Key Takeaways
- Muchalat Lake near Gold River, BC is a beautiful and less crowded campground on Vancouver Island.
- The author became a campground host to explore a different side of camping, despite some unpleasant tasks.
- Navigating to Muchalat Lake involved a rough forest service road, but the scenic campsite was worth it.
- Hosting during the busy May long weekend required managing noisy campers, but they generally left the site clean afterward.
- Cleaning campsites and maintaining facilities reminded the author that recreation sites require effort to keep running smoothly.
Muchalat Lake near Gold River, BC is one of my favorite recreation campgrounds on Vancouver Island. So when I was invited to be a campground host, I snapped up the opportunity. It’s gorgeous here, and a lot less crowded than more popular campgrounds down island. I’ve never been a campground host before, but you only live once.
And besides, after spending the winter in bucolic and quiet Comox Valley, I was ready to do something different. Being a camp host would give me a chance to explore a different side of the camping experience. The camp host keeps the campground looking natural- ideally like you’re the first one ever there. While the thought of picking up litter and cleaning (ugh) outhouses is about as unappealing as it gets, spending the summer on the shores of this large mountain lake, surrounded by forests, was irresistible.
The Realities Of Being A Campground Host
My trip up here in a Class A gasser, towing a jeep was trepidatious (to say the least). The forest service road was rough and badly in need of grading. But I navigated slowly, and tried to stay on the ribbons of road surface between the potholes, becoming more spiritual with every one I hit. I know that’s not what my rig was designed for, but I was glad I’d upgraded the suspension a few years ago. That said, I was so glad when I arrived. I found a spacious campsite overlooking Muchalat Lake, parked, and set up camp.
May Long Weekend: Canada’s Busiest Camping Weekend
I was able to time my arrival so I would be there to host on the typically busy May long weekend. It was a busy weekend, attracting the locals from Gold River as well as unsuspecting folks from down island who came to enjoy peace and quiet. Apparently Gold Riverites like to let loose at the lake on May long weekend. Occasionally I had to wade into the party to tell them to keep it down, wear helmets and slow down on the motorbikes and ATVs they’d mount after they had at least a few beverages. It was my first taste of babysitting an adult crowd while apologizing for their behaviour to the rest of the crowd..
However, When it was over, they packed up and left the sites clean, for the most part. The site is peacefully quiet, and I can finally get to the long overdue work of cleaning the campsites up. After the initial trash pickup, I’ll get to sweep the sites with a gas powered leaf blower. It’s satisfying work seeing the campsites revert back into what you expect to see when we arrive at a campground.
This Place Doesn’t Run Itself
As I pick up cigarette butts and other trash left behind by campers, and clean the outhouses to a surprising degree of sparkling sanitation, I’m reminded of the statement made by campers that the recreation site runs itself.
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Lynne Fedorick is an RV expert and experienced outdoor author who has written hundreds of articles for RV Life, RV Trader, and other leading publications. She evaluates RV gear, portable power systems, and emergency preparedness equipment for real-world RV travel. Lynne is the founder of RVAdventureGuide.com, offering RV travel tips, reviews, and destinations from a uniquely Canadian perspective.
