West Coast North America Boat Camping

[Boydo]

Can we get a running thread going to share information on our west coast boat-in camping or day tripping experience. Hope to exchange info on where did you camp (with coordinates), launch locations, routing, anchoring conditions, your equipment setups that work, good day tripping lunch stops, fueling locations, tips and tricks, surfing spots, sources of information, hiking possibilities, fishing spots you’d like to get back to… Hoping “west coast” can get enough traffic but still be relevant to folks. I’ve been to a lot of places along the BC coast I’d be happy to share if we can get some back and forth going here without too much insipid banter. Personally I’m after more good boat-in camping spots. Whatcha got?

[Boydo]

Here’s something to get the thread started. Not camping, but a great boat-in location some folks would like, especially if you have kids. We stayed at this cabin for several days summer 2024. Highly recommend, great owners and host, excellent base for excursions in every direction, great fishing, lots of whales. It’s on the south end of Swanson Island, BC, facing out on Blackfish Sound.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/737251508335038073?viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76

Parking, launching, fueling out of Telegraph Cove was easy and is less than 30 minutes to Swanson Is. However, the fuel dock side of the cove burned in December so you might have to buy fuel in Port McNeil this year.(?) No fuel dock in Alert Bay. Lagoon Cove Marina south of Swanson Island is a good fuel stop if you go down that way. Probably best you take a bunch of fuel cans over to Swanson snd leave them on the dock while you’re there as we did.

Alert Bay is a fantastic day trip, tie up on the public dock, have lunch, buy groceries, go to the U'mista Cultural Center museum, and on Saturdays in the summer you need to go the longhouse for the potlatch dance performance.

[alpha]

Nice boat, looks fast. We used to do a bit of boat camping in the Great Lakes.
Now we usually get a cabin. If I was younger I would love to remote camp on the Columbia river .

[Peter_C]

After hearing stories from friends anchoring or camping on the islands from the Puget Sound and North, it has been on my bucket list. But the bears! Also heard they can be an issue, but can they really be any worse than most any land based campground?

We do camp all over Northern California for which there are a bunch of boat in campsites on our lakes. Not much camping along our part of the Pacific ocean as pulling up to a beach is next to impossible without being tossed onto said beach.

[Boydo]

We did a camping trip on Lake Roosevelt several years ago. Almost the entire shoreline is encompassed by the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. This is the reservoir created by Grand Coulee dam on the Columbia. We put in just above the dam, camped several days, explored the full length of the lake, over 100 miles to where the river was free flowing. Lots of organized campsites, several are boat in only, and you can camp anywhere along the lakeshore within the Recreation area. When we were there in June there was hardly anybody else on the lake. Fuel was available at a couple little marinas. I previously posted several pictures you can find in my Lake Roosevelt album.

https://www.rib.net/forum/members/22487-albums1111.html

One of the marinas also had houseboats for rent. Looked like good family fun.

I’d be interested to know if anybody has experience boat-in camping on the lower Snake River. Alpha, I definitely hear you on the age thing. Its why I’m thinking of selling my boat, and why we rented a cabin last year, but I really missed the camping.