• If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!

Run To Canada Campout

pdxkevin

pdxkevin

SM 2006
SM 2005
SM 2004
SM 2003
Full Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
8,410
Location
Elk Snout, Oregon, USA
We are interested in heading up to Canada for some camping sometime this spring. Anyone interested?

Any Canadian members willing to host the run/meet? How 'bout just point us in the right direction for some good camping areas?
 
pdxkevin said:
We are interested in heading up to Canada for some camping sometime this spring. ?Anyone interested?

Any Canadian members willing to host the run/meet? How 'bout just point us in the right direction for some good camping areas?
Click to expand...
The Edmonton Chapter has just started planning for spring and summer. Thus far, we have only discussed camping on larger trips. It would be nice to go camping for a weekend though.

Since you are located in Oregon, I assume that you are interested in camping in B.C. or Alberta? The Rocky Mountains are an obvious choice but this is not the only scenic area to camp.

Since I purchased my truck, I have gone camping several times and Chasman also has considerable experience with good locations in the province.

We can try to come up with a good Avalanche camping meet and keep things updated in this thread?

I would post more information at the moment but I can hardly think straight due to the yacking going on here at my place at the moment.
 
check out Hope, BC and the Thompson River valley... great white water rafting, scenery, and provincial camping areas (Cache Creek, Kamloops).

or go to Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island... The ferry ride alone would be worth the trip ;D
 
My wife and I were thinking about something that can be done inside of a 4 day weekend. So that would give us a full day to drive up and another to come back. It would be nice to tent it each night. Unless we headed out early the night before and got to a motel up near the boarder.

I am very familar with the lay of the land up there. Is Banff or Jasper do-able? Or would Nakusp, Castlegar, or Valemount be better?

Here is where I found some good general mapsof Canada.
 
NascarDave said:
check out Hope, BC and the Thompson River valley... great white water rafting, scenery, and provincial camping areas (Cache Creek, Kamloops).

or go to Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island... The ferry ride alone would be worth the trip ;D
Click to expand...
Chasman knows of some really nice whitewater rafting areas in the Rocky Mountains. I will ask him to check out this thread and provide more details. :)
 
This may be a dumb question ~~~ but can an American get a weekend fishing permit without a lot of hassel?

Camping near fishable water is a big bonus.
 
pdxkevin said:
I am very familar with the lay of the land up there. ?Is Banff or Jasper do-able? Or would Nakusp, Castlegar, or Valemount be better?
Click to expand...
This is doable. I drive from Edmonton to Seattle occasionally and do it in 17 hours. Portland to Banff or Jasper would be approximately the same amount of time. (Clutter_Boy also makes this trip regularely.) It is a long drive, but doable.

Two web pages that have decent information regarding things to do here, including maps, are Alberta Tourism and B.C. Tourism.

I have more bookmarks around here, including ones with maps of log haul roads and cutlines with unofficial campsites there -- very in the middle of nowhere but extremely fun. It is wonderful to set up camp and see or hear absolutely no sign of human civilization for days. :)
 
pdxkevin said:
This may be a dumb question ~~~ but can an American get a weekend fishing permit without a lot of hassel?

Camping near fishable water is a big bonus.
Click to expand...
I will look into this. I have just asked two friends visiting and one says yes and one says no. I will make some calls tomorrow if I do not find out anything online from the Alberta Licensing Bureau.

One thing I am quite certain of though is that you will not be able to fish within Jasper of Banff National Parks.
 
pdxkevin said:
My wife and I were thinking about something that can be done inside of a 4 day weekend. ?So that would give us a full day to drive up and another to come back. It would be nice to tent it each night. Unless we headed out early the night before and got to a motel up near the boarder.

I am very familar with the lay of the land up there. ?Is Banff or Jasper do-able? Or would Nakusp, Castlegar, or Valemount be better?

Here is where I found some good general mapsof Canada.
Click to expand...

Kevin - I have the answer my friend. E.C. Manning Provincial Park. It is in B.C. - about 150 odd clicks east of Vancouver, past Hope. The park is on the eastern side of the Cascades so it tends to be drier than the soggy Pacific Northwest. Incredible beauty, incredible FIRST RATE campground lodge with health club, three restaurants, miles upon miles of hiking trails, rental canoes, swimming areas.

