One of the most popular campgrounds on Vancouver Island is the huge Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, near Parksville. The campground is absolutely enormous, with several separate loops of campsites as well as a grassy area specifically for tents. We stayed in the walk-in tenting area, which is perfect for families with children. All of the campsites are a quick walk to the beach and the facilities all seemed new and in fantastic condition.

Rathtrevor Beach Campground map

This is from the BC Parks website.

Booking campsites at Rathtrevor Beach

Book campsites via the BC Frontcountry Camping Reservation website. In 2025 it costs $35 per night for frontcountry camping, or $22 for walk-in camping plus $6 booking fee. In winter it costs $13 (cash only)

• 226 vehicle-accessible campsites.
• 25 walk-in (or cycle-in) campsites for tents

Rathtrevor Beach Camping dates

• Sites 1-174: 174 x Vehicle accessible sites
  Open from March 14- October 25 2025 – Booking available April 11 to October 12 (2025)
  Winter Season: October 26 2025 – March 12 2026
• Sites 175-226: 52 x Vehicle accessible sites
  Open from March 14- October 25 2025 – Booking available April 11 to October 12 (2025)
  These sites are not open in winter.
• Sites T1-T25: 25 x walk-in campsites
  Open from March 14- October 25 2025
  Winter Season: October 26 2025 – March 12 2026

Winter Camping

It is possible to camp at Rathtrevor Beach Park (in sites 1-174, or in the walk-in sites T1-T25) year round, but with limited facilities. There is a winter camping fee of $13 paid in cash.

Walk in Campsites vs Front country Campsites

The walk-in campsites are in a grassy field southeast of the gatehouse. They have pit toilets nearby, with more showers and flush toilets a short walk away. There are five communal fire pits as well as a wash station with fresh water.

For the front country campsites, each one has a fire pit, a picnic bench and plenty of space. None of them have electrical hook up.

For people with tents, sites 1-174 are the nicest as they are located in the forest so each site feels quite private and has lovely dappled light. Sites 176-226 are best suited for people with large RVs or trailers. This is a more open area, with limited privacy between sites.

Rathtrevor Beach Camping Facilities

As you can imagine, as this is such a big campground, it has great facilities.

• Water taps (shut off in winter)
• Recycling stations
• Pit toilets as well as flushing toilets
• Showers
• Dishwashing station
• Playground as well as a bicycle playground
• Sani dump for RVs ($5 per discharge)
• Information (Parks office) where you can buy ice-cream, and borrow wheelbarrows
• In addition to the campsites, there are multiple picnic areas, as well as picnic shelters
• Amphitheater that hosts events and shows, including nature displays – suitable for all ages.

Bare Campsites

The most important rule about camping is keeping a bare campsite. Basically you need to pack away all food, cups, plates, pans, grills etc., and anything that has a scent that might attract bears. Store things in your vehicle when car camping. Never leave any of food or these items unattended for even a minute, and do not keep them inside your tent.

Watch out for wildlife!

We didn’t spend a huge amount of time at Rathtrevor Beach but even then, we saw quite a few bunnies and deer wandering around the camping areas. Less cuddly, but still important for the ecology of the area is the Western thatch ants. These little dudes live in mounds around the park, and there were quite a few around the grassy tenting area – so be mindful where you place your tent! We were extra careful not to drop food on the ground, and that seemed to help prevent too many ant visitors, but we did end up with some wandering around the tent.

Campfire or no campfire?

Although there are fire pits at all of the campsites, depending on the fire-risk when you visit, you might not be able to use them. You can buy firewood in the park when fires are allowed. We were not allowed a fire in August 2024. I have a whole post about cooking on a campfires, if you need tasty ideas for cooking with fire.

Rathtrevor Beach Tides

Rathtrevor Beach experiences semi-diurnal tides, which means there are two high tides and two low tides each day. This means the tide can vary hugely from as low as 1.5 feet to as high as 12 feet, depending on the time of year and the phase of the moon. At low tide, the beach is over a kilometer wide with plenty of sandy space for beachcombing and sandcastles. High tide is also great for swimming and boating, lounging in floaties… or just wading in the shallow wading pool!

All in all, Rathtrevor Provincial Park was a fun place to go camping. If we go back, I would prefer to stay in one of the more traditional car-camping sites, with a little more privacy. Still we could see why this is such a popular area to camp, with easy access to the beach and fantastic facilities. Just be willing to share the space with the local wildlife, including the ants!