Free Camping North Campbell River
So I’ve been working a lot lately writing a lot of blogs for RV LIFE and RV Trader. But today I decided to take a break and go exploring. Because for me that’s what life is all about finding new places meeting new people and just enjoying everything that life has to offer.
The best things in life are free, especially when it comes to camping on Vancouver Island, on the West coast of BC. I decided to go a short drive north of Campbell River to find free campsites that are both RV accessible and dog friendly. Elk bay and Stella Lake offer beautiful free campsites.
I wanted to see if I could get my class a RV down to these recreation sites. That said, it made sense to go exploring in my jeep Wrangler first because my jeep can pretty much handle anything the road has to offer.
The two sites I had in mind were Elk Bay recreation site right on the shore of Johnstone Straight and Stella beach recreation site on Stella Lake. Both offer free campsites just a short drive north of Campbell River on Vancouver Island, BC.
Rustic Camping
Both campgrounds offer rustic camping with an outhouse and no hookups of any kind. They’re both dog friendly. So if you’re going to check them out be sure to fill your freshwater tanks ahead of time.
Travel Directions
There are two ways to access these two free public campgrounds. One is by the Elk Bay Main, the first main logging road on the right after the Roberts Lake along Highway 19, 20 minutes north of Campbell River.
The Elk Bay main has some rough sections and a steep section, but it would be easily accessible with a truck with a camper, a small to to mid size travel trailer, or a camper van. Smaller Class As and Class Cs should have good suspension and lots of clearance for the sections with a lot of pot holes. I won’t be driving my Class A on this route, because I love her too much, but everyone has their own comfort zone.
When you reach the bottom of the very steep section, turn right at the T intersection and follow the signs. Turn right to follow the logging road when you reach the log sort.
Elk Bay Recreation Site
Love waking up to spectacular views? Look no further! Elk Bay recreation site has 8 trees sites with picnic tables and fire pits. Most of them are nestled along a beach that overlooks Johnstone Straight, and enjoy spectacular views. This would probably be a great spot to watch whales or launch a kayak. This trip is definitely worthwhile.
Rock Bay Main
Easier access would be via the Rock Bay Main. To access this logging road go about 5 minutes north of Roberts Lake on highway 19. Watch for the sign on the right side of the road. This road will take you to Stella Lake Main. Turn right on Stella Lake Main and follow it past Stella lake on the right hand side.
Stella Lake-Stella Beach Recreation Site
Stella lake boasts a gem of a recreation site with 10 free campsites along a sandy beach with crystal clear water. I want to bring my paddle board up and paddle around for a week. If you stopped here, I wouldn’t blame you. It’s good to have choices.
To get to Elk Bay, keep following the Stella Lake Main until it turns into Elk Bay Main. There’s good signage along the way.
Check out my Youtube video on the RV Adventure Guide Channel below for more.
Final Thoughts About Free Camping On Vancouver Island
Recreation sites are entirely user maintained, so pack out what you pack in. For goodness sake, don’t leave toilet paper around for the next camper to recoil from.
These logging roads are work zones, especially from Monday to Friday from 7 AM to 5 PM. This means you should be prepared to encounter logging trucks along the way. Their drivers are almost always in a hurry and the forestry company they work for literally owns the road. Be careful out there.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
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