Living in Greater Vancouver offers endless opportunities to get outside and explore our amazing city. Each winter we head to South Delta to walk the Boundary Bay area and enjoy the experience of a natural eagle habitat. This is an amazing place to walk with bald eagles soaring around you by the hundreds.
All our hikes look great on paper, that is until we check the altitude gain. It’s easier not to think about it until it’s too late.
We have yet to tarp our new RV
We are now into our second winter storing our RV and each year we debate whether we should buy an RV cover or not. When we had our tent trailer we did the unthinkable and covered it with a blue camping tarp. I can hear the collective gasp. What might surprise you is we did this for 10 years and not once did our trailer leak. Adding to our inexperience, not once did we (get ready to gasp) reseal our seams or treat our roof. I know shocking!!! Continue reading
Living in the Vancouver area, I well aware of how expensive it is. It is not uncommon to hear people talk about moving away to get more housing “bang for their buck”. That is, until, we have a string of sunny days and then we are all reminded of why we will never leave.
This week was one of those weeks. The sun was out, the sky was blue and we had the time to get out and enjoy several areas of Greater Vancouver. From snowshoeing, to scenic walks, and campfires by the river. Greater Vancouver really does offer it all. Here is a summary of the week! Continue reading
Many people refuse to set New Years resolutions but for me it is one of my favorite things to do. I often set around 20. Some are simple, ones that I know I can achieve, and then there are those that make the list each year. Being more patient, stressing less and reading more all seem to be far more difficult to achieve than one might think.
As I enter the second year of my camping blog I felt it would be appropriate to set some Camping Resolutions. I have narrowed it down to 5 that could be adapted or adopted by any camper. Continue reading
12 months of blogging and it has been an interesting ride. With the help of my husband we have created an electronic scrapbook of all our family camping trips. We have shared our reviews, tips and funny stories all while researching new products and campgrounds. We have connected with so many other campers and learned that camping outside of Canada must be on our bucket list.
Christmas 2008 was spent enjoying the snow at our trailer. Still one of the most memorable holidays we have had.
One of the main reasons we camp is to have the chance to reconnect, away from the distractions of everyday life and routine. 
With this in mind it would only seemed fitting that I would be excited when my husband suggested we return to our wedding spot for a weekend camping trip to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. Now I can hear many of you sigh at his romantic gesture and in theory I agree. You can now shake your head in confusion when you hear I was a bit reluctant to accept the idea. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the thought, it’s more that we were married at a mountain resort and it can be very cold in the mountains in September.
We were married at Manning Park Resort which is a lovely mountain hotel in the center of EC Manning Provincial Park. The ceremony was held on the shore of Lightening Lake with the majestic mountains providing the background. The memories that the pictures did not capture were that of our flower girls shivering themselves to tears as they waited for the photographer and the bridesmaids wearing the groomsmen’s tuxedo jackets to keep warm while creating a fun wedding shot. It was a beautiful wedding but I wasn’t sure I wanted to recreate it in an RV. Maybe a stay at the resort would be more fitting I thought?
Having a camping blog I realized I should be more willing to participate and that I was sounding like a whiner towards his romantic gesture. I decided to embrace the idea and prepare for a cold weekend. If you follow my blog you will know we are rural campers and usually pick campgrounds with cell service and often electricity and water. Manning Park has none of these, so as we drove out of town leaving our kids behind I was a bit nervous about not being able to reach them. My loving husband reassured me they were fine as he continued to drive off into the mountain without a second thought.
As usual he was right. We had a wonderful weekend hiking the trails, enjoying evening campfires and toasting our 19 years of marriage.
Yes it was cold, zero degrees at night, but by the last night I had it figured out and prepared for the evening campfire dressed like an Eskimo. We enjoyed a morning breakfast at the resort as a memory back in time and returned for a photo opportunity at our wedding shore. Although I am embarrassed to admit I didn’t want to go, I can say I am on board to make it an annual trip. Who has the chance to spend their anniversary celebrating in the same spot they started their journey. Thank you Blair, it really was a great weekend.
We tried tenting and loved the idea but we were just no good at it and trying to get that tent back in the bag, impossible. This about sums up our journey to an RV.
Coldspring Campground, EC Manning Provincial Park
Coldspring is one of 4 campgrounds located within EC Manning Provincial Park. The most popular campground is Lightning Lakes followed by Coldspring, Mule Deer and Hampton. There are also 3 group campgrounds within Manning Park. Coldspring is a very large campground but only offers basic amenities; pit toilets, well water and a self check in gate which are consistent with the less expensive Provincial Parks. We could not get a site at Lightning Lake on the long weekend so we settled with one at Coldspring. As we approached we could see several campsites from the highway so we were concerned. The large loop of the campground is very exposed to the highway and the sites offer limited trees to provide privacy. Most of the sites are a good size though and upon further review there were many that would work great. We went for a walk and found several sites along the creek which sat well below the highway providing a private, quiet camping experience.
Skip directly to recommended sites!
What this park offers is great hiking. There are endless trails in this area that range from easy short hikes to more experienced overnight camping trails. We were camping with another couple who were staying at Lightning Lakes so we planned to spend a lot of time up there. They had printed off 8 pages of hiking trails in the area, so deciding on which one was the challenging part. Upon arrival the weather was rainy and cold with a nighttime low of -2 degrees being called for. That forecast worked in our favour because Saturday morning we were able to move to a site at Lightning Lakes due to a cancellation. Turned out the weather was nice and sunny all weekend so our trip was great.
Note that there is no cellphone reception within EC Manning Park. You can access Wifi at the resort if needed.
Our thoughts in the Coldspring Campground
Recommended Sites
Campground Highlights
Creekside sites on lower roads are very private.Campground Lowlights
Proximity to highway. Some site are fully exposed to the roadThings to do
We all know how much dirt gets tracked in and out of an RV at any given time. Whether it be from the dogs, kids or any other visitor, I seem to sweep my RV several times a day. I would love to have a carpet under my feet when I am doing dishes but with all the dirt it just isn’t an option.
While researching for my blog I came across this washable nonslide rug that just might be the answer for us campers. Has anyone tried this product?
They are affordable, washable, and come in various sizes and colors. Sounds like the perfect partnership for camping. I just might have to try this out and if I do I will let you know how they work.
“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” ~Lao Tzu
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