Been there at least ten times. It's about a five hour drive from Seattle. Perfect four day weekend destination and connected to the Canadian Highway system so I wouldn't think out of the question for folks from Alberta. HOWEVER - due to the altitude don't think you could camp there until July. I spent one 4th of July weekend there and it SNOWED!!!! ;D :eek:
 
Fishing licenses can be purchased at most rural gas stations, sporting goods shops, and local grocery stores. There are non-resident day passes with different ones required for each province. Watch for seasons if you're going in the spring; some streams in Alberta don't open until June 1. Do you fly fish or spincast?
4 days with two days driving doesn't get you very far over the border; Banff would be 12-14 hours from Portland, and Jasper another 3 hours. Waterton Park (just the other side of Glacier Park) has some fantastic scenery and you can come back through ranch country and the prettiest foothills God ever invented. That would be a 14 - 16 hour day.

I think your best bet is southern BC as Chief suggests.
Manning Prov Park is 6-7 hours for you. Check out:
http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/explore/vancouver/parks/manning.htm
There's both campground and wilderness camping available there. I believe you're a scouter aren't you, so I know a little bit of cold or snow at night won't scare you.
If you're into some alpine backpacking it's about 8 hours to Sqaumish (north of Vancouver) to Garibaldi Park. One of the nicest weekend hikes I've ever taken is to Black Tusk and Garibaldi Lake. It is truly a memorable walk. Check out:
http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/explore/vancouver/squamish/garibald.htm
There's some good information there, including fishing info.
When you get an idea of timing let me know. I would never turn down the opportunity for an outdoor adventure!!
 
pdxkevin said:
How early do you think we would need to make reservations? Time wise, ?early June? Is this a good time to camp?

Is anyone familar with these circle cruises in BC?
Click to expand...

I have been along the first part of the Gold Rush Trail - to Cache Creek. Is extremely scenic, the rivers are spectacular. Our rafting season was July and August, when the Thompson was down to 50,000cfs at the Lytton gage, just before the confluence.
 
pdxkevin said:
Lightning Lake in Manning looks like it has a lot to offer. ?

They even have a resort there for those who prefer to rough-it indoors!

How early do you think we would need to make reservations? Time wise, ?early June? Is this a good time to camp?

Is anyone familar with these circle cruises in BC?
Click to expand...

Kevin - I've done the entire Lightning Lakes Chain Trail from end to end. It's a great hike with a lot to see. The wildlife around dusk is pretty darn amazing. HOWEVER I wouldn't even think of camping it in early June. There will probably still be snow toward the end of the trail, the creek crossings will be very high with runoff, and there is still a very strong chance for misreable weather. Remember the west coast as "June Gloom" and E.C. Manning is no exception to this. I found this out the hard way.

If you want to do something here my recommendation would be in September. During peak times the main campground fills up. It is one of the nicest campground I have EVER been to in my life, if not the nicest. HUGE sites, spread out, lots of trees, very quiet, little trouble.

What ever you plan let me know - I'm always ready for a trip to E.C. Manning!
 
sparky said:
Or what about meeting at the boarder? I'm not a camper, but it looks like they have some good stuff. I have been there
Click to expand...
The glacier fields are always nice to visit. Unfortunately, that is all I know of in the area. If someone was coming for four days, I'm not sure if there is anything else to do in the _immediate_ vicinity. But it might be a nice halfway point to stay before moving on to Banff or Jasper for another night and getting some fishing in along the way before you arrive at the park. Then repeat on the way back, or take a route through B.C. to get home and make a lazy drive of it, stopping again along the way to do more fishing. :)

Unfortunately, I do not fly fish and so I cannot offer as much information as Chasman. And once you cross into B.C. from Alberta, I do not know much at all about what is located there. (Though TransCanada TC-1 has _lots_ of really neat things along the way to stop and see, including.. er.. someone else may be able to help me here.. the area with the castle, that is setup like a tiny city for short people. :) TC-1 is fun to just drive and stop and see whatever you fancy.)
 
I've done much of the Kettle Valley Railway tour described and its a fine drive. Lots to see, especially at Myra Canyon just south of Kelowna where you can hike along the old tressles. Bring mountain bikes for a great ride.
I cycled the old railway bed from Midway to Penticton two years ago over 4 days. It's a great ride with a resort at each nights stop, and roads in to each for a support AV.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top