Hwy 99, 1 or 5

[Veebyes]

Looking for some local knowledge. Ferry from Departure Bay, VI to Horseshoe Bay. Then what?

Option 1 was hwy 99 past Whistler however I learn that there is a pretty steep grade east of Pemberton.

Mountain driving does not scare us. Done our share from the Blue Ridge Parkway & some very narrow steep roads of TN & NC. Also done more CO mountain passes than can be remembered including Slumgullion, which gets up to the nosebleed altitude with trailer in tow. Done our share in the Cascades around Rainier & Crater Lake.

How does 99 compare with what we have experienced in those areas? Sort of thinking the scenery along 99 will be better. Perfectly happy to poke along slowly if there are turnouts & the scenery is worth it.

Option 2 is a little longer on hwy 1 or further still on 5.

Whichever route the destination is Prince George & points north.

Time is not an issue. Trip will be made later in May so weather should not be an issue either.

[Veebyes]

blofgren wrote:

garyhaupt wrote:
So..if they take the 11pm sailing from Departure Bay...get off the ferry just before 1am, take a s-l-o-w drive up the road..arriving about 2am, allowing for no traffic...they should be at the head of the line for those next departing!!

Gary

LOL, true! :B

That is about the thought. Going to be a Monday or a Tuesday so missing th weekend mob.

[blofgren]

garyhaupt wrote:
So..if they take the 11pm sailing from Departure Bay...get off the ferry just before 1am, take a s-l-o-w drive up the road..arriving about 2am, allowing for no traffic...they should be at the head of the line for those next departing!!

Gary

LOL, true! :B

[garyhaupt]

So..if they take the 11pm sailing from Departure Bay...get off the ferry just before 1am, take a s-l-o-w drive up the road..arriving about 2am, allowing for no traffic...they should be at the head of the line for those next departing!!

Gary

[blofgren]

Veebyes wrote:
11 years of usually more than 150 nights on the road & very seldom making reservations, we play the game pretty well. Try to get where we want to be before 3 in the afternoon in time to get a good pick of sites & be well settled in to watch the parking follies of later arrivals. Most entertaining while sipping an afternoon beer or two.

I hear what you're saying, but; people usually start lining up at the gate at Porteau Cove at about 5 am so........:)

[paulj]

Porteau Cove, hemmed in between water and tracks is probably different, but most BC prov parks have similar sites, which I like to think of a commercial rubbermaid grade. Most have a large raised P-shaped gravel pad. Some are pull through. Large may be relative - my rig is small, so anything with space for SUV, tent and dining shelter on the same pad is large.

Commercial camp grounds may have bigger sites, but they are packed together. And BC Rec Sites are highly variable, most suited to pickup campers with lots of leveling blocks.

Perhaps the quintisential BCPP campground is the main one at Mt Robson, laid out in a large 3 turn spiral.

[Veebyes]

11 years of usually more than 150 nights on the road & very seldom making reservations, we play the game pretty well. Try to get where we want to be before 3 in the afternoon in time to get a good pick of sites & be well settled in to watch the parking follies of later arrivals. Most entertaining while sipping an afternoon beer or two.

[blofgren]

Porteau Cove is a beautiful campground that we have camped at many times over the years. Your rig is the same size as ours so be warned that the campsite is quite tight in spots and there are a limited number of sites that you will fit in. The last time we were there I also had to get staff to cut some low hanging branches so that we could get out without damaging the rig.

The limited number of sites combined with the high popularity of this campground will certainly make it difficult to get a site. But if you can get in, you will certainly enjoy it!

As others have said there are more parks further North towards Squamish including a nice private full hook up park called WhistlePunk Hollow.

Enjoy, the Sea to Sky Highway is a beautiful trip!

[garyhaupt]

Hmmmm....now that you have posted your length, I 'drove' Porteau Cove and you can fit into some of those sites. Your best bet is to arrive as early as possible on any given weekday. However...did you ever follow George, the self-proclaimed Vagabond King? He had a method that I began to practice and it worked out really well, for me, anyway.

