Camping on the Sunshine Coast

May 13

May 13 Camping on the Sunshine Coast

I'm not quite sure how I've made it through my twenty-five years as a travel-loving human without having ever camped. Sure, I've spent weeks sleeping in the back of a battered old camper van, but actual pitching-up-a-tent-and-lying-on-the-forest-floor

camping,

I've never, ever done.

The whole point of Bambi Jane Travel is about living the best, most extraordinary life I possibly can (and hopefully inspiring you to do the same), and a big part of that is getting out there and trying things I've never done before. So, I was super excited for our camping trip on the Sunshine Coast, BC, a scenic strip of land flanking Canada's west side. It's a place renowned by Vancouverites for its beauty, but is, I think, still relatively unknown outside of Canada. I'd definitely not heard of it before. We had a couple of night's to kill in between leaving Vancouver and arriving for our first WWOOFing placement here on the coast, so decided to make the most out of our time by exploring by day, and camping by night.

Here's how we got on, alongside plenty of tips and must-sees for your camping trip on the Sunshine Coast. Let's go, campers! (Sorry.)

Getting to the Sunshine Coast

The easiest way to get here is by ferry from Vancouver.

We left super early, it being coincidentally being the same day as the Vancouver marathon (and the marathon of traffic that comes with it). We drove through a sleepy Vancouver at 6am to catch the 7:20 ferry from Horseshoe Bay. The ferry itself only takes about 40 minutes, and takes you on a scenic sail around little islands wearing cloaks of mist, secluded bays and lush green forests. I'd recommend buying an "Experience Card", which gives you discounts on certain routes. It works like an Oyster Card, you top it up and swipe it. The minimum amount you can put on at any time is $115 (about £60) but you can put it toward your first journey, and you'll save money in the long run.

You'll arrive in Gibsons, a cute little town on the south of the coast. There's not a whole lot going on, but it's a great spot to grab a quick breakfast or lunch. We headed to Wheatberries Bakery, which I'd recommend for the cheap coffee and warm, freshly baked croissants all for under $10.

What to do on the Sunshine Coast

The coast is rich with idyllic beaches, crystal clear lakes and sprawling forests. The best part about the Sunshine Coast is that it's still relatively unknown - you don't need to contend with hoardes of tourists or bustling beaches filled with people trying to sell you things, especially at this time of year when the season hasn't quite kicked off. Everywhere we've explored here, we've had pretty much to ourselves. Also, unlike many other places in the USA and Canada which are extremely spread out (which takes a while for a born-and-bred-Brit to get used to!) the Sunshine Coast is small and easily explorable. The drive from Gibsons to Egmont in the north is just 81km so you could drive the whole thing in just over an hour, but it's so much nicer to drive it lazily, stopping and adventuring wherever you like along the way. Here are a couple of my favourite spots that we found.

Roberts Creek Beach

About 20 minutes drive from Gibsons, this pretty little beach is next to the Roberts Creek Campground and picnic site. It's pebbled, so not ideal for getting your tan on, but it has a raw, rugged beauty that make it a great place to sit and chill. Mountains wink in the distance, driftwood lies abandoned on the bay and forests rear up around the edges. It feels far away from city life.

Davis Bay

Davis Bay is one of the Sunshine Coasts's most idyllic and celebrated highlights. It took us just 20 minutes to walk here from the Creekside Campground. It was the most gorgeous day when we visited, with the temperature in the mid-twenties, so the ocean simply twinkled and the sand was toasty on our toes. There's some cute, quaint shops (get the rolo gelato from the little store!) and a little jetty you can walk out on to sit alongside locals crab fishing.

The water here, as in so many other places in the Sunshine Coast is an impossible, jewel-like aquamarine, shimmering and dancing with the sunlight.

As we walked along the beach, I noticed something moving in the distance, just below the surface of the water. There was a sudden rush of foam, and the suggestion of something shiny moving beneath.

"OHMYGODITSDOPLHINS" I shouted to Phil, taking off down the beach.

Dolphins! A whole school of dolphins. I knew they appeared around here, but I never actually expected to see any.

However, as I got closer, what I'd thought were fins became pebbles, and shiny bodies became reflections of the sunlight. Turns out it was a part of the sea where the seabed rose up and the water became shallow, waves from two different directions coming together and clashing causing foam. Or, you know, dolphins...

Smuggler Cove

This was absolutely my favourite place we visited, and we stumbled upon it almost by accident. We'd had to change our campsite at the last minute, so instead of sticking at the Home Site campground, we headed up to Smuggler Cove.

An easy half hour trail through the swamp will bring you to the cove and it's amazing ocean lookout points. The first we came across was so amazing we couldn't tear ourselves away. We scrambled down to the beach and into the freezing water in our clothes, before letting them dry in the sun and just enjoying the surroundings. It really felt like paradise.

Skookumchuck Narrows

Head to the more northern part of the coast,near Egmont and Ruby Lake, and every man and his dog will recommend that you visit the Skookum (rough, in Chinook) chuck (water), which is home to to some of the fastest Rapids in the world. Kayakers come out here to play in the feisty white water, which reaches its peak activity once a day so make sure you check online for peak times. You'll walk for an hour through the forest to get here, and past the whirlpools. It's fun to arrive half an hour early from peak time and watch as the rapids pick up speed - this will help you miss the crowds too.

If you're looking for something to eat after all at walking, head to the

West Coast Wilderness Lodge

just across the road. The food is the lovely but the view out over the coast and its many little inlets and islands is the real draw.

Ruby Lake

One of the best things about volunteering at Ruby Lake Resort (more on this coming soon!) was being able to take full advantage of the beautiful Ruby Lake, one of the warmest lakes in BC. Go canoeing, paddle boarding or swimming in its pristine waters, and go swinging from the makeshift rope swing if you're brave. There's a cute little beach too (Dan Bosch Park) and plenty of walking trails.

It gets its name from he fiery colours of the water come sunset. Trust me, you don't want to miss it.

Sunshine Coast Campsites

When you're finally done with exploring for the day, it's time to set up camp. There's lots of campsites on the coast to choose from - ranging from those with an office and amenities, to secluded little clearings in the forest with a pit toilet. Here are a couple that we tried and can recommend.

Creekside

As it was our first time camping, we chose somewhere close to civilisation and with showers and flush toilets to ease ourselves in. Creekside does the job nicely - it can host tents, cars and RVs in its 30 odd slots and is open year round at 25 bucks a night.

It is quite close to the highway though, so if you're looking to completely escape from civilisation this might not be the one for you. It is just 20 minutes walk from the beautiful Davis Bay, though.

Klein Lake

Our second night was supposed to be spent at the Home Site campground, but after turning up there, finding no one and getting a bit of a creepy feeling, we changed plans. (I'm sure that when it's properly open, Home Site is a great campground. We just didn't fancy being so remote).

After a bit of searching, we found Klein Lake, which is 14 bucks a night for a basic site. Again, we found no one else there so we had it completely to ourselves, but by this point we were eager to just set up camp. Plus, Klein Lake is beautiful. We had our pick of the sites so went for one which led right out on to the jetty, with a couple of tables, a fire pit and easy access to the pit toilet. It's beautiful here and waking up to the lake is lovely.

For us, our second night didn't go quite so smoothly - it rained hard during the night, and at approximately 03:04 I was convinced bears were sniffing around the tent. But we lived to tell, the tale!