rathtrevor and Gordon Bay. Then the camping up at Tofino and Pacific Rim comes under the National Parks reservations. It is basic but the best beaches and views.
A private site that gets booked up year to year is on Hornby Island and is
http://www.bradsdadsland.com/
The beaches on Hornby are flat, sandy and warm when you swim or skimboard.
The camping is very different from the UK, but I think I would rather have it this way!

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excellent tips and links from all you wonderful people. Thanks!
I'm itching to go camping now. It sounds a lot like the kind of thing we did in South Africa. Can't wait to get to Canada - sounds like I'll never run out of places to camp. Yippee :thumbsup:

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Growing up in the UK, we were always under the impression that anybody who chooses to "live" in a tent or caravan were Gypsies. :blink:

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Gypsies call their caravans trailers.

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Oh dear, we call our's a trailer but we don't live in it; we just use it at weekends for trips to the mountains!!! LOL To be honest, our friends in the UK do joke about it and call us pikies!!!

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When we went camping as children, the caravan was already at the holiday park. It was very nice, and it only ever rained occasionally. When it did, they had a big tv room where they put on videos or you could play on the indoor amusements. I see no virtue being uncomfortable while camping, especially if you have children with you, as they'll just moan.

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Well....you can all moan in unison...a real family affair....:D....and listen to the rain thundering off the roof/tent....and sing songs an stuff...it's brill innit? :rofl:

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We went camping last year, with a tent, in BC and Alberta and i absolutely loved it. It was the first time i had been camping for a very long time, and it was a pleasure to get out there in the wilds. We have stayed at Provincial Parks, which only have basic washing facilities, nearly always have firepits and are generally "out in the wilds". It really is very basic and i think that is what i loved about it. My idea of hell on earth would be a Butlins type campsite! Who needs a fish and chip shop when you can bbq a steak!
The wildlife just makes it that much more interesting :)

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that sounds fantastic :wub::wub:
where did you stay?

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Hi
We did a road trip through BC to Victoria. We stayed at Salmon Arms (Private campsite - really good campsite as it had a pool) but i cannot remember the name of it (sorry). We camped at Hope, Port Alberni near Sprout Lake - that was a provinical park and very good, another good one was at Tofina on Vancouver Island, but worth booking ahead there as very busy. We also stayed at a couple in Alberta. There are a couple of good ones in Jasper, we stayed at the Whistlers, and they had good washrooms. Trust me it is all about the washroom :D. We also stayed at Drumheiller, southern Alberta.
There are so many out there! I am not sure if this has been helpful to you, but i happy camping anyway!
CW

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There are various levels of campsites - some are private, some are maintained by the government (local, provicial or federal) and some are not maintained much at all (no facilities or wardens).

You have to decide what you're looking for. Obviously the cost to stay varies based on who is charging you.

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Same here! We always try and camp at the provincial parks - I really do not like the private ones - so many people all squished together.

We tent camp - we did have a fifth wheeler (for other purposes) and were planning on keeping it to camp in but have realised we love tent camping.

We just need to find air beds that don't deflate overnight and we will be 100% happy!

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get Thermarest mattresses. they self inflate with a valve, store small and are great!

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I've stayed there a couple of times - it used to be a KOA campground, but not any more. The pool is fine, and there's a hot tub too. Electricity and water at each site. Lots of trees. Decent showers and dishwashing facilities. There was aslo a petting zoo and a mini golf. My kids love it. It's just before you enter Salmon Arm from the west.:thumbsup:

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swimming pool? fish and chip shop? paper delivery?...my friend you were not camping!....swim in a river.....fishing for fish...and newsprint to start fire!....thats camping...perhaps try a hotel with all the trimmings next time and we will await your glowing reveiws!

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I think Oink was taking the proverbial! ;)