Quick facts:

Driving distance: approx. 216 kms from Vancouver

Permits required: camping fee, reservable campsite or first come first serve

Birkenhead is a beautiful lake, one of the prettiest we’ve camped at. There’s a lot to do, great hiking trails for every level of hiker, a lake to swim in (although quite cold), good fishing and wildlife viewing in the right month.

Oh, and at nighttime, the sky is literally littered with stars and if you haven’t been out of the city in a while the night sky here will be a welcome surprise!

Campsite notes: There are no flush toilets or wash houses here. Only pit toilets which is fine but after a few days with mostly girls we were wishing for a flush toilet. We’re OK without the showers because we either swim in the lake and use some biodegradable soap or hang our solar shower near our campsite (I highly recommend these-we have two!).

There are also drinking water taps located throughout the campsite.

We’ve noticed at some campgrounds that the rangers will sell ice on a daily basis although that wasn’t the case when we were here. However, there is a little “store” just up the road leading into the park that sells ice and a few food and snacky items.

This is one of the nicest beach areas we’ve camped at. No swimming but a pretty good snorkeling area. It’s very long and wide enough for a nice long walk!

It was pretty windy when we were there in May but we still dared ourselves to get in the water!

Campsite notes: There are no flush toilets or wash houses here. Only pit toilets which is fine but after a few days with mostly girls we were wishing for a flush toilet. We’re OK without the showers because we either swim in the lake and use some biodegradable soap or hang our solar shower near our campsite.

There are also drinking water taps located throughout the campsite.

We’d recommend the Cross Caribbe Trout Farm especially for the salmon and halibut. The fishing is good and the food is delicious. Call ahead at least a day in advance to arrange a trip. It’s a learn-how-to-paddle adventure. We got the run around first and then had a belted dinner on the patio while the girls had a cookout. They even made falafel!

Since we were so close to the lake we also went for a nice walk around Birkenhead Island. Great views there too.

Campsite notes: There are no flush toilets or wash houses here. Only pit toilets which is fine but after a few days with mostly girls we were wishing for a flush toilet. We’re OK without the showers because we either swim in the lake and use some biodegradable soap or hang our solar shower near our campsite.

We would also highly recommend the Hermitage directly to the north of the lake. You’ll need four hours to traverse the trails but it’s well worth it. We stayed at the Ranger’s cabin the night before and the next day tried to find a campsite here. No luck!

So that’s all the good stuff, what about the not so good stuff.

Since we were already pretty tired it took only five or six minutes to drive to the car park. We had to wait for the rest of the cars to filter in though.

We then had to run into the “Restricted Area” (read: empty roads) ofainers, beer and pre-packed foods. We quickly found a place to park the car, but we still had to suffer through the mandatory metal detector at the roadblocks. People were already digging through their cars to see if they had been stolen. Needless to say, this didn’t keep me from enjoying my privacy.

What did though, kept me awake the whole time was the local spider population. Every so often they would sweep through the road by my tent just off to the side. I was fine with them moving through the campsite and around the campsite. In fact I found out the hard way that they are highly venomous.

I only camped in the National Park a couple of times. I can remember one night being careful, the sound of their footsteps on the gravel road just a few feet away. I was quickly reminded of the madness of the mental hospital. Then again I reminded myself of the 538 miles that later drive to the Canyon area. Finally I drove to the Canyon.

They really do take you to heaven or to hell in about 90 minutes. Spending time here was a very enlightening experience. I learned a lot about myself and life. I learned to see things in a different way.