Camping Sites – Vancouver Island

Campsite # 19 Thunderbird Campground, Campbell River, BC

Thunderbird Campground is on a narrow strip of land between Campbell River 11 and the Discovery Passage. It is, as commercial campgrounds always are, congested, with a variety of trailer makes and models parked in two rows. Our campsite backed onto the Campbell River 11, a tributary to the larger Campbell River just metres downstream. The campground has the usual assortment of commercial accoutrements – a laundry, extra showers, a tuck shop – but no activities in nature. It doesn’t matter because just outside the gates is a portion of the Campbell River Greenway Loop, a 28 km walking trail around the city that meanders down by Discovery Passage.

We were here to get necessary items for our home in Wuikinuxv, so this campsite offered just what we needed at this point – a pretty spot to rest at the end of the day.

We had a small green space behind the trailer where OrangePekoe, Granville, and we humans could relax in the evening. We were there in the mornings too, before we went out on our errands. We lucked in with this specific campsite.

Campsite # 20 Broughton Strait Municipal Campsite, Port McNeill, BC

This municipal campsite, at the edge of Port McNeill, was as congested as a commercial site. This is what we have come to expect of municipal campsites. We were tucked into a corner at the end of a row of campers. It was just right for us, because all four of us, the two humans, Granville the dog and OrangePekoe the cat, like a bit of space around us. This one was quite acceptable. Both animals made themselves comfortable.

Granville:

OrangePekoe:

Because we were in Port McNeill, we could go to a restaurant for an occasional meal. We did go out for a fish&chip supper one evening. The proximity of restaurants, grocery and hardware stores, and laundrettes is one of the advantages of a municipal campground.

Sixteen campgrounds in six weeks. We found something delightful about each one of them. Maybe that’s one reason why we remained smiling through it all.