The best camping near Davis Lake Provincial Park

This small park is tucked into the lower folds of the Coastal Mountains, 80 kilometres east of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. On the north fringe of Mission, Davis Lake Provincial Park has one of the region’s warmer lakes and a scenic waterfall reached by a short hike, making it a great day trip from other busier parks and campgrounds nearby. There is no camping within the undeveloped park, which is known for its bird habitat and pristine stand of western hemlock trees.

Being so close to Vancouver, this park gets local hikers year-round on the trail to McDonald Falls, but without any facilities, it’s also one of the quieter parks in the Lower Mainland. Summer months bring more people to the lake—swimmers, canoers, kayakers, and paddleboarders—but crowds remain in the more popular neighbouring recreation sites by Stave Lake and parks with campgrounds: Rolley Falls Provincial Park and Golden Ears Provincial Park. The waterfalls are especially spectacular early in the year after the snowpack melts, and in late summer, the falls subside into deep pools ideal for dips.  

• This park has no facilities and just one parking area accessed by an unmaintained gravel road. As the road through the park is also a logging road, be mindful of and yield to trucks.
• Access to the lake itself is walk-in only and any canoes and kayaks have to be portaged (15-minute hike). There are no canoe/kayak accessible campsites.
• Fishing in the lake is allowed with an appropriate licence from the BC government.
• There is no potable water in the park; bring your own drinking water.