porteau cove provincial park

dmwangi

I highly recommend taking the drive along the sea to sky highway and stopping at Porteau Cove. The views are spectacular; its free and you will not regret it.

OlaIzabella

Beautiful beach with beautiful view around you! Perfect picnic area also there is a camping! Good place to relax any time of the year! Just right place to take pictures! Go and see and explore yourself!!!

BCMeg

Whether travelling northbound or southbound up the sea to sky corridor you must stop off at Porteau Cove. A popular sight for year round scuba diving, here you can get some fresh air and enjoy not only some sweet views of the sound, but also the typical bc coast line equipped with driftwood. You can see a number of buoys in the water where they have purposely sunk a number of boats to explore. A tug boat, sailboat etc. This is also a campground and depending on the time of year you can find restrooms (unheated but of the flushing variety). North or south this is my stretch spot and a must!

JessH260

Often while driving from Vancouver to Squamish we stop here to check out the dock etc. This spot has surprisingly calm ocean swimming, feels like a lake and is quite warm in summer.

982SueR982

Camped here with my daughter in late June 2013 on our way to Vancouver. Camping area is a narrow strip right next to the water with outstanding views. A train line runs right at the back of the strip but only one train came through during the night. The campsites are quite small and we only had the choice of a double site so were next to a big RV which wasn't nearly as nice as the private campsites we had had in other parts of BC and The Rockies. It would pay to book in summer as it was very busy and there were only a couple of available sites left to chose from by the time we arrived. Many other campers had big tarps to hang over their tent and eating area...very wise as it rained overnight and we had to pack up a very wet tent in the morning!

LangleyVagabond

We just stopped in for a quick pit stop and stretch our legs. There is a nice pier you can walk out on, and we have come here in the past for scuba diving. There is a dive park set up.There is also a small campground, but I have never used it.

Grendel-Vancouver

Just got back from another two nights at Porteau Cove campsite. Spectacular views of Howe sound coupled with great staff and amazing weather made it a memorable trip. They have a great web site that includes pictures of every site to ensure you get what you want, all drive in sites also have power (there are also some non powered walk in sites at the end of the campground). This site is also great to visit as a day visitor only as well. We really like that the camp operators are in attendance until 11pm, this ensures rowdies are kept to a minimum. Alan in particular has proven to be super helpful and friendly on our many visits.Only negative, is the train tracks that run very close to the campsites (within 20 feet for some of them). It does not bother us but the first time you experience it it sounds like it coming right through the tent. You tune it out after a while.Close to the town of Squamish and Britannia Beach makes it easy for supplies.

603amym

This site is stunning, but I highly suggest booking an ocean front site. Sure, you can haul chairs down to the rocks, but nothing compares to waking up to a sunrise over the ocean and mountains!! Excellent views, wildlife and park staff. Bald eagles and seals passed by daily. Oh, and dogs are allowed :D

Where_to_travel_next

A nice park getaway not too far from downtown Vancouver, say 45 minutes so an easy commute to start or end your weekend. The drive is beautiful and fun as you wind along the seaside but keep your eyes on the road. Popular attraction for divers, and change room and washroom available at the main parking lot. You can buy ice cream at the campsite gatehouse. The campsites are very popular in the summer, most of them with direct water views. Electrical is also available. There are some walk-in campsites as well. For those who want to stay in more sophisticated accommodations, there are two Olympic single cabins you can rent instead.

pmd1960

Stopped there this year and last year for a picnic lunch on our way home from Whistler...beautiful there. I love the ocean so I could just sit there and take in the views. Parking is way easier than at Shannon Falls...larger parking lot and maybe not as popular, so it isn't as crowded. The campground looks lovely too...small, but it is very close to highway and railway tracks, so it could be rather noisy. I don't think trains go by too often though...but I could be wrong. Also, there are a couple of lovely logs cabins you can stay at if you don't like camping all that much. There are only two of them so they probably book up quickly. They are small, rustic, but beautiful!

dstormyt

Although we visited in January, there were many scuba divers suiting up on the dock to explore the sunken ship here. It must be something special underwater to get people into that frigid water, but I can't speak to that first-hand. What I can attest to are the views from the dock, as well as the observation tower on the dock. Really lovely. The water was still and perfectly reflecting the mountains. Just a gorgeous spot.

rollngstone

This was our first stop on the way north to Whistler. This park is about 5 minutes off the Sea to Sky Highway. Very pretty park, gorgeous views, great place to walk the dog. Several viewpoints --- there is a large picnic table at the top point of the park, and there are a bunch of short walking trails on the rocks. Also a trail that leads down to the beach. It wasn't very sunny when we were there so there were no sea lions sunning themselves, but we did see one sea lion swimming close to the beach. Stairs carved into the rocks lead you back up to the parking lot area. Very picturesque, but be careful on the rocks if you have small children.

pabing

This was an unassuming seaside park. It has day use and I believe camping. It would be worthwhile to look into that despite being off of BC-99. It is now a non functioning ferry terminal that has been outfitted with benches. Worth the stop and reservation for a camp site. A hidden GEM.

RonInKelowna

Jewel of a park very close to the ferry. Beautiful scenery, great lookout on the dock. Watch the divers going out to enjoy the manmade reefs.

westcoast1972

I came camping here the first time May 2014 with my two little ones. We stayed at walk in site 2 and couldn't be happier with our experience. The site was right on the edge of a rocky beach with lots of driftwood to explore. This site had the best privacy of all the sites and will be booking it the next time we come. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is the noise from the hwy and train in the evening can be a distraction from the tranquility of the camping experience. But unless you are sensitive to noise (my children didn't notice) this place is an easy option to a quick get away from the city.