It’s 3am and the sound of rain and someone else’s tent zipper opening wakes me up. I’m itchy from the day’s mosquito attack and I have to pee but the bathroom is a couple hundred feet away. The guys next to me have been swallowed by their sleeping bags and I have to check if they’re still breathing inside. And I think a bug has crawled into my ear.
This is camping.
I’m not crazy about the overnight part. But I do like the daytime and Alice Lake campground trulyhas a lovely lake. (It was even pouring there on our first night and we had a good time throwing rocks and watching them splash between the raindrops. By day two it was almost perfectly divine, except for the crazy geese who chased kids and pooped EVERYWHERE.)
The sites are large and quiet. (We’ve been to other campgrounds where you can hear the highway at night. Not here. It’s oh so quiet. Hence the freak out in the middle of the night. There is NO technology here to distract me.)
There are places to bike, or just walk through the trees with friends.
We had good times and s’mores. (The hubby and I are at war to see who makes the best marshmallow/melted chocolate/graham combination. )
Treats from Thierry bakery in Vancouver. (You know I can’t resist a bakery. This one also has really yummy macarons.)
Wayne Gretzky wine. (Yes, the Great One has his own wine.)
And just hung out.
Someone brilliant (not me) even brought glowsticks for the kids.
But it’s not easy to get a site-apparently you have to book a couple months ahead. (Thank goodness for our smart friends) So choose your dates for next year now and send yourself a reminder on your calendar. Nature beckons at Alice Lake and if it rains, Whistler is just a short drive away.
(PS. we haven’t been to Whistler in AGES. What does one do at Whistler with kids?
PPS does anyone else think camping could be so much better if you had your own private bathroom?)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
We were just in whistler with our two (5 and 2), and didn’t think there was a ton to do. They have a fun playground right by the Olympic Rings though 🙂
Pretty pics! Sad to say the only camping I have done is on grounds near the highway in Toronto and I don’t like it at all. Hence us not taking the kids yet until they can last in the car ride to a quieter campground.
And if there were private bathrooms I would totally reconsider camping! 😉
One day I will have to visit Alice Lake. Is it far from Vancouver?
I hear the Canadian National Parks have free admittance all of next year. Is this true? I am trying to get up there for camping one of these days and I am putting Alice Lake on the list. It looks amazing and right up our alley. It is also in an area we love. Is there a better time of year (like August or December – kidding about December but not really) when it comes to the mosquitoes? I have started having allergic reactions to their bites and try to avoid as much as I can. I love camping though.
Oh, and Whistler is so amazing with kids! We are up there every New Years because we are skiers. The Village has loads of things like an ice skating rink and a play ground, there is hiking, and really great spas (because mom needs a minute or 4 hours to relax too!). Awesome food, biking, zip lining, swimming (they have a great rec center!), and more! You might check http://www.trekaroo.com. It is a travel website for families and I am pretty sure I just saw a blog post about Whistler, there was also one about Vancouver and another about Victoria.
PS-Glowsticks are the best thing ever camping! My husband discovered that too…I wasn’t smart enough to think of it. I like to think I was too busy packing things like food! 🙂
My sister told me something about that too but I’m not sure if it’s all Canadian parks. And I’m not sure about mosquitos they are always out to get me too. I have a bug net shirt I wear in all weather and months-I’m paranoid. And no worries, I love Trekaroo;) Thank you so much for taking time to comment! <3
I feel silly. I just realized you are a Superoo! Of course you know about Trekaroo! I think I should get some more coffee! Ack!