Finding the Perfect Camping Experience

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Story and photos by Perry and Cindy Mack

Wooden stairs led up to a small landing, with a second set rising out of sight. I started climbing in an attempt to reach the top viewpoint of the falls. As I crested the final landing, panting, a tiny girl and her fit father were resting on one of the wooden benches. ‘How many stairs was it to the top?’ I asked breathlessly. ‘Three’, she replied humbly, holding up the required number of fingers. Her estimate was a little low, more like three hundred.

Fintry Provincial Park (PP) spreads out over 360 hectares along 2 km (1.2 mi) of the west shore of Okanagan Lake in the interior of British Columbia. Lakeshore RV and campground parks are quite common in the region, but Fintry PP stands out.

Let’s begin, of all places, at the beginning, with how I get the best RV site when reservations are not offered. One of my hobbies is exploring by off-road motorcycle, but you could certainly do this in your car or truck. The motorcycle allows me to enjoyably, quickly, and affordably visit many parks while out for a Sunday morning ride.

I make note of the exceptional locations, including where the nicest sites are. Then on the day before our intended stay, with a few potential campgrounds in mind, I set out again with a tent strapped to the back. The goal is to find a great available site. If it exists, I then return with my RV. I learned a valuable lesson in years past from a park docent. She said, ”Drive through the park and look at the check-out dates posted on the permits at each site. If you see today’s date and the folks are still there, politely ask them if they are checking out that day and what time they think they may be leaving.”

That morning on my bike, I tried Bear Creek PP first. I was told they were fully booked, but they would put me on the waiting list. I would be number 25, and if no site was available, I would end up in the overflow parking lot. Not an appealing option.

Reaching Fintry PP, just a 25-minute drive further north, I was pleasantly surprised to find they had sites. So many in fact, that two of the five camping areas were closed! Driving through the three open campgrounds, I spotted a very private occupied treed site with the requisite expiring permit. The RVers were outside. In typical RVer fashion, not only did they politely let me know they were leaving but helped me put up my tent to hold the spot, and also provided some great info about the park and the area.

I drove to a park docent, let them know which spot I wanted (and for how long), then returned to the site with my permit to find that my new friends had left the site spotless, my tent in place and I happily posted my permit. All that was left to do was drive home, hitch up the RV, and tow it to our site. Yes, there is some extra driving involved with this strategy, but for us, it is well worth it. Once backed in, we were in a treed site with no view of our neighbours and roughly 30 metres (about 100 ft) from the beach through the forest.

After having established ourselves in our new home, it was time to explore. Over the millennia, Shorts Creek has cut a canyon through the cliff backing Fintry PP and created a rich delta before finally entering Okanagan Lake. Captain James Cameron Dun-Waters came to the Shorts Creek delta in 1909 for the love of the outdoors and was so enthralled, he purchased the land and renamed it Fintry after his hometown in Scotland.

In the 30 years he lived there, he cleared land for a farm and built an impressive estate including the construction of a waterwheel to harness the power of the creek. He cleared and irrigated more than 81 hectares and planted 5,000 fruit trees, built a packing house, sawmill, stables, four upland hunting lodges, a quarry, and the only octagonal dairy barn in the province. He also created landscaped gardens and built a roofed-in electrically lit curling rink.

Several buildings in the park are now on the Canadian Register of Historic Places including The Manor House, Packinghouse, Haybarn-Granary, and the Octagonal Dairy Barn. The Friends of Fintry Provincial Park Society was formed in 2000. They not only work to restore the buildings but host public tours and events. It’s an incredible addition to your RVing adventure.

The waterfall is not one, but three successive falls with a total height of 87 metres (285 ft). While I chose the ‘easy’ route up the 300-plus steps, there are also many trails that also lead to the top providing your family with a host of adventures with spectacular views of the falls, park, and lake. Bring your camera and binoculars to take it all in.

There are 160 pet-friendly sites plus three group camping sites, washrooms, showers, a boat launch, and a dump station, but keep in mind there’s no power, sewer, and water. You are roughly 30 minutes from any grocery stores or gas stations, so make sure you arrive well-stocked. During our stay, we saw every type of camping accommodation in use from tents to luxury Class A’s. If you are staying nearby, or just passing through, the park is also open for day use.

Be aware that Westside Road is the only road to the park (from either Vernon or West Kelowna) and it’s a winding, often narrow, sometimes rough road with spectacular cliff-side views of Lake Okanagan. We’ve often seen herds of Bighorn Sheep standing unconcerned around blind corners on the road. So, drive carefully and keep to your lane as this twisty, scenic route is also popular with motorcycles, cyclists, and sports cars.

Wildlife in the protected area includes the California Bighorn Sheep, deer, moose, bears, lynx, coyotes, and the occasional cougar. Birdwatchers might see the red-listed Western Grebe, Ruffed Grouse, Northern Goshawk, Great Horned Owl, the Pileated Woodpecker, and many others.

With heritage buildings, hiking, large RV sites, an expansive waterfront, and wildlife sightings, Fintry PP checks off all the key points we look for in an RV park. Each family has their own checklist for a great vacation. What’s yours?

For more information visit www.bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/fintry