Prince George is a camping paradise for people like my partner and me who have young kids. We can be camping lakeside in a secluded campsite after driving only twenty minutes from town. The best part about living in northern BC is that you don’t have to be online when BC Provincial parks registration opens; you can pack up and leave the Friday of a long weekend.
Head west to find great fishing spots
Since Prince George is the hub of the north, the possibilities are endless when it comes to camping destinations. If you head west you enter the “lakes district”, which gives you tons of options for fishing. Whether it’s a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains like Francois Lake or Babine Lake where you can stock up for the year on sockeye salmon. If you are in the mood for a longer road trip, you can be on the beautiful north coast in less then eight hours. The north coast is just as a beautiful (if not more beautiful!) as the south coast, except that it has kept its ruggedness and not nearly as busy. We always spend a day in Prince Rupert where you can take a stroll down to Cow Bay Marina and pop into museums or get some fresh seafood.
Head east for a Rocky Mountain experience
Heading east, you’ll find the breathtaking Rocky Mountain range. A beautiful spot out east that is only a short thirty-minute drive from town is Purden Lake Provincial Park. The warm shallow lake with its big sandy beach makes it a popular destination for young families. The large campsites that are treed in give you lots of privacy and shade for those hot summer days. Head a little further east and you’ll hit Mount Robson Provincial Park and Jasper, which are both in the heart of the Rockies.
Go north to find more sandy beaches
Going further north you have popular Bear Lake, which also has a warm lake and sandy beach. Even better it has a playground right at the beach making it easy to spend the day down at the lake and tons of hiking trails in the park.
Plenty of options closer to Prince George
If you would rather stay close to town there are tons of rec site options within the Prince George area. Head down almost any forestry road and there are a lot of rec sites that are well maintained for camping. Whether you want to fish on one of the smaller lakes or go quadding on many of the trails in and around the sites there are lots of options and it’s generally too busy at these sites.
No matter where you decide to go, Prince George is the ultimate playground for the outdoor enthusiast. Our nice warm weather usually starts in May and goes to September, giving us months to explore the beautiful and various different landscapes Prince George and area has to offer. Discover your camping getaway.
