If you want a good camping vacation and you want to pan for gold, I have the perfect place for you. Princton BC was noted for gold found in the late 1880s. You’ll find Granite City, which is now a ghost town. Much gold and platinum was found in the area.
To get to Camp Gold from Vancouver BC, take highway number one towards Hope. Be sure to spend some time exploring the area, as gold miners used Hope as a staging point for caribou. On the way out, I expect you to take Route 3 towards Manning Park. After arriving at Manning Park for a short stop, it’s only 40 minutes to camp.
The park has much to offer, including a restaurant, visitor’s booth, restrooms, and tables in the park on green grass for you to rest. You will find a dog play area as you exit the freeway and enter the park, it is just on the right hand side as you enter. Be sure to pick up after your pet in the park supply bins for this.
Coming out of the west gate of the highway, you will find a gas station with a small store, the ice cream cones are extra large. From the west gate, it’s about 30 minutes to your camp.
This highway changes from four lanes to two lanes as it descends the mountain. Keep an eye out for wildlife, you will see a lot. The camp is only 30 miles away. Look out for the Elk Ridge Outdoors sign on the right hand side of the road. If you go around the curve, there is a place to turn around the next corner, but be very careful of oncoming traffic. as you turn.
As you enter the camp road, you will see a path going straight ahead and a path to your right. If you have a smaller platform, you can go straight ahead and check in at the main house. The road is bumpy, and the turn in the house is not very big.
If you have a large platform, take the path to the right and follow it all the way to the ridge side. Keep in mind to use a low gear as the road is very steep and rutted with some very sharp turns. In some places, you’ll be right at the edge of the road going down a few hundred feet. If your passenger is nervous, ask them to look at you and not at the road. This is a dirt road, watch out for traffic coming up as the road is narrow in places.
If you are towing a car behind your RV, unhitch the car after turning onto the main camp road and have your second driver go ahead of you or drive the car down and take a good look at the road before you take it. to rig
Once downstairs you will find a large A-framed cabin and 6 smaller cabins that rent by the day or week. The cabins are all new as of 2004. You will find 12 sites along the river and some hidden in the trees with some in the open. There is an overflow around the back of the A frame.
The amenities are primitive as they have pit latrines and you will only be able to get water when the generator is running. The showers should be up and running by 2006. They have a big wood burning hot tube just above the beach. The scenery is absolutely fabulous, you will find gold in various amounts along the river. All gold panning must be manual, no electrical equipment is allowed.
Good fishing is found along the river and swimming is excellent with shallow rapids for swimming. They are online at www dot elkkridgeoutdoors dot com.
