B.C. expanding 3 provincial campgrounds this year

Construction is underway on 33 new campsites at China Beach Provincial Campground near Jordan River on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Good news for campers looking for a spot this summer: B.C. is expanding three provincial campgrounds, two on Vancouver Island and one on the mainland.

China Beach Provincial Campground is currently closed as construction is still underway. The campground will see 33 new campsites being added this year: 22 drive-in sites and 11 walk-in sites.

The province says those should be open for reservations beginning Thursday.

China Beach will also get two additional accessible washroom facilities along with showers. Those are slated to be done for the 2025 season.

Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Campground is adding eight new walk-in sites and Rolley Lake Provincial Campground near Mission will get 17 new walk-in campsites.

As most people who have tried to book a provincial campsite over the past few years know, camping became a very popular summer pastime during the pandemic. Now many provincial sites are consistently booked up months in advance, and available spots have been hard to come by.

Located near China Beach, the Jordan River Campground is run by the Capital Regional District on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Campers there said they find the process of securing a provincial site frustrating and these new additional spots are needed.

“It can be almost impossible at certain campgrounds,” said Pam Martin, a Sidney resident camping at Jordan River. “If you book well ahead it can even be difficult trying to get into the queue to book specific times and dates.”

“I heard quite a few problems with the booking process and I’m just not willing to do it,” said Don Ballantyne, another camper at Jordan River.

“It’s great to get more spots where people can get out and get access to the wilderness and to go camping with their families,” said Martin.

With 39 new sites coming online in the coming year on Vancouver Island, campers will have more options when attempting to get their hands on one of those hard-to-find provincial sites.