Twenty Mile Bay might be the most gorgeous campground I’ve stayed in. I zen’d out and became one with nature. We booked a double spot (sites 30 + 31) along the edge of the recreation site. Our area was nestled in the opulent old growth forest, with the shore of Harrison Lake running down one side. Sites have picnic tables and a fire pit, but that’s it. This campground, along with several others in the area, is run by Sts’Ailes under an agreement with Recreation Sites and Trails BC. It’s booked through the West Harrison Forestry webpage. We travelled with our good friends the Teillets and their two rugrats. There are no services or water. Pack in and pack out.
The road is a bit of an experience. It’s 33km once you hit the rutted, choppy forest service artery. We travelled towing a tent trailer with Matt’s pickup. He drove painfully slowly; it took us over an hour once we hit the gravel. Matt had filled up the trailer’s undermount water tank as we knew there was no taps on the site. After unloading it was pointed out to us that a pool had begun forming under the camper. One of the potholes had murdered our water tank. The strap holding it up had been ripped off and the fiberglass was punctured. Not ideal but I wasn’t planning on drinking any water that long weekend anyways.
There were pit toilet outhouses. Several mice lived in the bottom of ours. Jett was the first to detect the little critters running around on the excreted toilet paper and other discharge at the bottom of the privy shaft. The children were absolutely delighted by this discovery. The women were repulsed. The men had targets to shoot at.
The beach was a quick jaunt across our site and had the most jaw dropping view and shoreline. I spent many hours here nursing my pineapple vodka sodas while watching the whippersnappers. I was perfectly content to sit around in the small pebbles and referee the children on the occasion they decided to use the surrounding driftwood as a weapon. The water was too cold in May for a sensible adult like myself, but the littles didn’t seem to mind. We didn’t see another soul on our beach the whole time which was lovely as I don’t play well with others.
I love a good day drinking adventure. The Canadian temperate rainforest is a great place to go for a tipsy hike. Our site had a mountain on one side which Jett insisted we climb daily. I love hiking and there was a lot of curious vegetation to investigate in every direction. We didn’t follow any marked trails but rather wondered in the woodlands. The kids beat things with their sticks and chased chipminks and frogs. I tried not to spill my drink when I inevitably stumbled over the tree roots and boulders that nature had placed in my path to screw with me.
This was a great local trip with all the usual camping activities. We barbequed and ate smores. The Teillets brought their kayaks. I gave boating a try one day but there was no cupholder so I didn’t last long. The kids made forts, swam and explored. The men disappeared for hours to “chop wood.” Matt brought his fishing gear and spent a quiet evening not catching anything. It’s a gorgeous spot to chant and sing kumbaya.
May Long, 2019
Kids Ages: 2 and 4
paRty of 4 