Birkenhead Lake Campground — Hotel in Area C (Pemberton Valley/Mount Currie/D'Arcy)

I first made the trek to Birkenhead Lake in 1978 with a friend of mine who had been there before. I thought it was absolutely breathtaking (except for the unusually severe swarm of black flies that year). About 22 years later (possibly due to black fly flashbacks), I returned for my second visit - supply of citronella oil in hand (and DEET for backup). This time, I had the pleasure of introducing my travel companion and best friend, Michael, to this alpine treasure. The beauty of the lake and surrounding mountains was inescapably more breathtaking than I had remembered. When it finally came time for the sad chore of packing up, I realized I was leaving with most of the citronella oil as well as a completely unopened can of DEET; the black flies had seemed hardly noticeable! As for my friend, he instantly embraced its beauty and fell in love with the pristine splendor of the lake and surrounding snowy peaks. For the past two decades, he has religiously made an annual pilgrimage to this spectacular place each and every year. On several of those occasions, I have been a most fortunate and appreciative tag-along beneficiary of the passion that draws so many here every year. Michael's best advice: If you want one of his highly coveted campsites, close to the beach access trail, reserve early! And leave the DEET at home; you won’t need it and the many woodland creatures...

Awesome campsite! We had such a great time this weekend. Beautiful lake that you can swim, paddle board and fishing. Super cold water but great for this hot weekend weather. (35+degree)

The campground is very clean and well organized/maintained) I saw the park operators driving around many times a day just to maintain the campsite. -pit toilet is alway clean and smell very nice with stocked toilet paper -campsite is cleaned right away after people leave -I never saw the garbage bins full because the park operators constantly emptied them -we got a warm welcome just right after we arrived. The park operator made sure our reservation was confirmed, put the sign on and told us that they will come around few times in case we need more firewood. -water station, garbage bins and pit toilets are everywhere and very clean (did I mention clean?! Lol )

There are lots of mosquitoes and black flies so it will help a lot with a tent over the picnic table.

This is a campsite that we will definitely...

Can't ask for much more from a campground. The spots are spacious and nicely spread apart, so you get a good amount of privacy pretty much wherever you are. All spots are within an easy walking distance of the breathtaking Birkenhead Lake. There is running, potable water here, along with outhouses, but no showers. You can also rent kayaks near the lake, but only during designated times.

While all spots are FCFS starting in September, the campground maintains a group of FCFS spots year round, and you can typically find availability if you go during the week. There are overflow spots for when it gets really busy, although these lack the aforementioned privacy.

From Pemberton town centre, this campground is about 55km with about 17km of those kilometres down a dirt road, though it is well-maintained. In my truck, it takes about an hour to the campground...