Although I appreciate camping now as an adult, I hated it as a kid. That was always a problem for me considering a camping trip was an annual summer activity in my family. I mean, I was a young child who hated being out in the middle of the wilderness, sleeping in a fort under the stars, peeing in the bush during a hike — really roughin’ it.
I couldn’t get past the swarms of mosquitoes, the fear of a bear intruding my tent while foraging for scraps, and trekking through the eerie darkness for a late night bathroom trip. However, I look back fondly on the memories now and feel more thankful for those experiences as an adult. Although I admit I haven’t been camping in a hot minute, and I’m no camping professional, I like to think I’m a pretty well-versed B.C. camper. As summer approaches, it only seems right to provide a guide to camping and how to execute the ultimate outdoor overnight experience in beautiful British Columbia.
Campsites galore:
It wouldn’t be B.C. if it wasn’t home to tons of campgrounds — not to brag, but we are known for snow-capped mountains, picturesque lakes, and 11.1 million hectares of old growth forest. Who wouldn’t want to camp in that? With over 1,000 provincial and seven national parks in B.C., you literally have a lifetime worth of campgrounds to choose from. Within that, the approximate count of frontcountry, backcountry, private, and park locations are over 5,000.
I may never visit close to that amount, but I do have some recommendations. Twenty Mile Bay, Manning Park, and Maple Bay in Cultus Lake are some personal favourites.
Harrison Lake: Twenty Mile Bay
With five campgrounds and 52 sites in total, both Harrison West and Harrison East provide access to a long stretch of beach that offers opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, fishing, hiking, and boating. Located along the shores of Harrison Lake, Twenty Mile Bay is about a two-hour drive from Abbotsford. They are open from May 1 to Sept. 30 with rates of $18-25 a night for a single site and $36 for a double site, excluding reservation fees. I grew up camping with my aunt, uncle, and cousin so I appreciated that their large campsites allowed for the utmost tent space.
Manning Park: Lightning Lake
Manning Park, located in the core of the Cascade Mountains, is a must-stay campground. It is home to four campgrounds and over 450 sites plus another 10 for backcountry camping. Manning Park is versatile, staying open from May 17 to Oct. 14, with five summer campgrounds and three winter campgrounds. Rates vary based on the season and ground you choose from; summer camping costs between $25-75 per night and winter camping costs $13-53 per night — excluding long term stays. Having stayed at Lightning Lake, the most popular campground, I highly suggest it to anyone who is a fan of incredibly peaceful grounds and gorgeous viewpoints.
Cultus Lake: Maple Bay
Cultus Lake is an ideal spot for campers coming from multiple areas who are looking for a super local location in the Fraser Valley. It’s one of the most popular locations to camp in B.C., partially due to its close proximity to the Cultus Lake village where jet ski, canoe, and boat rentals are available. They have four different campgrounds and 106 sites, all priced at a solid $35 per night.
I thoroughly enjoyed staying at the Maple Bay campground. Tucked into the wilderness, it is close to some great hiking trails including the Teapot Hill hike and the Seven Sisters trail. They are just as convenient to access if you’re camping in Entrance Bay or Clear Creek, and are great for children, as you’re encouraged to look out for the seven enormous old-growth douglas fir along your path — you can’t miss them!
When to camp
In my experience, May and June are prime times to camp. The camping season is just beginning and it’s the time of year where weather gets warmer but it’s not scorching (one can only hope), the bugs are not at an extremity yet, and the earth hasn’t dried up like a prune from no rain. If you camp in July, beware of the consequences. Excessive sweating, insect paranoia, and smoky air from wildfires are typical despite the seasonal campfire ban that’s usually implemented between March and October of each year.
There’s also the thousands of tourists who have the same idea to camp in B.C. I wouldn’t recommend camping in July or August. But if you do decide to brave it all and book a campsite, do it as early as possible. I also encourage any willing individuals to take up their own research. You may have to get your hands dirty and dig deeper, but there are many less-populated campgrounds that are worth a stay too. The Government of BC has their own reservation website to help you book sites in advance, and most campgrounds allow booking four months prior to visiting. Four months in advance is also exactly when you should start putting together that checklist of essential gear. Okay, maybe it’s not necessary at this stage, but you can never be too prepared.
