Toad Rock Motorcycle Campground — Hotel in Area E (Balfour/Cottonwood Lake)

This is a Campground like no other I've been to. It. The word eclectic could have been invented for this place with a huge variety of options for cabins, sheds, old RVs and minivans for motorcyclists to spend the night if the don't fancy their tent. It has an amazingly wild Mad Max-like social area where people gather to talk and swap tales which has music, musical instruments, a pool table, books and DVDs galore albeit mostly around motorcycles and that way of life. At any moment I expected the owner to pop out and say "Welcome to Thunderdome, 2 go in, 1 comes out". There are also places for you to rock up in a moderately-sized RV for your stay and you are just as warmly welcomed (or in your own tent), so you don't need your Harley or Roal Enfield. We were expecting it to be frequented by beefy blokes with tatoos and beards and that was true (Big Mark - who we cannot confirm or deny will be buying our RV when we return to BC). We also met a guy called Chris who was walking around this part of Canada and was spending winter in the frozen wilderness. We told him about our Sourdough knowledge picked up in the Yukon. Unlike those old gold-rushers, he assured us, his bread, including starter cultures, would stay well away from his underpants. We stayed up until 1am talking to them and it was great. Alongside eclectic, the other word I'd use to describe the site is love. All the communal areas including the great bathrooms and showers are adorned with hundreds of photographs and mementos that people have left behind. Each photo tells a story, which we'll unlikely ever know, but all those strands from all those lives, going back the 49 or so years of the site being established, converged at this place and each left a small and beautiful imprint. The site has been lovingly developed by the owners and loved by those who have been there. In the morning we spent sometime with one of the owners, Mary (who was amazing), and she told us that is has meant so much to some people that when some regulard have passed, some of their ashes have been brought back to this site and the friends and families of some of those have paid for new cabins for visitors to this site. That is love. It also has a little shop where you can purchase some merchandise and we left very moved and very happily with a pair of branded Toad Rock MC tin mugs. There is so much to explore here and kids, like I will...

This is the first time I have checked Toad Rock on google maps. Was totally surprised to find only two reviews here, considering the number of people that stop by time and time again. I can only chaulk it up to the idea that people report bad experiance more than good and everybody has a good time when visiting here. Thus the lack of reviews The campground is tucked nicely into the trees and has all the nessisary services. Unique to Toad Rock is the wonderful owner Mary. She is very social, fun and accommodating. Her great style and flair for fun is reflected in the pavilion and social area where everybody congregates and enjoys themselves. If your looking for a full hookup campground with all the bells and whistles this isnt it, but its not "just" a motorcycle campground. If you want a fun rustic great place with good services you owe it to yurself to stop by. There is just one warning I should probably give you. If you like stopping at and checking out different places each time you pass through somewhere you best beware. There is a good chance you will get hooked and have to keep returning to visit Mary on your trips through the...

This place is great. There were all kinds of bikers, of all ages, and everyone I interacted with was nice. Kid and dog friendly. Definitely a hippie biker vibe, and it seemed like a lot of the folks are frequent visitors. The prices were very reasonable. They are cash only. Plenty of access to water and firewood. Nice, shady spots. It had common areas to socialize and an outdoor BBQ kitchen and fridge as well. There are also things you can buy, like ice cream, sodas, firewood, ice, and laundry machines. I'm sure there are plenty more things, but we weren't there long enough to find out. Tons of tent spots, and a handful of adorable cabins and other out-of-the-ordinary things like old RVs, buses, vans, etc.

It is a bit disorganized and has a party atmosphere, in case that's not your thing. It was part of the charm for me, though. We stayed there as just a place to sleep during a long trip -- we were probably the first to bed and first out of there, and if noise was a problem for sleeping, we would have had a bad time. It did quiet down eventually, but I'm not sure around what time. I hope to get a chance to go back and stay...