Campground Vancouver: Finding the best campsite

For the start of your Canada trip with a camper, you’ll need to find a campground in Vancouver. There are several campsites in central locations that are suitable for your first night in the camper.

But which is the perfect campground in Vancouver to kick off your Canada trip? How long will you need to get from the campsite to downtown and how are the campgrounds in Vancouver equipped?

Vancouver is a large metropolis with plenty to discover. The Capilano Suspension Bridge and Stanley Park are definitely worth a visit. On our Canada road trip we got to know two campgrounds in Vancouver, which we introduce in this article.

Burnaby Cariboo RV Park

The Burnaby campsite is located east of downtown and belongs to Burnaby in the Vancouver region.

Facilities

• Pitches on grass
• Wifi
• 212 pitches with water and electricity hook-up
• each pitch has a picnic table and benches
• wash block
• wash bay for campers and motorhomes
• waste water disposal
• washing machine
• Reservation by email possible
• open all year round
• 66 $ for a pitch with 2 people per night

Connections to public transport from the Vancouver campground

The "Production Way-University" train station is a 15–20 minute walk away. The SkyTrain runs every 6 minutes and goes towards downtown.

To get to Canada Place in downtown you’ll need about 1 hr 10 min.

Capilano River RV Park

Capilano River RV Park is located north of downtown in North / West Vancouver.

Facilities

• Pitches on level ground, some with grass
• Wifi
• 205 pitches with water and electricity hook-up
• each pitch has a picnic table and benches
• wash block
• wash bay for campers and motorhomes
• waste water disposal
• washing machine
• online reservation possible
• open all year round
• 84 $ for a pitch with 2 people per night

Connections to public transport from the Vancouver campground

It’s a short 5-minute walk to the "Eastbound Marine Dr Offramp" bus stop. The bus runs roughly every 10 minutes.

It takes a total of 30 minutes to get to Canada Place.

Our conclusion

Both campgrounds are larger city campsites that don’t necessarily have the charm you might hope for from Canadian camping adventures. First and foremost, the campgrounds meet the wish to have a pitch in a fairly central location close to the city.

We preferred Burnaby Cariboo RV Park, even though the journey by public transport is a bit longer. We liked the pitches that are separated from each other by hedges, which gave us a bit of privacy. In comparison, at Capilano River RV Park we were all lined up next to each other on one big open area.

Bear in mind though that you’ll be out and about in Vancouver during the day and will probably only return to the campground in the evening. We didn’t actually spend much time on the sites.

Capilano River RV Park stands out for its fairly good location in northern Vancouver. If, for example, you want to cross over to Vancouver Island from the Horseshoe Bay terminal with the Vancouver Island ferry, at 30 minutes’ drive it’s not too far. To cross on the ferry from Burnaby Cariboo RV Park, it’s best to use the Tsawwassen terminal. You’ll need about 40 minutes to get there.

Are you also planning a motorhome trip to Canada? Tell us about it in the comments.