Being a well-equipped camper:
As Russell the Wilderness Explorer from Up (2009) says, “the wilderness must be explored!” and to do that requires proper equipment. I mean, did you see the size of his backpack? There’s at least 10 essentials I believe make a smart camper and a successful trip, and I’m sure you would be rewarded with a wilderness preparedness badge from having them.
- We all know technology isn’t always reliable, and nine times out of 10 there will be no cellular towers and therefore no wifi. Yes, you heard me. That’s why having a paper map, and knowing how to read it, is a useful navigation source and safety measure in the wilderness. I realize this is 2025 and no one has a paper map anymore besides my 86-year-old grandmother, but you’ll thank me later for investing in one when you end up lost and searching for service.
- Flashlights are a necessity — specifically hands-free. You really don’t want to get to your campsite and realize you can’t see in the dark, especially during those midnight trips to the bathroom. They’re scary even with a flashlight, but it’s better than nothing.
- Sunscreen is a no-brainer when you’re out in the elements.
- Bug spray and mosquito coils — a standing spiral made from insecticides and plant-based material that burns to keep bugs away — are your friend. As your fellow paranoid camper, I know you don’t want to get bitten. Then you have to apply aloe vera, then you’re sticky, then you’re sweating at the same time … it’s a whole mess you just don’t want. Spray is useful when hiking, but coils can burn for multiple hours; placing them all around your campsite will keep more mosquitos away for longer periods of time.
- You should always bring a basic first aid kit. Nature can be beautiful, but it can also scrape, scratch, and scuff you. Ensure your kit is pre-stocked with bandages, Polysporin, Advil or Ibuprofen, and even aloe vera cream which is a natural healer and reliever for bites, wounds, and burns. Now, I’m no medical professional, but I am far too pale of an individual to not be well-versed in treating damage to my skin.
- In a different fashion, a repair tool kit that includes duct tape, screwdrivers, knives, and scissors is handy. You would really be rocking the camper swag with a multi-tool since it’s small, compact, and an all-in-one.
- Matches or lighters can be used for your own safety, both as an emergency signal if needed but also as a heat source when using a cooking stove. Since we aren’t cavemen and aren’t practiced in creating a spark from two rocks, it also works to light a contained CSA or ULC rated portable firepit, which can still be used during a fire ban. The bottom line? Please, for the love of mother nature and our lungs, be conscientious and don’t start a fire during a ban.
- Summer air is usually drier and thicker regardless of whether wildfire smoke is present, so if there isn’t a potable water source around, bringing water bottles with you will keep you hydrated, especially when leaving your campsite for multiple hours.
- Toilet paper may seem obvious, but it’s an item easily forgotten when going hiking — in my family, at least. I suppose you can always succumb to the leaves as a last resort or the crumpled tissue deep in your pocket … but just bring the toilet paper.
- Lastly, insulated layers. If you’ve been in B.C. for even a year, you’ll know how unpredictable the weather is, so be prepared for any and all. Even if you’re camping in the summer, bring an extra jacket for the chill at night, pack a rain coat, rubber boots, closed-toed, durable runners, and a hard hat for hail … just in case.
The snack inventory:
Speaking of protecting yourself, bringing healthy snacks will prevent that hangry mood from creeping in for a while. Take it from someone who has been so hangry that I was scared of myself. These snacks have to be easy to make, easy to transport, and energizing for the road or hikes you might go on. Homemade granola bars were all time favourites in my family. They’re even more filling with nuts, and adding a little sweetness like cranberries brings them together. Popcorn is something fun that can easily be shared and is surprisingly healthy, depending on how you prepare it. S’mores. Obviously. You cannot go camping without roasting marshmallows on the fire and making an ooey-gooey chocolate-y sandwich. Even if you don’t like s’mores, it’s the action of roasting and constructing them that might be just as satisfying as eating them. These are more of an end-of-day late night snack, but you can always bring a reusable container to carry them in.
Benefits of camping:
Just as the s’mores’ marshmallows stretch when you eat them, camping is a flexible and non-restrictive summer activity. It has the freedom of spontaneity and little planning, especially with campsites closer to home since you might be more familiar with what’s around. It surely beats stressing over booking flights or configuring multiple excursions. No long plane ride equals driving through the layers of forest on an open road, shoes off, feet up, and feeling the breeze through your hair. The benefits of camping are both of mind and body, enhancing your mental, physical, and even financial well-being.
