The best private sites RV camping near Victoria

This national park protects sections of Vancouver Island as well as several smaller islands offshore. Campers can choose from front country, backcountry, and boat-in campgrounds. The 49-site SMONEĆTEN (McDonald) Campground is closest to Victoria, on a biking trail and regional bus line, convenient to the Swartz Bay Ferry.

With one of the mildest climates in Canada, Victoria is a year-round destination. You can comfortably camp anytime between March and October, perhaps with just a little drizzle. During the mild, dry summer (late June to Labour Day in early September), Victoria is packed with day-trippers and camping areas are busy. September and October bring cooler weather and fewer crowds, while wildflowers bloom across the island from March through May. Although winters are rainy, temperatures rarely drop below freezing.

• BC Ferries transports cars, bikes, and foot passengers between mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island. From Vancouver, catch the ferry at Tsawwassen, 36 kilometres south of the city, to Swartz Bay, 37 kilometres north of downtown Victoria.
• You can reach the Tsawwassen terminal by subway and bus from downtown Vancouver, and regular buses travel between Swartz Bay and Victoria as well. The Victoria region is well laid out for cycling, too.
• From Washington State to downtown Victoria, the Clipper high-speed catamaran transports foot passengers from Seattle, while the Black Ball Ferry takes cars and people from Port Angeles.
• At the Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites west of downtown Victoria, campers can sleep in oTENTiks, Parks Canada’s platform tents, on the grounds of a historic fort.