What you should know before spending the night at a forestry campsite
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – If you can’t bear the thought of digging out your own personal earthen toilet bowl, jump back in your 36 foot deluxe model travel trailer and turn right around — forestry camping is not for you.
Those of you who didn’t spend Sunday morning frantically reserving a campsite in one of B.C.’s provincial parks might be considering the option. Maybe you’ve even got rosy pictures of canoes pulled up on the shoreline just so, woodland creatures wandering into your camp, or an 11 pound trout at the end of your fishing line. Back to the land, you’re thinking. Rustic and authentic, you say to yourself.
You can have it all, really — except for the massive trout (you might have to make that one up). But first, there are some things you should know about forestry camping.
One, you probably won’t get there on a paved road. Most of our region’s forestry sites are accessed by a maze of old logging roads. Depending on the weather, they can be muddy, puddly, and pocked with cavernous potholes. Choose your wheels wisely, and expect to find some scratches when you get back home.
So, you follow a set of confusing directions that involve measuring kilometres on your odometer and can practically taste that first beer when you come around the bend to find the spot already taken. Because you can’t reserve a clearing in the woods, forestry camping is always a bit of a gamble. Take a deep breath, and have fun reversing back down the logging road because there wasn’t room to turn around. All is not lost. Most lakes have several clearings where you can pitch a tent, so just keep driving.
When you find your haven for the weekend, you’ll want to give it a big dose of feng shui. Put your tent on the flattest portion of the site — it won’t be level — and park your car so it’s easy to access supplies out of it. Think about places you can hang each corner of your tarp (you packed a tarp right?) A tree, your car, or tallest child will do.
When all the navigation, untangling of tents, and mad search for bug spray has left you ravenous, you pull out your brand new cook stove. After a few failed attempts at getting it started, you reach for your phon — nothing Google can’t solve. But you’re in the boonies, a place where only the birds can tweet. It’s unlikely to find a forestry site with cell service, so be prepared to unplug — or hike back down the road with your phone held high.
Now, how to put this delicately… You’ve eaten… Maybe you’ve been drinking… Bodily functions occur. I just hope you packed a shovel and some TP. Go for a little walk, carve out a nice, roomy hole and squat — if unsteady, grab hold of a nearby tree. You’re doing fine. When you’re done, bury it — not like a cat, with your shovel. There, you did it. And look at how toned your thighs are getting.
Hand washing will occur in the lake itself, or by tipping your water jug precariously on its side. Forestry sites have, surprise, surprise, no coin operated showers, or sinks or running water whatsoever. You’re on your own, and if you didn’t pack a barrel of drinking water, I hope you brought a water filter.
If you’ve lasted this long, chances are you’re going to be a forestry site lifer. Once you’ve roughed it, it’s surprisingly unsatisfying to go back to jam-packed campgrounds, rules about dogs on leashes and the sound of toilets flushing in close proximity to your tent. You’ll never know what peace and quiet really is until you’ve spent the night in a forestry campsite.
You can search for nearby sites on the B.C. Forestry and Rec Site website, or just go driving and find your own little plot of paradise.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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22 responses
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So I was in the Shower this morning and doing the math. I think the average Gov’t Campsite is about $30 per night (God forbid you have an extra vehicle cause that’s an extra $15 Each) that’s over $900 per month for a piece of dirt and gravel and you have to bring your own accomodation. My buddy manages an apartment complex where the average rent is about $800 per month and the apartments are about the same size as the plot of dirt in the camsite but the apartment includes Parking and a roof and appliances and your own private Toilet. I know we are talking apples to oranges and all that but think about it. Are the campers getting gouged or what. And the Rates have just gone up a couple of bucks more on the campsites. Oh and the only way your going to get one is to Pay Extra for a Reservation. God I Love the Government. Forestry and Boonie sites listen up, I’m Coming. Ill see you on the long weekend and I won’t be paying extra to go bush bashing on my quad (just so Ya Know) Have a happy easter (2 weeks from now) people and Drive safe. signed”Just a Civilian”.
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When I was a Kid Kentucky Lake was one of those Hidden gems, Now 50 years later its an organised crap shoot , Pay for averything Blacktopped , sanitised portable townhose complex. why would anyone want to go there? Good old government. Gotta make a buck on everthing and ruin it for the nature lover. Conkle lake has/or is becoming the same. True Forestry Sites are the only way left to “Camp” As for the Rest called “Super Natural BC” what a crock. Super sized and super organised and Super Expensive is about all. If you need a reservation to get a spot you might as well stay @ the Local Casino Hotel, Your chances of winning a Natural experience are about the same as winning @ the Casino. That having been said I guess someone has to support the Government. Iguess that’s why I hunt. I gives me an oportunity to shoot something and get rid of my frustrations. But the government is in the process of ruining that too, but I’ll leave that rant for another day, you really don’t want to get me started.Bye Bye.
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I didn’t find anything negative about the descriptions of forestry camping in this article. In fact I found it refreshingly funny and true to life. I suppose many readers don’t understand satire.
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Have hunted and fished all over this province -most of the campsites were clean and the toilets were maintained well. I have loved the great outdoors in BC and will continue using it till I go to the great campground in the sky.
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Than the idiotshows up with a stereothat you can hear 2 km away and thinks you want to listento his crap music
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this whole article got me pissed off first thing this morning…i don’t usually comment but I felt I had to.
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Has anyone been to Davis lake lately? I used to go before the coce, but cant seem to find it now. We used to go in from hwy. 97 near Merritt? someone told us it is of of the coke now?
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If you find yourself at a “forestry “campsite as mentioned above it likely isn’t for camping at all…only meant for brief day use. In the last 30 years we have camped almost every forestry site in the vast Kamloops area and all actual forestry back road sites have outhouses and fire pits and many have picnic tables as well. If you are backpacking into remote sites or off roading where an every day vehicle is not meant to go then you will find nothing at those sites. If you are so ill prepared that you don’t know to take drinking or washing water then you likely should not even be venturing onto the back roads. Kind of a silly article, but maybe it will help to keep our back woods camp sites quieter.Also, please don’t encourage people to just go find a “little plot of paradise” to camp…..that is how forest fires can get started. Find an actual forestry site with a fire pit and be knowledgeable about back woods camping.
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That is such a true story. Done it many times and will continue forever.There is nothing like it- freedom, silence, not electronics, phones or modern conveniences.Perfect.Be one with nature and find out who u really r.But I think it is absolutely absurd that they take that many reservations and I know how people will reserve the whole summer up in one space so therefore it is open lots of the time.They tie it up and only use it at their convenients on weekend or maybe a week or two off.They just put it under different names.I thought they were for people travelling and seeing our areas with is called tourisium.Those reserved one are open but can’t be used (a lot) therefore leaving nothing for the people travelling and spending money in that area to be able to stay and experience the area.How knows maybe they will return e dry year.But that’s our government isn’t it.
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You make it sound so bad and it really isn’t! I prefer it to the paved parking lot camping!
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this was the most negetive article on a beautiful camping experience in the forest…forestry sites are quite often set up with clean outhouses and big picnic tables..pre made fire pits and sometimes grills…i hope newbies who read this nonsense above aren’t deterred from using forestry sites….after all..its all about camping in canada..not glamerous camping in rvs…nuff said…happy camping everyone.
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