Car camping crawl from Whistler, Birkenhead Lake, Sunshine Coast to Savary Island, BC

I grew up car camping (aka frontcountry camping). As a child, my family, their best friends, and their kids would all take a yearly camping trip to Cultus Lake campground. We would spend our days chasing squirrels with nuts tied to strings, swimming at the lake, riding our bikes, and slicing "legs" into hotdogs so they would come out of the campfire shaped as octopuses. These camping trips were some of my favourite childhood memories.

When the pandemic hit in 2020 and traveling became restricted, my husband and I decided to embark on a two-week car camping adventure along the coast, from the Lillooet Country region to Whistler to the Sunshine Coast to Savary Island. This was the longest car camping trip I had taken since I was a kid and a much-needed break from the uncertainty of the pandemic.

And with our handsome furbaby buddy, Sgt Pepper:

We had most of the trip pre-planned, especially when it came to booking provincial campgrounds as these get booked up so early. The only unplanned aspect of the trip was the trails we hiked in between everything. We looked at different trail options along the way and, as always... so many trails we wanted to explore! I'll share more about these trails in a future post.

Our 2-week camping trip (and your next camp itinerary!), starting with...

Cal-Cheak Campground in Whistler, BC

Riverside camping, located on the unceded and traditional territories of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.

Getting to the campground

Directions: From the Sea to Sky Highway/BC-99 heading North, turn right onto Cal Cheak and cross the train tracks. Continue driving down the road until you get to Cal-Cheak Recreation Site (about 100m) to the first campsite. There are two other campsites (the North and South sites). Beyond Cal-Cheak campground is Whistler Bungee if that's your thing!

Reservations: First come first served. With how difficult it is today to make camping reservations without planning months in advance, it's so nice to have this campground available on a first come first served basis with vehicle-accessible sites. But it has become a VERY popular campground so be sure to still get there early.

Camping Fee: $15 - self-pay from April 1 to Oct 31 at the kiosk in the Cal-Cheak Recreation Site parking lot. Self-register by writing down your license plate and campsite number on the envelope provided. Cash only.

Our campsite right at the river.

I still remember the first time I taught Shane about octopus-shaped hot dogs and it changed his world.

Birkenhead Lake Campground in Birkenhead Lake Provincial Park, BC

A beautiful lakeside campground, located on the traditional territory of the N'Quatqua First Nation.

Birkenhead Lake is easily my favourite campground! I've camped here once before, but it was a first for Shane. It's easy to spend several days here exploring the trails, relaxing on the beach, or taking out your inflatable floaty on the lake.

We didn't have any reservations at Birkenhead Lake so we took our chances. There is an overflow area, but we luckily found a campsite after circling a few rounds.

Getting to the campground

Directions: From the Sea to Sky Highway/BC-99 heading North to Mt Currie, stay left to continue on BC-99 to D'Arcy. Just before D'Arcy, follow the signs to take a turn off onto a gravel road that will lead you to Birkenhead Lake campground (about a 17km drive from the start of the gravel road). A 4WD vehicle is not required but it is a very dusty, sometimes bumpy, and gravelly ride!

Reservations: Yes, but it's usually fully booked months in advance. All sites are also family-friendly with vehicle-accessible sites. Go to the BC Parks website for special notes on the campground.

It's also worth noting that the outhouses are surprisingly pleasant here - I hesitate to say "nice-smelling," but they're certainly not the typical unpleasant experience one might expect from pit toilets. It's not something I knew was possible about pit toilets, but here it is!

Camping Fee: $22 per party/per night (BC Parks website)

A sun-filled, cold water day at Birkkenhead Lake with my pup and a floaty.

Porpoise Bay Provincial Campground in Sechelt Inlet, BC

Sunshine Coast camping with a sandy beach, located on the unceded and traditional territory of the shishalh Nation.

The beach was beautiful and had picnic areas to spend the day. Wish we had more time just to spend at the beach, but we had a ferry to catch that would take us to Powell River!

