That island, wow! So beautiful and my fave of all the places you were in 2023. Thanks for sharing your experiences and promoting good habits and etiquette when using public sites. 👍👍
What a beautiful showcase of all the places you've been.....we remember each of those spots from watching you r videos! Love seeing the difference in your set up as compared to 2013 Love the simple yet stunning sunset colors at 7:11 Your friend Wyman (hope that's correct spelling) little piece of this planet is unbelievable. Home run again guys as always. Thanks for the trip back!
Thank You! We just realized that that is the only place on the list that is not by the ocean😂! Thank You so much for following along, of to new adventures now 🙂👍. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏
Very cool you guys. Excellent video. We're exploring the same. Thanks for sharing your experiences. We are blessed on this Island. . . If we respect it.
It's a really nice spot. We truly enjoyed it there, but did not find a cabin. I guess we'll have to go back at some point and check it out. Thank You for following along and all the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏
@@backroadjournals Head down the beach to the right, around a couple points and it is tucked into the bush. There is also a quad trail to the right when you are coming down the road into the rec site that will bring you to it. :)
The second lake that starts with an H is so magical. They recently relocated elk in that area to populate it. I live in Port Alberni, and I adventure these back roads all the time
Thank You so much 🙂! Glad to hear that you are enjoying our videos. Thank You for following along and all the best from Vancouver Island, Michelle and Holger 🙏
The landscape is just breathtaking, and the views are absolutely mesmerizing! Thank you so much for sharing this incredible video. Big Like!💛👍Subscribed💫
AWesome spots! I noticed that you don't have a "frame" roof rack for your test - is it just a gutter mount, and have you had any issues? I was todl that the roof could not hold much weight and for a RTT you need a full frame rack.
The rain gutters, even though fiber glass, are really strong and held up the tent (130-140lbs) just fine. No structural damage to the vehicle. However, this particular roof rack was a real pain. We constantly had to tighten up bolts nd it did cause some cosmetic damage to the paint. We would certainly not recommend this type of rack. We replaced the rack with a frame rack last year and it is a much better experience and would recommend going that route for sure. Thank You for watching and all the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏
@@backroadjournals Ahh, makes sense. Thanks so much. I just traded in the Nissan Xterra for a Jeep JLU and I've been looking into getting a RTT for it, or at least considering it... it does seem like a big investment though when you add the roof rack. I've explored a ton of Vancouver Island (We live in Victoria), and I love the Port Alberni area. I actually have a great secret camp spot that most people don't know about if you're interested :)
Another great example of why we are so lucky to live on this little island in the Pacific 🏝️ Thank you for not naming all of your fave spots because they are my favourites as well 😊
Our pleasure👍. You either know, or you don't🙂. The whole point is to go out and explore 👍. Thank You so much for following along and maybe we bump into each other at some point, Michelle and Holger 🙏
Nice video, brings back many memories! I suggest you consider a trip to Sointula and the campground at Bere Point, bring a kayak or canoe, there's a whale rubbing beach right there.
Great video! We're planning a trip to VI this summer. Curious how you know if camping is allowed or not allowed at a particular spot. I don't mind wandering and finding camp spots but the last thing anyone wants is to set up camp and then have someone come by and tell you you can't camp there. What are the best resources for Canada/BC/VI to know where it's allowed or not?
Thank You very much for watching! We use Gaia GPS to find locations to camp, either rec sites or wild camping spots. With Gaia GPS you will have the option to use different map layers like Backroad Mapbooks, Topography maps, overland maps, etc.. Use the color legend to see where you are allowed to camp (crown land, forestry). Gaia will also show you a bunch of rec sites, but do your research before going to any of those, as some of them are difficult to get to, or even closed. Hope that helps. Have fun on VI. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏
@@backroadjournals thank you! I’ve used Gaia extensively just not familiar with Canada layers. I’ll check it out. Are you allowed to wild camp anywhere in Crown and forestry areas?
@@scottsnyder8691 There are a lot of gates here on VI, especially South and Central Island that were put up by the logging companies. Nonetheless, there are plenty of opportunities to camp. The most prominent logging company is Mosaic, and you can check gate closures/openings on their website. However, we found their information to not always be accurate. You can camp anywhere on crownland for up to 2 weeks at a time, unless otherwise indicated
Thank You very much for watching👍! We certainly understand your concern about overexposing certain areas. We are trying to walk a fine line of trying to inspire people to get out and explore and not giving away names, locations or directions. If you watched the video, then you may have noticed, that we did not give any of this away. We did not even mention the name and location of the only official, paid campground on this list. We found all of these places by exploring and luck and in one case by invite only.. If you are one of the lucky ones that actually has been to all of these places then we really commend you for your adventurous spirit, as some of these locations are not easy to get to. Keep adventuring and all the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏
Quick question about your access to these sites... correct me if I'm wrong, but sure looks like these aren't book-before-you-go campsites, but places you're literally driving into and camping at. Please inform me about this. I live in WA and we (as far as I know) have nothing like this. You obviously have the right vehicle to do it, but I am curious about how you know a good place that will allow you to access by car all the way up to your preferred spot?
Thank You so much for watching🙂! The only reservable site on this list is 'The Bay', and The Island was by invite only. All other sites are just drive-in and hope that no one is there. We do a lot of research through backroad maps (Gaia GPS), compare that with google earth and google maps to find locations that we want to explore. Even with all of that research, we don't always end up where we were planning to end up. Some Roads may be gated off or just overgrown. It really is hit and miss sometimes. A lot of the sites we end up in are on Crown Land, similar to BLM Land in the States. I hope this helps. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏
