2023 Unique Camping in BC

I love finding unique camping spots in BC to spend a few days throughout the summer. It’s important to have activities available to my partner, family and I to be able to experience these options during the day. I’m not the type of person to sit at the campsite all day. I need exciting things to do, places to see and explore.

There are plenty of different hikes available for families in Yoho National Park with a variety of lengths depending on how long you want to be hiking and what you’d like to see. Martha Creek Campground is on Revelstoke Lake. It has a boat launch for easy water access for your boat or kayak. It has a gorgeous beach for swimming. Part of the campground is secluded to enjoy some tranquillity away from everyday life. Yard Creek Campground is a beautiful, spacious campground tucked away from the crowded campgrounds allowing you to get some peace and quiet. It’s close enough to Sicamous for daily activities while enjoying camping in the middle of nature.

Kicking Horse Campground

Open: May 18 to Oct 9, reservable from June 1 to October 9. A valid National Park pass will be required to stay in the park.

Sites: Unserviced

Campsite cost: $29.25

Unique Camping in BC includes Kicking Horse Campground. They have forty-four reservable sites and forty-four first-come, first-served sites. Kicking Horse Campground has campsites with hot and cold water taps, showers, and flush toilets. There is limited cell service in this area with no WIFI so it’s a great time to disconnect from social media and enjoy some quality time with your partner and/or family. A playground is available for children to play and have fun while on vacation. Food lockers are available to store food while you’re away from your campsite. Shelters allow a refuge from bad weather.

Fires are permitted (as long as there isn’t a fire ban in place) once you’ve purchased a fire permit from the front kiosk. Firewood is included in this cost. Please don’t bring your own wood into National Parks.

Reservable Spots

To reserve on the website, select Yoho Park for the location. Click on Kicking Horse once the map appears. Most of the sites are booked as of mid-May but you might get lucky and be able to book in the early or late summer, depending on the date you’re looking to camp. Selecting the calendar on the left side of the menu will show you available dates for each campsite.

Tip: Scroll through the previous and next buttons until green checkmarks appear and display availability. It will save time instead of guessing and selecting various dates at the top in the hope that free dates appear to book.

First-Come, First-Served

First-come, first-served sites are harder to acquire. Arrive a bit early around 10:30 A.M. to scope out sites that might have been vacated. You might encounter higher competition around 11 A.M. when other campers might also be scoping out a spot to camp.

Tip: Try to go earlier in the week (possibly on Thursday) to grab a first-come, first-served site. Your chances will increase as opposed to arriving just before 11 A.M. on a Friday and hoping to get a spot for the weekend.

These guidelines are by no means a guarantee for you but will help increase your chance to obtain a campsite.

Activities in the Area

Drive up Yoho Valley Road to view the gorgeous Takakkaw Falls. There is an easy trail a short distance from the parking lot. For those wanting a more challenging hike, consider Gorgeous Hiking to Laughing Falls. It’s an eleven-kilometre hike with flat and uphill sections on the way there and some downhill on the way back. It offers wonderful views of the mountains. This trail can also be backpacked if you want to stay in the wilderness overnight. To get your backcountry permit and reserve a spot, click here.

Back on Hwy 1, west of the Kicking Horse Campground and the town of Field, turn right onto Emerald Lake Road to reach the impressive Emerald Lake. Canoes can be rented at Emerald Lake Canoe Rentals for $90/hour. It’s an expensive outing but cheaper than Lake Louise at $140/hour. It will be fun for you and your partner to experience the beautiful waters and the mountains around you. If you prefer, hikes of varying difficulty will allow you to take pictures of the lake. One trail goes around the lake while other trails lead hikers to more challenging hikes up numerous mountains.

Martha Creek Campground

Open: May 13 to Sept. 15, 2023

Sites: Unserviced

Campsite cost: $28/night

Unique Camping in BC includes Martha Creek Campground. Certain campsites can be reserved online. As of mid-May, dates in July and August were still available if you’re flexible regarding your camping dates. Reserve here. Sites 1 to 33 are more family-friendly with easy access to the playground and the sandy beach. Sites 48 to 89 are in a more secluded area with access to a rocky beach and offer more peace and quiet. This part of the campground has trees between campsites offering more privacy from your neighbours.

