Camp Trip #4 of 2015
When: May 14th - 18th
Where: Ashnola River - Keremeos, BC
Who: 7 adults, 5 kids, 4 dogs.
May Long weekend - the gateway to camping season for some. Just another camping weekend to most avid campers. Interestingly enough, I had a conversation with another avid camper. Knowing he is a hard-core camper, I asked him where he and his family were camping for May Long this year. He chuckled and said "This is the weekend that rookies camp. We avoid camping on this weekend" What an interesting concept. He is right. I have camped every May Long since I was 16 years old - with the exception of my dear Brother's wedding (how dare he pick May Long to get married! haha.) Regardless, every year May long is a gong show. It's hard to find a place to camp that isn't booked solid or free sites packed with campers arriving on Tuesday to secure their spots. I have camped all over the Okanagan valley for May Long weekend. I have seen my fair share of nightmares occur. Everything from accidents, to fines from conservation officers, out of control fires and parties that go until the next morning. My friend was right, although tradition plays a large role in why I camp on May Long, it is definitely the weekend that the rookies come out to play - sometimes those who have the least amount of respect for our beautiful back-country.
*** A WORD OF CAUTION*** This is a fast moving river with powerful undercurrent. Even the most experienced swimmer can get caught in the undertow and be swept away. Keep children and pets away from the river!
I have reviewed on this campground before and all of the reasons why I love it and the Ashnola area in general.
DIRECTIONS: Drive to Keremeos. If travelling from the Penticton area, take the bypass and drive as if you are headed to Princeton. When you see the Red Bridge in sight (just a couple kms from the bypass turn off onto the highway), turn left onto the road and go over the red bridge. From there you will have a nice scenic drive through country side pastures and farms. You will drive through a reserve, past the pow-wow grounds (also a great campground!!). As the paved road turns to gravel, set your odometer. This is "ground zero" from this marking drive up and take in the surroundings. There is something heart warming to me as I drive along the Ashnola River. Large river boulders, steep cliffs, fauna and a dirt road. There are MANY campgrounds along the way. Some are rec sites - run by the LSIB. They have user fees so be aware if you camp in one of these marked campgrounds. There are man-made pull offs along the way as well. As soon as you get to km 16, you will notice the road is not grated and maintained. From here on up, there is no fee to camp.
Since the Ashnola is becoming increasingly popular, I won't say which KM marking our favorite campsite is - go explore for yourself! But I will warn you that past 19km, the road gets narrow in parts and there are some major rock slides that you will not get a car through. So be prepared if you are headed past 16 kms.
On to our May Long trip this year!
Every year we contemplate whether our favorite spot will be taken when we get up the mountain. This year a couple of us headed up on Wednesday afternoon and dropped the trailers off and set up a tent. Thankfully our space was vacant so we set up camp and locked up. We headed out of town on Thursday after work. Kids, dogs, a tank full of water and enough groceries and booze to last us 4 nights. Since it's such a long haul back to town, we try to make sure we are over-prepared. Just in case! The trip takes us approximately an hour and 30 minutes - with no trailer in tow. One thing to know about the Ashnola area is there are mosquitoes and they are BIG. We carry "OFF" in the truck and immediately spray ourselves when we get there. We go to work setting up our gazebo tent with screens and shelter for the kids to play bug and rain free.
In the mountains, the weather comes and goes so fast. we had 1 overnight and early morning of torrential downpour but most days consisted of tank tops and shorts. The weather really was on our side this May Long!
Dead fall is everywhere. So bring a chainsaw. You will never have a shortfall of wood. We left 1/2 a cord behind for the next campers!
The only downfalls to camping 45 minutes from a town and cell service is emergencies and the pain when you forget something or run out and need to drive to town to get it. In the end, camping in solitude is worth it!
One last thing I would like to add about this camp trip is that I FINALLY used my Coleman "Pudgy Pie" maker. WOW.... it made the most perfect grilled ham and cheese that I have every had! I have tons of recipes on different pudgy pie recipes. You can add everything from leftover spaghetti to nutella and banana to bacon and eggs! I am going to go buy a couple more. I suggest you go grab one too. They are sold at Canadian Tire and Walmart.
What a pudgy pie griller looks like - click here
Recipes found here on Pinterest!
All in all, we had an excellent May Long weekend with friends, kids and dogs galore.
*Same score as always*
SOLD 4 1/2 stars from me. It gets points for - free, pet friendly, no facilitators (private), play your music as LOUD as you want, tons of space, shady and sunny, on a river. Downfalls - no cell service, 45 minutes from town, no hookups (obviously)
If you are a back country camper, THIS is your spot! You will not be disappointed!
Next on our 2015 camping adventure -
GOLD MOUNTAIN RV PARK!
We had previously booked Beaver Lake but we just couldn't pass up another theme weekend at Gold Mountain so we cancelled our reservation and booked with Tracy and Dave at Gold Mountain. The theme is "Mardi Gras". Event details for the weekend include: Bocci Ball Tournament, Dessert Potluck, Kid's Bike Parade and an Ice Cream bar. Who can say no to that?
June is a busy camping month for us! Stay tuned and thanks for reading! Be share to click "share this post" with your friends and family!
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