Summer Camps

Summer Camps

The Nature Vancouver Summer Camps are designed to foster sharing of experience, knowledge, and tasks to create a small community immersed in wilderness, hiking, birding, and botany opportunities. The Camp Committee organizes two annual summer camps running back to back. The camps are normally fully catered including meals that address dietary restrictions. Most participants use a tent although a few arrange lodging on their own at an additional cost. The majority of participants are middle aged to senior adults, but all age ranges are represented. Families are welcome in the second week. The minimum age for participation is 8 years old.

General information about our summer camps is available from the links below:

Itinerary      Camp Roles     Suggested Equipment        Camp Chores  

For more information about the camps, or suggestions for future camps and to help organize future camps, please contact Elena.K.NVcamp AT outlook.com

A Word About Food and Dietary Restrictions

Our cooks are professionals.  Our menus strive to reduce waste yet provide enough for any appetite. There is always several choices for breakfast and lunch. Dinners are hot and hearty and accompanied by a dessert. At registration you will be asked if you have any dietary restrictions.  If so, a follow-up, five-minute survey will be sent to you.  Using that information, we ensure that there will be a satisfying meal available for you.  However, due to the cramped cooking quarters and buffet style meals we cannot guarantee there will not be some cross contamination.  If you have a serious dietary restriction such as Crohn’s disease, we suggest you consider if this is an appropriate event for your condition. 

Some Testimonials 

“I have always been impressed with the meals in our Summer Camps.  But the 2024 Camp far exceeded my expectations.  As someone that does not eat pork or any of its byproducts and who also does not drink alcohol, the thoughtfulness, organization and preparation that went into the menu for this camp was far more than I had expected.  There was even turkey bacon for me! which was a first.  Each meal was not only delicious but healthy.  There were even non-alcoholic drinks for some of us who do not drink alcohol.  I believe all effort was made to accommodate every dietary needs.  A special thank you to Teresa G. and everyone in her team for a job well done.” – Nashrah S.

“As a first time Nature Vancouver camper, and someone who really enjoys cooking, I was amazed and delighted with the quality, diversity, and bounty of delicious food that was served on this summer’s Manning Park trip.  I am both vegetarian, and lactose intolerant, and my dietary needs were met with genuine care and attention, and I ate very, very, very well during the entire trip.  It was such a treat to be camping in a beautiful setting, and enjoying meals prepared with such creativity, and flare by two professional cooks who put their heart and soul into every meal.” – Rudi L

2025 Summer Camp

Nature Vancouver summer camps are typically planned two years in advance.  The covid years put a cramp in this planning and the camp committee has been trying to play catchup ever since.  Despite our best efforts and many good suggestions we have not been able to fulfill our research needs on a camp for 2025.  The committee has decided to forgo a camp for 2025 and instead focus on the 2026 and 2027 camps. 

2026 Summer Camp

Where Do You Want a 2026 Summer Camp?

Nature Vancouver’s Summer Camp Committee is looking at four locations for a drive-in camp in 2026.  Help us choose where to put our time and effort into planning. At the bottom of the page there is a link to provide us with your vote and comments.  This camp will be catered as usual. 

Ross Lake Campsite Skagit Valley

https://bcparks.ca/skagit-valley-park

Currently Known Pros:

Skagit Valley is located between Manning Provincial Park and the border to the United States.  It is a lovely location with various hikes of all levels of difficulty including the option to go over to Hozomeen Lake in the USA if you bring a passport.

Ross Lake is nearby for swimming. 

The group campground has a shelter for our cooks, 2 pit toilets, and is close to the beach.  In October of 2024 there were still 12 days available in July of 2025, so booking will likely be successful.  Booking opens one year in advance.

There is RV parking.

It can be accessed from Vancouver in about 3 hours 45 minutes.

Currently Known Cons:

Access to this campsite is via Silver-Skagit Road which is a gravel road. The road can be rough, in a 2 wheel drive vehicle expect about 1hr 45 minutes of driving on gravel.   

No optional lodging is available.

A reconnaissance (recce) is required to investigate how water is accessed, if there will be enough room for every tent and if there is close access to further toilets.

Recent flood damage on the road means a reconnaissance will have to wait until spring 2025 and a decision made shortly afterwards.   

Blanket Creek group campground Revelstoke

https://bcparks.ca/blanket-creek-park

https://seerevelstoke.com

Currently Known Pros:

There are hikes of all levels in the area and easy access to the Alpine via either the gondola at the mountain resort (at a cost) or via road up Mount Revelstoke (which requires a park pass).

The campground is by a river and there is a man-made lake within a two-minute walk from the group campground.

Parking is readily available, including camper vans and RVs.

There is one easy birding walk along a marshy waterway and the area is known for birding opportunities.   

The tour of the dam is reported to be worthwhile, for a small fee.

