Squatters, danger trees, vandalism close some local campgrounds

BY SEAN PERCY

Car camping may be a little more complicated in qathet this summer, thanks to the temporary closure of two popular free campsites.

Nanton Lake and Dinner Rock campgrounds are closed for the summer and possibly longer.

The campsite at Nanton Lake has more than 100 trees identified as at risk of falling, and has been closed since spring, awaiting approvals and funding to remove the danger trees, according to Luke Clarke, district recreation officer for Recreation Sites and Trails.

North of town, Dinner Rock Campground, which is managed by the provincial and Tla’amin governments, is open to day use, but closed to camping. That’s in part due to needed tree and road work, but also because long-term campers were squatting on the site and ignoring short-term stay rules. The tiny campground at Lewis Lake is also closed due to vandalism.

Luke suggest campers instead use other sites, such as Khartoum Lake, which recently had some upgrades, or municipal and regional sites. He also recommends a trip to Texada to enjoy the beautiful, but under-used, Shingle Beach fee-for-service campsite, or the free campsite at Bob’s Lake.