As we headed into the final leg of our north island trip, we wanted a campground closer to the ferry terminal that offered a unique activity. Blair’s research found Horne Lake Regional Park which was right next to Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park and offered cave tours from Horne Lake Cave Tours.
The campground, not surprisingly, is located on Horne Lake and is only a 1.25 hour drive to the ferry. Everything seemed to work out great.
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Our Trip
After our bumpy trip from Loveland Bay, we stopped in Campbell River for supplies and then headed off to Horne Lake. We made a stop in Cumberland for gas and found this great local Brewery for lunch, Cumberland Brewing Company. They had great tasting dishes and we both enjoyed the local pint. We were then off to Horn Lake which was accessed by yet another gravel road. We arrived around 4:00 pm, set up camp and shortly after, some of our family stopped by for a late afternoon visit. It is so special when you can tie in a family visit with a great vacation. We finished the night with a fire and a relaxing view of the lake.
We only had 2 nights at this campground and planned to spend our free day caving. We booked a 3-hour multi-cave tour at Horne Lake Cave Provincial Park. If you are in the area this is worth a visit and I would highly recommend taking a tour.
Several people were doing self-guided tours but you get access to more caves on a tour and the guide had a lot of interesting facts we would not have learned on our own. These caves are not for those who have space issues but were one of the highlights of our trip and a great way to spend the morning. In the afternoon we enjoyed the lake, reading, kayaking and relaxing before we start the pack up for home.
On our final day we arranged to meet more family at Little Qualicum Falls for a hike and visit. It was a short drive from Horne Lake Campground and on the way to the ferry. A visit to Little Qualicum Falls was on our “to do” list so this worked out great. We finished with a picnic and a stop by Coombs for ice-cream.
After our walk, hike and ice-cream we headed to Nanaimo for a quick walk on the dock, a cold beverage to celebrate a successful trip and then off to catch our ferry.
Campground Details
There are 3 parts to the campground and they all have pit toilets and non-potable water. There is a boat launch at each park and both the North Park and Paradise Bay have docks to moor boats or tie up kayaks.
North Park Campground: This the first park you reach and has the office, kayak rental, 2 group campgrounds and 23 non-serviced sites. We did not get a chance to walk through this campground so I cannot comment on the sites but it is on the lake, near the caves and has several walking/hiking trails.
Paradise Bay Campground: There are 51 non-serviced sites in this campground and we stayed in site 50. All but 2 sites are on the lake and most have lake views with private steps or a path to the beach. The park has several double sites which the map marks with a “S” beside the number.
This park had so many great sites that it is easier to point out the less desirable ones.
- Site 42S is a double site right next to the boat launch and dock. It lacks privacy and is likely noisy due to its location to the dock.
- Site 50 has a great view of the lake but also has limited privacy to site 51. If you are camping with friends and can’t get a double site these two would work great.
- Sites 44, 45 and 46 are all very close to each other so that should be kept in mind when booking.
- Site 39A is really the only site I would say to avoid. It is open to the road, offers no privacy and is not on the lake.
- Site 38A does have a clear view to the lake and if you have small children you might appreciate not being right on the lake. It also has a large beach right across from it and has foliage surrounding it to give privacy to the road.
Twin Pines Campground
This is the last campground of the group and only has 6 sites but what a hidden gem. If I was to return to the park this is the campground I would try to book into.
- Sites 56S and 57S: both sites are right on a private bay of the lake. They are beautiful sites and would be my pick if I were traveling with another group of two. These are 4 sites that share a private arm of the campground and the same beach. While we were there, only one of the double sites was occupied and they had taken over most of the beach. It might be challenging if two different groups were trying to use this space.
- Site 55S: This is a very private double site that is huge and has a private beach. The site gets its privacy from low-level foliage so during hot temperatures it would be difficult to find shade. The site is right on the lake so you can always cool off in the water.
- The other 3 sites are also very private, have shared beach access and are treed for shade and privacy.
Campground Pros
- Lake front campground
- Office store
- Canoe and paddle board rentals
- Boat launch
- Km’s of hiking/cycling trails
- Close to Horne Lake Cave Tours
Campground Cons
- No potable water on site
- Only Pit toilets in the two loops
Links
Camp That Site: Enjoy BC with the right site the first time 
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