The best camping near Porteau Cove Provincial Park

Off the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99) near Squamish between Vancouver and Whistler, Porteau Cove Provincial Park is one of western Canada’s most striking settings for campers. While Porteau Cove has just 44 drive-in sites, 16 walk-in campsites, and two cabins that sleep four, its waterfront campsites have views of Howe Sound and the Gulf Islands. Go swimming, kayaking, or windsurfing from the beach, where you might spot seals or other marine life, or go scuba diving along a series of artificial reefs and explore the remains of two sunken vessels. Stay up for stargazing in the clear night skies.

• Best for quieter oceanfront camping: Porteau Cove’s walk-in campsites
• Best for Howe Sound views: Porteau Cove’s drive-in sites
• Best for cabin campers: Porteau Cove Olympic Legacy Cabins

1. Reservations are required between late March and early October. 
2. You can make advance reservations for any of the sites at Porteau Cove’s campgrounds. Book your campsite as early as possible through BC Parks Discover Camping site, particularly if you want to nab a waterfront campsite. Unless the weather is particularly stormy, this popular campground is full most nights year-round, so don’t turn up without a reservation. 
3. Weekdays are slightly less busy than weekends, and winter, which can be temperate but rainy, is the only slightly quieter season.

Porteau Cove is open year-round. Peak season is June through September, when the day-use beaches are busy and the campgrounds packed. April, May, September, and October have mild weather, but even these months are often crowded in this popular park. The campgrounds have full services, including hookups, flush toilets, and hot showers, from March to early November, with partial services (no washrooms or showers) in winter. The sani-station is open year-round except when temperatures drop below freezing.

• You can find grocery stores, gear shops, and cafés in Squamish, 20 kilometres north of the park. Coming from Vancouver, you can stop for supplies in West Vancouver.
• Between June 15 and Labour Day, you can book a maximum stay of seven nights in the Porteau Cove campgrounds.
• One advantage of winter camping, besides fewer crowds: you can often spot bald eagles in the Brackendale area on Squamish’s north side. And if you want to ski or snowboard, you’re less than an hour from the slopes at Whistler-Blackcomb.