Canada. Now that we are restricted to school holiday weeks and months we need to plan our trips. We are thinking of spending at least 3 weeks around the Vancouver/Vancouver Island area, possibly in a camper/RV? I just wonder how busy it might be, campsite booking, hire vehicle availability and of course possible photographic destinations?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Well, you'll be visiting during the absolutely busiest tourist time of the year. I would start checking into RV rentals right away for availability, but I doubt car rentals will be a problem for bookings during that time. Provincial campsites will be busy or fully booked, but you can go online to BC Parks website and pre-book campsites I believe - so once you have a vehicle figured out, I would do that. Private campsites will be easier to arrange, but they aren't nicely located like the BC Parks are.

Lots of scenic photographic destinations in Vancouver & Island area, but I'm 500 miles north of there and don't visit too often - so others here will know more about specifics I'm sure.

What would you like to know?  August is busy for activities etc in the Metro Vancouver Area.  You should be able to pre-book camp sites etc.  Late July/Early August is the Celebration of Lights Fireworks Competition and that's a fun shoot, the parks will be in full bloom, you can easily spend a days in Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park etc. You could go hiking up in the Coastal Range north/east of the area or drive up to Squamish/Whistler too.  Really just depends on what you want to see/shoot/etc...

Stewart

Well it is a family holiday but shooting i always on the cards I would like some bears, eagles and the usual Canadian natives, landscapes. My other half thinks buying a camper van is a great idea to travel here in Europe but I am not keen on sharing a small space with 2 ladies so I would prfer to try a family holiday in one first. I know august is like the worst time to go anywhere, but school is school.

My main worry is that the usual destinations, Whistler, rockies and camp sites will be packed with tourists, hence maybe VCisland would be a nice relaxing getaway?

Eagles are all over here, especially near Boundary Bay which is also close to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary. As for bears, not sure about August and not anywhere close to the city. There are sightings in the fall in the north and eastern borders of Metro Vancouver, you could go up Grouse Mountain and they have 2 captive grizzlies in a large enclosure. Lot safer that way. These were orphaned cubs that had gotten too used to humans so were placed up in Grouse. Whistler isn't too bad, as long as you can find parking/camping. Try to pre-book you campsites. Here's the page for the BC Parks: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/visiting/ Not sure what my schedule then but I might be up for a few hours of bird photography in Boundary Bay/Reifel.

S.

We take our motorhome up island quite often (Vancouver Island).   We bought it five years ago, and my sense of it is that it isn't as busy as it was four or five years ago (economy).   I also know that the RV dealers aren't moving as many units as they were five years ago (economy) as we are shopping around for an upgrade and there are some good deals that were non-existent five or six years ago.  Usage in campgrounds is down.

Last summer we drove from Victoria to Jasper, thence through Saskatchewan and back through Banff/Louise.   We spent only one night without a site (in the overflow at Lake Louise - arrived late in the afternoon). None of our sites were pre-booked.  With a cell phone, my wife arranges the next night's site while I am driving.

If one is driving a 40 ft diesel pusher with a towed vehicle, sites are limited, but for a 28 foot Class C it's much easier, particularly on Vancouver Island as there aren't many parks with long pull-through sites.

There is a difference between early August and late August - by mid-August or so, many families are getting ready for school which starts September.

Glenn

OK. Thanks guys, camper is sounding good. It wont be a big one nor will it have a vehicle behind it. I guess one problem with camping is you always gotta take the caper wherever you go.