Lillooet Lake is a gorgeous glacier-fed lake 23km from Pemberton (or 55km north of Whistler.) As we were driving through the area, we spotted a bunch of campgrounds in the BRMB (back road map book) for BCs coast and Mountains region. We took a detour to take a look at them. It turns out there are 4 Lillooet Lake Campgrounds dotted along the northeast shore of the lake along In-Shuck-ch road.

If you like the idea of camping by a picturesque lake in BC, you will probably love them all too.

Camping in BC, Canada has become more and more popular over the last few years. This is partly because so many of us could not travel due to the pandemic, so we all started to explore the regions where we live. This means the fabulous campgrounds within BCs Provincial Parks are almost always busy, and it has sometimes been hard to snag reservations to visit them. However there are other campgrounds, like those listed below that are available with no reservation. You’re just not guaranteed a site.

Camping along Lillooet Lake – the basics

Each of the four campgrounds; Strawberry Point, Twin One Creek, Lizzie Bay and Driftwood Bay had posters up with the same rules.

Camping fee: $15 per group
You need to bring cash to put in an envelope and post into their collection box.
Facilities: It’s a bit basic. Each campground had an outhouse and bins. There is also a bear cache at Strawberry Point Recreation Site
Water: There is no potable water. You need to bring bottled water, or a way to filter lake water.
Open: Apr 1 to Oct 31
Max people per site: 6
Max vehicle per site: 1 (you need to pay extra if you have more vehicles)
Max length of stay: 14 days
Check out: By noon.
Quiet time: 11pm – 7am

The campsites themselves are lovely! Almost all of them are surrounded by trees to give you a little privacy, and they all seemed to have a picnic bench as well as a fire ring.

Bare Campsites

The most important rule about camping in BC 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 or in the bear-proof storage lockers. Never leave any of food or these items unattended for even a minute, and do not keep them inside your tent. 

Strawberry Point Campground

This fabulous campground is 7km down In-Shuck-ch road. There are 27 campsites within the forest (none at the level of the lake.) Then there are loos and a bear cache and some cool structures made from driftwood down by the lake. There is also a day-use parking area.

If you walk down to the lake, the views are lovely, even on a moody autumnal day like when we visited. This must be simply stunning in the summertime.

This campground won’t give you views of the lake from your tent, but it seemed like all the campsites were new-ish, flat, with nice picnic benches.

Twin One Creek Campground

This was my favourite of campgrounds, 10km down In-Shuck-ch road. There are 15 campsites all with benches and fire pits. I loved that each site is surrounded by trees, but that there are a few sites right next to the lake. 2-3 of the sites can accommodate an RV, but most of the others would be better for tents. There are loos and rubbish bins as well as a boat launch by the lake.

This is the view from Twin One Creek looking North to Pemberton along Lillooet Lake. It was so lovely that we stopped here for lunch.

Lizzie Bay Campground

This is another gorgeous place to camp! Lizzie Bay is 15km down In-Shuck-ch road and has 15 campsites. Some of the campsites are right next to the lake, so they may be flooded in the springtime. Like the other sites, Lizzie Bay campsites each have benches and some kind of fire pit. There are also loos and rubbish bins.

We found an easy hiking trail along the lake towards Driftwood Bay. The views out to Lillooet Lake and the surrounding mountains are gorgeous… but the other reason I loved Lizzie Bay was for the old growth trees. There are some real giants close to the campsite.

Driftwood Bay Campground

The site furthest south is 17km down In-Shuck-ch road; Driftwood Bay. This is a small campground with 10 sites (some you can drive to, some you’ll need to walk a little way into the forest.) There is another flat path along the lake if you’d like to go for a walk. In autumn it was fabulous for finding mushrooms.

Mushrooms along Lillooet Lake

We found loads of really cool mushrooms near the Lillooet Lake campgrounds in October. Here are a few of the good’uns:

Panoramas of Lillooet Lake

I’ll finish with some panoramas of Lillooet Lake from each of the campgrounds as you move south…

We only saw a few campers that were actually staying at these Lillooet Lake Campgrounds in October. I have a feeling you’d need to get here early to nab one of the best campgrounds during the summertime. At least there are so many campgrounds near each other, hopefully there is always enough space for everyone that needs it. Having said that, I guess on any statutory holiday weekend, you’ll want to arrive early to nab a campsite!