The method is most applicable to those that drycamp...Boondock. You find your day spot..so, the Veebeys drive up to Porteau Cove and strike out..but, it is a great spot to hang out, if the wind isn't blowing too hard. Do that...park in the lot, walk around, check out the campsite..maybe someone is leaving...watch the divers. There is nothing there so it is the view of the water, the trains and you are pretty much done. You 'could' do the mining museum just up the road a piece. Okay...coming up end of day and no joy at Porteau? Drive on up to Squamish and toss out the anchor at one of the lots. You are there for the night...right? Unless of course you need power..then you can choose one of these. https://www.google.ca/search?client=firefox-b&dcr=0&q=squamish+camping&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=...

It's not a long drive from the ferry, but it can be busy. Were it me? I'd not go further in one day than Squamish. Next day is a full day to drive the Duffey Lake road.

If you are beer folks..a great craft house and kitchen..the Howe Sound Brewing. Now..again..were it me..I'd go look at this spot..just past the brew house and down by the water..and you are boaters...so, stuff to look at and so on.


https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.6943211,-123.1557087,3a,75y,135.77h,101.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTQJkD...


Gary

[Veebyes]

Paulj, thanks for the additional CGs. My biggest problem with some PPs is my size, just under 36' LOA 5er plus truck. Site availability is a price paid with longer rigs. Most CGs have a few sites big enough. The problem is often we drive in & find a B, a TC, or a small C sitting in them.

[paulj]

Almost any provincial park along Hwy 99 would be good camping.

I've only stopped at Porteau Cove, not camped there. It is close to the highway and also train tracks, though I don't think that line is heavily used.

Alice Lake is bigger and further from traffic. And popular.

Brandywine Falls is also close to the highway and trains. We camped there one rainy June after a day visit to Whistler, and spent two nights. The train tracks take a sharp bend at the campground and cross over the falls. That turn is sharp enough that the tracks include a lubrication mechanism. A fascinating detail for train buffs. There's also good hiking over lava fields.

Last time we drove 99 they were expanding the highway (before the Olympics) and Brandywine camping was closed. Instead we stayed at Cal-Cheak Recreation Site just up the highway. There's a trail between the two.

Beyond Whistler is Nairn Falls PP, good PP sites, plus some hiking and the falls to see.

Further off of 99 is Birkenhead Lake PP. The approach road is partly gravel, but it's worth the drive. We last camped there in the fall, and had to whole campground to ourselves (except for one possessive grouse).

There are some Rec Sites along the Duffy Lake part of 99. I first drove this in 1984 when it was still a gravel forest service road. Last time I spent several days driving all the roads between Pemberton and Lillooet.

Then after the big drop, there's a BC Hydro campground, and Lillooet a short ways beyond. Here you are getting into hotter and dryer climate. Then one more provincial park, Marble Canyon on a small lake (and close to the highway).

The Fraser River canyon south and north of Lillooet is an interesting place to explore as well, but that's another story (and lots of gravel and steep roads).

[Veebyes]

Thanks for the plan B. Always good to have a plan B.

[garyhaupt]

Porteau is a wonderful site..if you like trans. Thems that do, like it a lot. Thems that don't...If you don't care for the racket or if it's full, carry on to Squamish. The Save-On Food lot@1301 Pemberton Ave has parking as does Home Depot@39251 Discovery Way or Rona@39009 Discovery Way. Save-on has wifi...I dunno about the other two.

Gary

[Veebyes]

Gary, a bit more. As things stand we will come off VI Monday 5/28 or Tuesday. Thinking of Porteau Cove PP for that night. No reservation. Safe? I know not to chance it on a Fri or Sat night. Hoping that I will be long enough after May 24th for the first blast of summer camping to die down & the locals will have gone back to work by then.

[garyhaupt]

Re Horseshoe Bay...watch for and follow signage for Whistler/Pemberton. And if, for some touristy reason you get going towards Vancouver instead, just trundle along till you can make the exit and swing back around. It's not a big deal..it's not a turnpike in New York.

Gary