BCAA

BC CAMPSITE BOOKING TIPS • It's not too late for this summer. Many campgrounds offer first-come, first-served sites – if yours does, arrive by 9 a.m. and you'll likely secure a spot. • Mark your calendar for next year. BC Parks offers campsite reservations up to four months in advance of your arrival (discovercamping.ca). Parks Canada's BC campgrounds open for summer-season reservations in the first week of January (reservation.pc.gc.ca). • Remember September. Weekends and holidays can book up months in advance. Back-to-school days ease campground pressure, and BC weather is often warm and dry throughout the month. • Save by booking online. Online reservations are the norm for provincial and national park campgrounds. BC Parks charges a non-refundable fee of $6 per night (to a maximum of $18) for online reservations. Parks Canada charges $11 to use their online system. Phone reservations have additional fees (BC Parks, $5; Parks Canada, $2.50). Fees also apply to reservation changes. • Choose your site wisely. You'll likely be reserving a specific campsite, so study the site map. Does your spot have a waterfront view? Are you too far from (or too close to) washroom facilities? If you change your mind and switch sites on arrival, expect to lose up to two nights' deposit, plus the reservation fee. • Need to cancel? BC Parks offers refunds (less reservation fee) up to seven days before arrival for many sites. Parks Canada offers refunds (less reservation fee) up to three days before arrival. MEMBERS SAVE Pit stop! BCAA Members earn up to 1¢/L on fuel and 3% on non-fuel purchases in CAA Dollars at Husky. bcaa.com/husky TRAVEL camping 14 BCA A .COM SUMMER 2017 Chris Cheadle/Alamy Stock Photo, iStock BEST FOR FAMILIES Bella Pacifica, Tofino Of all Tofino-area shores, Mackenzie Beach is the best for kids. Tucked into a protected bay, the waves here are much milder than at nearby locales like Long Beach or Cox Bay, yet they still offer enough whitewash for skimboarding and boogie-boarding. Bella Pacifica, a private property, is the prime campground for accessing this soft-sand shoreline – many of its 181 sites are right on the waterfront, and all are secluded among the lush Sitka spruce and western red cedar Vancouver Island is famous for. Bonus: it's just a five-minute drive to Tofino for easy resupplying. Car camping from $46 per night June–September. Illecillewaet Campground, Glacier National Park Let the tourist hordes flock to Banff – families in the know cruise to less-visited- but-equally-scenic Glacier National Park, located between Revelstoke and Golden. Local all-ages hikes include the short Rockgarden Trail, which teaches about the area's ancient geology, and the accessible Hemlock Grove Boardwalk. Make it a learning vacation, too – the Illecillewaet Campground is set at the summit of Rogers Pass, and many of the sites feature a view of the namesake glacier (look for interpretation that illuminates its shocking recession). Planning-impaired families can breathe easy: all campsites in Glacier National Park are first-come, first- served. Car camping from $21.50 per night. Skimboarding at Mackenzie Beach, Tofino.

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