Currently Known Cons:

Mountain bikes may be an issue on many trails as this is a very popular mountain bike destination.

Optional lodgings are about a 20-minute drive from the camp site.

Both group campsites are small so both will need to be booked, which increases the cost of camp.

Most trails require a 10 to 20 minute drive from the camp site.  Glacier National Park is an additional one hour away. 

Mount Revelstoke Provincial Park is very popular in the summer and access closes by 9:30 in the morning because it is full. 

A second reconnaissance is needed to investigate the trails in the cross country ski area and to gather opinions on the potential conflicts with mountain bikes on the trails.  Access to water in the camp must also be investigated.  This reconnaissance would need to be in the early season in order to allow the committee time to agree on the site and book for a period in July and August. 

As an alternative a camp could be held in early September for the fall colours and a quieter season. 

The drive time from Vancouver to Blanket Creek is about 6 1/2 hours meaning that week 1 campers will have an overnight stay on route to arrive at noon. 

Sooke/Pacific Coast

A location new to Nature Vancouver’s Summer Camps, this area has several access points to a bountiful marine shoreline.

Hikes in the Carmanah Walbran Park may be an attraction to some as a pre or post camp visit.  Not feasible as a day trip due to the distance and road conditions.  A high clearance vehicle would likely be necessary. Recent climate change damage has limited the accessible areas.

Currently Known Pros:

Located nearby:

  • Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, there are several entry points to this shoreline park that can be done as day hikes. 

https://bcparks.ca/juan-de-fuca-park

  • Big lonely Doug
  • Avatar Grove
  • Potholes Regional Park provides easy to moderate hiking. 

https://bcparks.ca/sooke-potholes-park

Currently Know Cons:

We have not yet found a site in this area, so it may not be feasible for 2026.  We are seeking information from clubs and contacts in the area.  However, if enough interest exists the camp committee will put in some more effort in finding locations for this area in a later year.   

This area does not have strenuous climbs to Alpine areas.  Sections of the Juan De Fuca can be done as strenuous hikes, they are notoriously muddy and do not add to the charm of the easier access points to the shoreline. 

Distance to optional lodging from camp site is unknown.

It is expected that most, if not all hikes and walks would require a drive from the camp site.

Trails need to be investigated for difficulty, parking and driving distances from camp.    A reconnaissance is then required to confirm the access to water, toilets, parking, showers and site size. 

This area is on Vancouver Island, the drive, with ferry crossing, would be over 4 hours plus the wait time and expense of the ferry.   It also means an overnight stay on route for week 1 campers.

Waterton Lakes National Park

https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton

A successful summer camp was last held in this are in 2011, the commercial camp site we used at that time is no longer available.  However, there are several alternative sites. 

Beauvais Lake provincial park has a group site, it is outside of Waterton Lakes NP.  It would be about a 42-minute drive to the park. 

Police Outpost Provincial park also has a group site it is about 30 minutes outside of Waterton Lakes park.

Currently Known Pros:

Despite the forest fire that burned over 19,000 hectares of forest inside the park in 2017, the area is still beautiful.

Hikes and walks of all levels are available. 

Optional lodging is available inside the park. 

Currently Know Cons:

A 12 to 13 hour drive requires about two overnight stays for campers during their commute from home in both weeks.

This distance makes it difficult for the truck drivers to get the supplies to camp.

This distance also makes it difficult to perform a reconnaissance. 

The provincial park Group Campsite at Belly River Campground was eliminated as reservations cannot be made until April of the year of camp which is too late for the camp committee.

Crooked Creek, a commercial site also in the area, may be too expensive.

Vote for your favorite and leave comments using this short survey

https://forms.gle/J27NMGZ9BncHUfXJ7

Camp Committee

Chair: Diane Fast

Registrar: Elena Klein

Members:  Laura Cottle, Brian Livesy, Sally McDermott, Paul Vasicek, John Penhall, Gail Ross, Linda Rosas, Cindy Cooper and Ian Mcmeekin

Sub Committee members: Teresa Gagne, catering.

The Nature Vancouver Camp Committee is always looking for help with organizing future camps. We need members to take on various tasks that are required to plan and organize these camps. Join the main committee, or a sub committee. Click below for more information.  To contact the committee nv.campcommittee AT gmail.com

Past Summer Camps

Camps have been an important tradition since 1918, providing magical experiences for our members. Click below to view the complete list of past Nature Vancouver summer camps, an article published in Discovery – VNHS Summer Camps from the Beginning to Present by Kitty Castle and some historic photos. 

Camp Photos & Reports

The photos from past camps and /or lists of flora and fauna observed at these camps are available from the link below. 

The complete reports of all camps are published in Discovery. All the PAST ISSUES of DISCOVERY, Vol. 1 to Vol. 47 are available on line.  

Nature Vancouver