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Camping on Vancouver Island

With so many diverse options, camping on Vancouver Island can be for everyone! Do you want family-friendly? A rustic cabin on the beach? A full-service provincial park? How about camping in your car - maybe for free? Vancouver Island has it all, and my goal with this section is to help you get the information you need to make your camping on Vancouver Island experience enjoyable and memorable (for all the right reasons!)

Camping at Caycuse, BC

This section is new as of Spring 2022 and is growing quickly but you may not find all the answers you are looking for yet. In that case, be sure to visit my Facebook group Experience Victoria and Vancouver Island and ask your question there. Either myself or one of our knowledgeable group members will try to help.

Camping on Vancouver Island by Region

For the purposes of this guide, each of the campgrounds that are listed will be sorted by geographic region. We follow the same boundaries as the Island Health Authority. Communities in each region are:

North Island

Campbell River
Cape Scott
Comox
Courtenay
Cumberland
Gold River
Mount Waddington
Port Alice
Port Hardy
Port McNeill
Sayward
Telegraph Cove
Zeballos

Central Island

Bowser
Chemainus
Coombs
Cowichan Bay
Deep Bay
Duncan
Errington
Fanny Bay
Ladysmith
Lake Cowichan
Malahat
Mill Bay
Nanaimo
Nanoose Bay
Parksville
Port Alberni
Qualicum Bay
Qualicum Beach
Shawnigan Lake
Tofino
Ucluelet

South Island

Central Saanich
Colwood
Esquimalt
Highlands
Langford
Metchosin
North Saanich
Oak Bay
Port Renfrew
Saanich
Sidney
Sooke
Victoria
View Royal

Backcountry vs Frontcountry Camping

Generally speaking, backcountry camping means that you are not near a road or developed area. Parks BC defines it as an area that is more than 1 km from any highway or park road, not accessible by vehicle and has limited facilites.

At the provincial park backcountry sites, campers can expect to carry all their equipment (including water) to a remote site.

However, if you choose to go camping on Vancouver Island at one of the many recreation sites (sometimes referred to as forestry sites), these too would be considered backcountry and yet many are accessible by vehicle. Although the access roads are frequently remote and in poor condition!

A perfectly toasted marshmallow!

Frontcountry camping refers to sites that are accessible by vehicle and offer services that may include amenities such as running water, hot showers, playgrounds, boat launches and cut firewood.