Camping at Bamberton Provincial Park

Bamberton Provincial Park is located about 30 minutes north of Victoria BC on the western shore of Saanich Inlet. The campground is rustic, with pit toilets, water taps, and garbage bins. The sites are nice and clean, and the mosquitoes weren’t too bad when we visited in August.

We booked a double site 31a and 31b with our friends, but the site was small for a double site. I don’t see how we could have fit 4 cars or 4 large tents.

If you came to camp close to the beach you may be disappointed. The campground is set far back from the beach in the forest. A sign indicates that the trail that connects the campground to the beach is 1.5km long with a steep grade (on Maps.me, it seems closer to 500m with 100m elevation change, but still too onerous to hike down with a pumped-up paddleboard).

I found out that this trail was actually a pretty fun single-track mountain biking trail. With only small rocks as minor obstacles and a steady descent, Big Bro handled it easily.

An easier but longer way to get to the beach is to follow the paved Bamberton Road for about 1.2km to the parking lot, then walking another few hundred meters down to the beach. We sped down this road on our bikes and it was quite the thrill. The return journey was tough, but the kids were tougher.

The beach is a mix of mud and rocks, with an abundance of shore crabs to discover. A washroom with flush toilet is available here.

Besides the beach and biking around, Bamberton served as a good base for us to explore the surrounding area, including an excursion to Brentwood Bay across the inlet by paddleboard and ferry.

Malahat Skywalk

We also paid a visit to Malahat Skywalk, a jaw-dropping wooden spiral perched on a hill top with views to the entire region including the Gulf Islands, the San Juan Islands, the Lower Mainland, and Mt Baker.

The 600m elevated boardwalk was a very neat and easy way to connect the entrance to the Skywalk. The entire route is stroller friendly all the way to the top of the Skywalk due to the very gentle grades throughout.

The entrance fee was pricey, but look for discounts. We visited after 4pm for 25% off, and 2 hours is definitely enough time to see everything the attraction has to offer including multiple rides on the spiral slide.

Other ideas for excursions:

• We’ve visited Duncan’s Forestry Discovery Centre before, which is only 25 mins from the campground and worth a visit as well.
• Cowichan Bay is a quaint little seaside town with a small row of shops, but don’t visit on Monday because most shops are closed.

• Goldstream Provincial Park is just 16 minutes to the south, and the short easy trails and a visit to the Nature House is nice

Overall, Bamberton Provincial Park is a good option as a basecamp to visit the eastern Cowichan Valley region. In terms of facilities and available activities in the campground, it pales in comparison to the nearby Goldstream Provincial Park, but then Goldstream usually gets booked up before Bamberton. Getting to and from the beach takes quite the effort too, so I wouldn’t classify it as a paddler’s destination.