Getting to the campground

Directions: From Sunshine Coast Hwy/BC-101 heading North, turn right onto Ti-Ta Way, left onto Schetxwen Rd, right onto Sechelt Intlet Rd, and in about 3km, turn left into the campground.

Reservations: First come first served, and reservations are available at this campground through BC Parks. It's a super family-friendly campground with vehicle-accessible sites. Go to the BC Parks website for special notes on the campground.

Camping Fee: $29 per party/per night (BC Parks website)

Campfire pits: No individual campfires at sites, only a communal fire pit. When we were there, many people brought their outdoor propane firepits.

It started to pour rain as soon as we got to our site, and we did what we could to get a shelter going as quick as possible! We made it work but it didn't give us a lot of room to move around without getting absolutely soaked.

Mermaid Cove Campground, Saltery Bay Provincial Park in Powell River, BC

Ocean access campground on the Sunshine Coast, located on the unceded and traditional, territory of the Tla'amin Nation.

Personally, I preferred this campground over Porpoise Bay Provincial Campground. It didn't have the sandy beach that Porpoise Bay had, but it did have stunning views from the rocky shorelines and individual campfire rings at the sites. The campsites also seemed more sheltered by surrounding trees and huckleberry bushes, providing us with a bit more privacy from neighbouring campers.

Getting to the campground

Directions: From the BC Ferries Powell River (Saltery Bay) Terminal, continue onto Sunshine Coast Hwy/BC-101 until you reach Mermaid Cover, Saltery Bay Provincial Park (1.6 km, about a 2-minute drive). Turn off will be on your left.

Reservations: First come first served, and reservations are available at this campground through BC Parks. It's a super family-friendly campground with vehicle-accessible sites. Go to the BC Parks website for special notes on the campground.

Camping Fee: $20 per party/per night (BC Parks website)

A little sneak peak of Mermaid Cove.

Savary Camping & Cottages in Savary Island, BC

Small island camping, located on the unceded and traditional territory of the Tla'amin, Klahoose, and Homalco First Nations.

This was my first time visiting Savary Island - an incredible and quaint island, with white sand beaches all around! We only spent 2 nights camping but can easily spend more time here. We stayed at a privately run campground called Savary Camping & Cottages which had beautiful forested sites, and the owner was super friendly and accommodating. We LOVED it here. It wasn't too busy when we went, which made the experience even better for us. There are also septic toilets, showers, a sink for washing hands, and a sheltered community cooking area. Getting to the island with all your camping gear will involve some planning, but worth it!

Getting to the campground

Directions: To get to Savary Island, you can only travel by water taxi, and there are several companies to choose from that depart from Lund, BC. Before you set off, pack all the necessary camping equipment you'll need for your trip, load it onto the water taxi, then it's a quick and bumpy ride to Savary Island.

Once you arrive on Savary Island, it's up to you to self-organize your way to Savary Camping & Cottages. We opted to walk with our camping gear from the water taxi drop-off to the campground, which took us about 15-20 minutes. However, if you'd rather not carry your gear, I believe the owner offers pick-up services as well upon request.

Reservations: We called the owner to reserve.

Camping Fee: Yes, call campground for rates and to reserve.

Water taxi to Savary Island.

Savary Island ❤️

Our camp spot at Savary Camping & Cottages, where you will also see a lot of deer roaming through! (And yes, we brought a play pen for Sgt. Pepper 😎)

Heading Back Home

After Savary Island, it was time to make our way back to Vancouver, BC.

But first, we visited some friends in Powell River and ate at this cool restaurant called Monks on Marine.

Next stop was Sechelt where we spent some time on the beach, then ate some more awesome food with a view at the Wobbly Canoe.

Alas, we then booked it back to the Langdale Ferry terminal to make our way back to Vancouver. And completely wiped! In hindsight, it would have been nice to break this day up and spend a night on the Sunshine Coast, but we didn't want to sacrifice any of the other camp nights!

However, if we were to to do this trip again, I would want to spend an extra night at each of the camp spots and extend our vacation time. Having only 1 or 2 nights at each spot, combined with all that driving, made each leg of the trip feel a bit too busy and rushed.

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