Our first camping trip of the year, on the first weekend of the year, took us to a familiar spot: Porteau Cove.
It’s such a scenic campground, especially in winter, so it makes the perfect place to sneak away for a night or two. It’s a popular spot and often full over the winter weekends.
Porteau Cove is about a 40 minute drive from Vancouver up the Sea to Sky Highway, and only about 20 minutes south of Squamish. The site is open year round, and bookable via the BC Parks camping reservation website. Winter rates are in effect from November through to February.
During the winter, the main washroom buildings which include the showers are closed. There are pit toilets available, as well as a washroom building nearby the campground at the Provincial Park parking lot. Once the colder weather arrives, the on-site water taps are usually turned off to prevent freezing, so it’s a good idea to bring along your own supply of potable water.
The Site
Our first visit to Porteau Cove was almost three ago, and since then we’ve been back at least ten times. We always try to explore new sites if we can, but sometimes the options are limited.
There are a cluster of interior sites, and we’ve stayed at one during the busier summer months. But if you’re hitting up Porteau Cove, the waterfront sites are where it’s at. Watching the waves lap up against the edge of your campsite at high tide, agitating the driftwood, is lovely. And when the water recedes, there’s beach access right from the site for taking a stroll.
Fortunately, for this weekend we managed to snag a site we’d been interested in staying at for a while, number 34.
It’s got good tree cover that gives both privacy and some protection from the howling winds that can come down from the north end of Howe Sound. Thankfully, wind wasn’t an issue this time around, just rain. Lots and lots of rain.
Our Setup
As well as being our first camping trip of the year, it was our first time using our iKamper 3.0 Mini at Porteau Cove. (We did come up a few weeks prior but the wind was just too high to stay for the night. We did manage to pitch a Kuma Bearden shelter for cooking dinner though).
Many of our visits to Porteau Cove have been during the colder months, and we’ve had a number of different camping configurations (which I’m planning to some time soon). Currently, we have the iKamper mounted on top of our Grand Cherokee, as well as a RhinoRack Batwing 270 degree awning.
Having two adults and two medium-sized dogs in the tent is, as they say, ‘cozy’ but overall quite comfortable if we’re all in the right spots.
This was the first time that we would need additional heat in the tent to be comfortable over night. All the sites at Porteau Cove (save for a handful of walk-in sites) are powered, with 15 Amp and 30 Amp outlets. The tent has a small hole near the corner of the floor designed for running a power cable in. This was our first time using it, and we set up a small space heater running off an extension cord from the site’s power outlet.
It was very effective. We ran the heater before bed and there was enough ambient heat inside that we could turn it off before going to sleep. It also made the tent a cozy spot to hang out during the day with JD and Winter, something that comes in handy with the non-stop precipitation.
The awning provided ample shelter outdoors. We’ve added an extension panel that zips on and extends the area covered. I’m still mastering the art of setting it up in such a way that all panels drain off consistently. We had a few blisters forming that needed to be poured off manually from time to time.
What we’ve found with camping, is that every time we head out, some new need becomes apparent (or is it a ‘want’? Hmm). This time around, we found ourselves wishing for a more enclosed all-weather shelter.
The awning does keep us dry, but in this cold, wet weather, it doesn’t provide as much protection from the wind and cold air coming in. Our Kuma Bearden with all the sidewall panels in place would be an option, but it’s not designed for use in the sustained heavy rain.
For now, we’re exploring some options and weighing the different pros and cons. And with the weather slowly but surely improving as spring approaches, this may be an upgrade that can wait until later this year. Time will tell.
The Scenery
Wherever we camp, and whatever our setup, the most memorable aspect is almost always the views. It’s one of the reasons we love coming back to Porteau Cove.
With Howe Sound and Anvil Island in front of you, and snow capped peaks all around, it’s truly a scenic spot.
Frequently shifting weather conditions ensure that the views won’t stay the same for long. Something that held true on this trip as well. After what felt like endless rain over the weekend, the clouds broke and we were treated to a breathtaking coastal sunset that painted the sky and all of the hanging, swirling mists.
Already thinking about our next visit…
Information
Porteau Cove Provincial Park
- 38km north of Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway (Highway 99)
- Open and bookable year-round (with reduced winter rates from November to February)
- Bookable on the BC Parks website
- All sites have 15 Amp and 30 Amp power hookups
- The campground has an easy walking trail up to a viewpoint
- Popular scuba diving spot year-round, including a sunken ship human-made reef
- Short drive to Squamish and nearby hikes including Sea to Summit and Stawamus Chief trails.
- Find more information, and the reservation link, here.
Thanks for reading! Check back to this blog for more updates in the near future.
