Upon disembarking from the ferry at Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, Mule Deer Campground within Manning Provincial Park lies 246km away traveling on Hwy 1 to Hope and then taking the Hwy 3 turn off which is the old Hope Princeton hwy From there it is another 76 km to the campground. This campground lies adjacent to Hwy 3 in Manning park, and provides a scenic break from the open road as you travel towards the Okanagan valley. This campground has 49 sites to choose from though many of these sites lie adjacent to the hwy and therefor are subject to road noise. The further back in the campground you go the less road noise you will hear. The best sites range from M20 to M 40 with M15 having a great river view but too much road noise for my liking. We planted our flag on site M15 not knowing that road noise would be a problem but instead opting for the river view.
The site itself was big and spacious and fitted our 32.5’ motorhome and toad without any issues. With everything parked on the site we still had ample room to setup our outside patio and enjoy the view of the river and surrounding forest. We stayed here for three days & nights enjoying the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the Similkameen River.
The campground itself does not have any amenities beyond flush toilets and running water, which was a bit of a surprise. There is a Kids playground complete with swings.The campground itself is small and has a nice walk along the main access road but trails off the beaten path were few, which led you to feel somewhat confined to your campsite. To find the adventure that we so frequently look for in our campgrounds we had to travel afar and investigate the surrounding area.
The first place we visited was the Manning Park Visitor center which is approximately 8km west of Mule Deer on the north side of the road. Here you will find a dump station with potable water (Dump cost is $5, water is free) and a staffed visitor center with all of the usual interruptive signs and displays about the park, and surrounding areas and of course how it was created. The Visitor center itself is very nice and well looked after with washrooms, displays, and a small store for souvenirs. Outside of the visitor center lies an open expanse of nicely manicured lawns edging up to the forest. Overall a nice place to take a break from the open road if you’re traveling through, or it can be a place where more information on the surrounding area can be found.
Another 1km down the road from the visitor center heading west lies the Manning park lodge. The lodge as it is called is a unique Hotel located in the middle of Manning park, providing those without their own camping gear or RV, an opportunity to relax and take in the beauty of the park from a luxury perspective. The buildings on this site are all old log cabin style which adds to the rustic beauty of the hotel. On site is a restaurant, general store, hotel, and of course the Fresh Mountain water drinking station. This place is also a wonderful place to stop and take a break from the open road if you are traveling through the area and not stopping to camp. During the winter months the lodge hosts skiers who come to experience the fantastic snow at the Gibson ski hill.
After exploring the lodge and picking up some souvenirs we decided to explore another campsite in the area called the Hamptons. Within the park there are four campgrounds and three group areas. Three of the campsites Mule deer the Hamptons and Cold Spring are located right off of the Hwy whereas Lightening Lake is 4km away down a service road running next to the Manning Park lodge.
Since we were staying in the park during the start of the shoulder season all of the campsites with the exception of Lightening Lake were pretty much empty. As we traveled through the Hamptons site we came across only two people in the entire campground. The Hamptons is a nice campground off of the Hwy but back further into the forest than Mule deer or Cold Spring so the road noise was much less here. There are no creeks or rivers flowing through this campground just forest. The campground does have a central bath house with running water, flush toilets and hot showers. The campsites here are a nice size with a lot of privacy between sites. The campground is big rig friendly and can fit most bus style RV’s. The road system is paved with nice big radius turns on all of the corners.
This was the second time we had stayed within the boundaries of Manning Park, and though we love the park we found that the campsites other than Lightening Lake lacked in the natural secluded campground that we like to stay in. Not to say that Mule Deer, Coldspring or the Hamptons were not nice, they just had that awful road noise associated with campgrounds close to the hwy. unfortunately I think that most of the lower mainland of BC also agrees with our evaluation as Lightening Lake is hard to book due to its popularity.
Nuts & Bolts:
Manning Park is a beautiful location in which to spend a few days to a week exploring this majestic back country park. With four campgrounds and three group sites you should be able to find a site that fits your style and makes you smile. The best of the campgrounds is by far Lightening Lake, but be prepared to book early or try your luck at first come first serve, but by far booking will give you the best experience. The other three campgrounds Mule Deer, Coldspring, and the Hamptons are nice campgrounds but Cold spring and Mule Deer are very close to the hwy so road noise is a concern. The Hamptons is far enough back in to the forest that road noise should not bother you. All of the campgrounds have good access for big rigs including bus style RV’s though only the Hamptons has a paved road system the others are gravel. As for amenities only Lightening Lake and the Hamptons have showers but all campgrounds have running water and flush toilets. Amazing! Other than Lightening Lake, when you camp here you are here for the back country experience, expect to travel a far to explore this park and the beautiful views it has to offer. When at Lightening Lake the experience is all about the Lake (See my previous post on Lightening Lake).
This is a back country Park so expect no cell service until you either hit Hope to the West or Princeton in the East. Also there is no Electrical sites in any of the campgrounds so Boondocking is certainly the way to go here. Potable water is available at the Visitor center as well as at the dump ($5 dump charge – Coins only). The dump has a tight turn into it so larger RV’s may have some issues getting into the dump station. Beware! A night in the park will cost you $25.00 a night for a rustic site or $35 a night at Lightning lake also for a rustic site. Reservations can be made here:
Happy Trails
The Glampurs
