Spent all weekend in BC camping. Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park is located between Meritt and Kamloops in the inland interior, right off highway 5. The drive was scenic, we crossed at Abbotsford/Sumas and drove right on in.
Some notes regarding LLJ.
1. BYOB. BC liquor sales are all handled through government owned liquor sales. We arrived late on Saturday night, and it was closed. We tried back Sunday, and the site in Kamloops was not open on Sunday. This should not be a problem, since the new Signature store near Save-on-Foods in Kamloops has bank hours on Sunday, but it did not open until the day we left.
2. No showers. There is a faucet and toilets (flushing) throughout the campsite, but if you want a shower, you had better bring a camper or plan ahead.
3. Colder than we anticipated. Beth's sleeping bag is rated to 40F, mine to 30F, but we both found sleeping pants off very challenging. Thankfully there are plenty of oppurtunities to buy warmer clothes in nearby Kamloops.
4. Firewood must be purchased from the gate guard/park operator. It is $5 for a nights worth.
5. Mountain pine beetles are decimating this area of BC. Many well treed areas have been thinned-- severely-- to prevent the spread of this dangerous pest. Our campsite looked like loggers had just come through.
6. Wild roses and strawberries abound, as well as pine and birch trees. The lake is home to several ducks, and there are plenty of ponds in the area around the lake. However, there are also a lot of mosquitoes. Bring bug spray, and buy a paper to start your fire.
7. Apart from birds, very little wildlife was present. We did see some salmon in a creek over by the resort (private property). They are tenacious swimmers. They sure look like they don't belong in streams that size!
8. The trails around the park have minimal signage, are hard to follow, the first indication of length is after one mile, and jut in and out of private property. At two times you are to follow streets. Also, some of the ponds that drain into the lake do so over the trail. Some interesting adventures followed with us either finding ways through the woods to dry land or over fallen logs across 8 feet of water and mud. Bring good boots.
2 comments:
Did I ever tell you that I hate strawberries now since I had to plant them? Well, actually, that's a lie, I still enjoy eating them.
Also, you can get a good pair of boots for "mucking" around in at any Fleet Farm store, they travel well abroad, and they are even made in the good old U.S. of A.
fleet farm... you're localising again! we don't have them out here. We have honest Swap Meets, and from what I've seen, good luck finding something made north of the Rio Grande.
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