Nature is one of the best stress-reducing zones to unplug from the politics of the world, your job, or familial challenges. Nature is a self-regulator, and according to the Canadian Psychological Association, spending at least two hours per week outside and 20 minutes at a time is the most helpful for reducing stress hormones. We’ll find ourselves calmer with an increased mood and attention span, and it reduces our overall heart rate levels and therefore anxiety. To all my fellow student readers, I just gave you a psychological cure.
With technology being such a prominent aspect of our lives, it’s incredibly challenging to detach from the device and absorb what’s around you. Did you know time on a device contributes to exhaustion and insomnia? I know most of us have known insomnia before, and as students we are certainly familiar with sleep deprivation.
Fortunately, nature helps reset your circadian levels. That’s the official term for the cycle and rhythm your body experiences physically, mentally, and behaviourally over 24 hours. A study of the human circadian clock by Kenneth P. Wright involving an assessment on a group of healthy participants, found that just one week of camping was beneficial for participants’ sleep patterns.
“By subjecting their participants to one week of camping, free from light pollution and with more natural light during the day, the authors found that the onset and end of sleep in their participants entrained to the natural dawn and dusk.”
Your entire clock can be adjusted back to a normal schedule just by spending time in the great outdoors. Alongside mental well-being, camping boosts our quality of life; the freedom of being outside creates plenty of opportunities to hike, swim, or bike. It may exhaust you, but the oxygenation and fresh air can improve cardiovascular function, and contribute to your overall health.
Being a camper encourages the slow-food lifestyle, meaning it decreases your consumption of fast food. You bring and make your own food, therefore saving money on eating out nearly every day like you might staying in a city. Plus, home-cooked meals are heartier and provide nutrients that are harder to obtain through processed foods. For all the rookie cooks out there, a pulled pork sandwich and potato salad is nothing complicated and will hit the spot again and again.
Sometimes campground areas have access to independently owned small businesses, and supporting them means that money isn’t going to big corporations, but rather right back into the community that is serving you. That’s right. We are out here being financially and economically healthy. Students can feel comfortable that camping is a low-impact trip on the wallet too. I’ll preface by saying that buying camping equipment can get pricey, but believe me when I say once you invest in supplies, you won’t have to invest again for a long time. Really, putting your funds toward a camping trip all together is hitting two birds with one stone. You’re saving money and you’re helping the planet.
Being environmentally friendly:
The most valuable thing you can do while camping is practicing sustainability and maintaining a healthy ecosystem by leaving nothing but your footprints behind. Canadian-born environmental activist David Suzuki states the seven Leave No Trace principles, sharing how to enjoy your camping trip while also protecting mother nature.
- Plan ahead and prepare
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize campfire impacts
- Respect wildlife
- Be considerate of others
At this point, I’ve already shared ways you can prepare for your camping trip, but unless you’re off-trail camping, not altering the grounds you stay on is the most considerate thing you can do. On top of that, make use of your campsite’s recyclable and composting systems — leaving waste isn’t cool, but leaving the environment uninterrupted is.
With B.C.’s record of wildfires as extensive as it is, be mindful of minimizing the exposure of cigarette butts and other flammable materials. Keep campfires small and in a designated area far from trees. The forest is the animals’ home too so if you have the chance to see one while out in nature, view from afar, don’t feed them, and keep control of your pets. Did you know camping can reduce our carbon footprint? We are temporarily living with less resources like electricity and water which can reduce our energy usage. Using solar-powered lights and reusable containers (no glass!) will reap rewards for the earth long-term since you won’t be disposing of batteries or plastic.
Ultimately, camping is meant to be a fun way to escape the bustle of life and find peace in the wilderness, but you also want to make the safety of what’s around you a priority. Being mindful, resourceful, and knowledgeable will guide you through a smooth and enjoyable camping experience that prevents harm to our precious B.C. forests. I discussed real camping, but if you feel the same way that I did as a child, glamping or RVing might be more your thing. However, non-glamourous camping can be a way to submerge yourself in a world away from the things that make life challenging like politics, AI, maybe your job, or the fact that your phone charger won’t reach your bed. Camping in B.C. can feel like a home away from home, and from my perspective, that’s the best kind of vacation.
Veronica is a Staff Writer at The Cascade. She loves to travel and explore new places, no matter how big or small. She is in her second year at UFV, pursuing the study of Creative
Writing.
