It is almost prime tourist season, which means more rock climbers and other adventurers will be flocking to the Sea to Sky Corridor, hoping to camp or stay in their vehicles.
Many of us have friends and family who want to come for a bit, and with the economy the way it is, they want the best deal possible for their vacation (but maybe do not want or cannot stay with us).
Due to the over-tourism and abuse of some of our popular areas, as a community, we have spent a lot of time talking about what folks can’t do when they visit, but perhaps not enough time directing these visitors to what they can do.
(Note that this is not a piece about our more permanent vehicle and tent dwellers, but rather about the transient or seasonal folks who come to town for a few weeks to recreate during our fair-weather months.)
As the District notes, there are 700 campsites and recreation sites in Squamish, which charge a range of fees per night.
They are ideal as they have amenities that make camping more comfortable and sustainable for the environment; the District’s site has a handy Campsite Availability Calendar.
The most basic and cheapest campsite—$10 to $20 per night—is the non-profit Mamquam River Campground, which is close to town but feels wild.
As of this writing, plenty of sites are still available for the coming months.
Since we are talking tourists and not those who are down on their luck, forced to live rough for financial reasons, one could argue if you can’t afford this fee then perhaps you shouldn’t be coming to our community for vacation at this time.
However, some may not be aware that you can camp for free on Crown land—that is, land owned by the provincial government—outside the District of Squamish boundaries for up to 14 consecutive days.
Figuring out where Crown land begins and ends in our region isn’t the easiest, but there is a government map that makes it a little simpler.
(Go to Natural Resource Online Services and search for Crown land.)
As always, the rule of thumb is to leave the site so pristine that no one can tell you were even there, and don’t be a jerk to our wildlife, land or water while you are here.
If you or anyone you know haven’t done it before, there is a free, short and easy course at lnt.org on leaving no trace while camping that is worth checking out, whether planning to camp in our region or anywhere in B.C. for that matter.
