We stayed at Salmon Arm Camping Resort for a week while on a golf trip with friends.
The campground is away from the lake but central to many golf courses, has great amenities and is only an 8 minute drive to the beach. They do not open for reservations each year until April 1st. To secure a booking right away you need to call which is a bit archaic and takes much more time than it should in today’s world. There is no live on-line booking option and only a booking request form but the resort is family run and very helpful.
The organizer of our group was able to book us into 4 sites on the cut-de-sac with a fifth a short walk away. It was great to have the cul-de-sac because it provided privacy and room for group games and gathering.
We spent 7 nights at Salmon Arm Resort and golfed 4 times. Our first round was at Talking Rock Golf Course which is a beautiful course about 40 minutes away on Little Shuswap Lake. The course has a stunning warm up area and a beautiful layout. There are over 80 sand traps on this course and I tested at least one on every hole!
Our second round was at Mara Hills Golf Course. This course is very challenging and with the elevation you will understand why carts are required. The incredible views make this difficult course worth playing but bring extra balls because you will need them.
Our third and fourth round were played at Shuswap Lake Golf Course. This was a nice change from the previous two challenging courses. The course is walkable but with the heat we choose to use carts. The fairways are wide and there is enough sand and water to make the round fun but still feel successful.
With our other free days we went to the local pickle ball course for a morning game with locals. We also made use of the campground’s pool and enjoyed evening ice cream cones.
Campground Details
The campground offers a mix of RV sites, tent sites, 1 and 2 bedroom cabins and park models. There are 67 RV sites, some pull though sites, and 11 tenting sites. Tent sites are all first come first serve and are located very close to the highway.
It is hard to determine how many RV sites are available for short term booking but it appears to be less than half. All the RV sites have full hook ups, a picnic table and a fire pit. The fire pits at our sites were dug into the ground making them a bit of a hazard. It was too hot to have a fire so we placed our picnic table over top to avoid people stepping into them as they walked back-and-forth between sites.
The campground has lots of amenities which would be a great draw for families. They have a small on-site pickle ball court, swimming pool, mini golf, playground, basketball court, store (with ice cream), laundry and washrooms with showers.
The campground is set within the trees and gives you a great sense of being away from the town even though there are homes nearby.
Site Summary
This summary is only on the sites that appeared to be open for short term rental. If the site is not listed here it is because it looked set-up like a season-long booking.
Sites A1-4 are pull through sites that would have easy access and are wide enough for tip outs & awning and still roomy enough to enjoy some space. They offered privacy but were across from the pool which comes with convenience and noise depending on how you look at it.
Site A5 would not be a recommended site. It is on the corner and very open to the road with no privacy at your table or fire pit.
Sites A6-8 are nice back in sites grouped together and offer privacy away from the rest of the campground. The concern would be how close they are to the highway and that they back on to the tent sites.
Sites A14-17 are also well treed back-in sites that appear very private. They also back onto the pool so would come with extra noise but also the bonus of being close to the pool. If two groups are together and don’t mind the pool noise then sites A15-16 would be a great group set up.
Sites B3 -4 are small sites that back onto the highway and would come with a lot of traffic noise.
Sites C24-27 are located in a cul-de-sac off on their own. This is where we stayed and the location was great. There is a community of houses behind this area but there is a high fence blocking the view of the neighborhood and we never heard any community noise nor traffic. These sites are all level, back-in sites and when arriving you will be told it is necessary to back into the cul-de-sac because it is too small to maneuver around. (A lesson we learned the hard way as per my Oops Digest blog!) The downfall to these sites is the sewer is at the front making the connecting to most RV sewer pipes a long way away. Bring extra sewer hose if you are staying here (a lesson we also learned the hard way, also detailed in my Oops Digest blog!)
Site C21 is a nice site that sits higher on the road and offers a view from the back. It is between two long term sites so likely is not always open for booking.
Sites D2-5 are all pull-through sites on tiers down the hill. It appears levelling your RV on these sites would be a challenge based on the number of blocks under RV tires. The sites are very open on both sides so do not offer any privacy but would be easy to park a larger RV in.
Site D6 is a back in site with privacy but our friend stayed at this site and found levelling his trailer very challenging.
Sites E2-4 &6 are similar to the pull through sites in the D row and appeared to be a bit of a levelling challenge.
Sites J1-3 are back-in sites near the back of the park. They offered privacy
Site K4 is reservable but it look right at the pickleball court and the noise from the game would get annoying.
Trailer Rental
One of our friends rents trailers while camping since they only go a couple of times a year. In Salmon Arm, they used Shuswap Holiday RV Rental and were happy with the service they received. the company brought the trailer in right at check-in time, parked it and got all the water, sewer and power connected. At the end, our friends simply cleaned, packed and texted the company to come do the rest.
Campground Highlights
- Campground amenities (pool, playground, courts, store, laundry)
- Accommodation options (tent, rv, cabins, park models)
- Well treed park with sites placed to make it feel more private
- Quiet area and close to town
Campground Lowlights
- In-ground fire pits at some sites (a real walking hazard and should be at least partially elevated)
- Location of sewer hose, and some sani holes are raised ~5″ which makes draining a challenge.
- The lake is not within walking distance.
- Not walkable to any nearby attractions.
Links
Camp That Site: Enjoy BC with the right site the first time 
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