There is no cell service at this campground allowing time to unplug from your phone. If you need to contact someone or check messages, drive back down the road towards Revelstoke for about fifteen minutes and you’ll be able to access cell coverage. You won’t need to go all the way back into town.

First-Come, First-Served

The first-come, first-served spots are indicated by the starred campsites on the reservation map.

Tip: These campsites are more out in the open with little privacy, no tree cover and full sun as you come into the campground and along the bank to the right. But, sometimes the site doesn’t matter as long as you get one! These sites will need to be booked at Martha Creek Campground.

Fires

Camp fires are permitted in designated fire pits when there is no fire ban. The bulletin board at the front entrance will indicate important announcements.

Showers and Toilets

Registered campers have campsites with showers and flushable toilets available to them at no extra cost at Martha Creek Campground. They are an enjoyable ten to fifteen-minute walk from campsites 48 to 89. You’ll get a bit of exercise as you walk or bike to and from your shower. The campsites further north don’t have flushable toilets but offer clean, non-smelling outhouses maintained by the campground staff.

For more campsites with showers, check out Best 2023 AB and BC Campsites with Showers.

Lake Activities

This lake is gorgeous and inviting for swimming! There is a boat launch for easy access to the water. When we rented kayaks for our day trip, they were conveniently dropped off at the boat launch. This campsite offers so many opportunities to explore the lake in a kayak or canoe, go swimming, boating or fishing.

Yard Creek Campground

Open: May to September 6, 2023

Sites: Unserviced

Campsite cost: $25/night

You’ll need to have exact cash or make a cheque payable to Yard Creek Campground to reserve your first-come, first-serve campsite for the duration of your stay. Note that you cannot book a site ahead of your visit. Arriving earlier in the week will help during the high camping season. The park attendants will be on-site in the morning and evening should you need their assistance. Each campsite can have a maximum of three tents or 1 trailer. As part of the unique camping in BC, Yard Creek Campground has spacious campsites with many trees separating each site, as represented in the pictures above.

Fires

Firewood can be purchased from the park attendants for $10 a bundle. You will be charged twice the cost of a bundle if you use wood found in the bush. Check to see if there’s a fire ban in effect. If so, you won’t be able to have a fire.

Picnic Shelter

There is a picnic shelter off the main park road and to the east of the parking lot in case you need shelter if bad weather arises. The toilets are outhouses at this location but are generally kept nice and tidy. Drinking water is available for your needs from taps throughout the campsite. Trails are situated on the edge of the campground if you’re looking for short hikes from the campground to the picnic shelter area.

Activities

If you’re looking for activities to do in the region, Sicamous Beach Park is a perfect place to depart to have an awesome day kayaking with Dad, have a picnic and/or go swimming on Shuswap Lake, fifteen minutes west of Yard Creek Campground. I’ve spent many hours at this beach with my family. It’s also a great place if you’re limited on time, to go for a quick swim on your road trip, get refreshed and continue on your journey. You might consider planning a picnic lunch or supper stop with your swim.

Final Thoughts

Unique camping in BC provides secluded spots close to gorgeous hiking, swimming and kayaking for your family and partner. Presume Outdoor Competence in Kids and you might be surprised what your children can accomplish. You’ll feel the tranquillity at night at these campgrounds and excitement for what awaits you the next day. Kicking Horse and Martha Creek campgrounds offer both reservable and first-come, first-served spots while Yard Creek Campground offers only non-reservable sites. Plan according to what works for you. Two campgrounds are in central BC while the other one is close to the Alberta border. Make decisions depending on your location and where you’d like to spend the summer.

Do you want to travel or experience a new place? Are you looking for some downtime to explore a campground and where its trails might lead? If you haven’t reserved anything, consider the non-reservable sites and play it by ear. You never know what fun could come out of one of these trips!