A group arrives at Martin Islands and finds the campsites already congested. What to do next? This post explores the options.
Without question, given they are by far the #1 mapsheets that we sell, Desolation Sound is British Columbia's most popular kayaking destination at the moment. It begs the question of how this little provincial park can cope. Having spent some time in Desolation Sound at peak season (mid-August) in 2024, these are our observations, and I'll conclude with some tips to help manage trips here.
First, though, a general thought. Camping currently requires only a backcountry camping permit, after which camping is first-come, first-served. There are 11 campgrounds within the provincial park, so about 100 tent pads/camping areas in total, meaning the entire park can host about 100 parties at any given time, or less if groups at a campsite take up multiple tent pads. During our visit in August it was clear the park was near or above capacity, complicated by the lack of any system to moderate traffic. That is, several groups could converge on one campsite filling it to overflowing while tent pads remained vacant at another site, and the party at the full campground would have no way to know if they moved they would find spots. This brings up the very real possibility in future years the park will become reservation camping only, as per the system in the Broken Group Islands (a national park). This would moderate traffic, but it will also create huge problems of a different sort. A prime one becomes safety. If a group's reservation expires, it could force them to vacate in foul weather when they should otherwise stay put. It also reduces flexibility to change venues based on weather. Not to mention entirely removing flexibility in planning your holiday. But at least, if you had a reservation, you would be guaranteed a spot. So there is a potential benefit.
What did we observe on our visits? Here are the headlines:
- Most sites emptied out in the morning to the point there were numerous choices for tent pads, then they filled up as the day progressed.
- At Curme Islands, the prior night a group had arrived to find no tent pads available, and so were forced to continue on to Tenedos Bay in the hopes of availability there.
- At Tenedos Bay in the early afternoon, two large groups arrived simultaneously. It was doubtful spaces would be available for everyone without essentially over-stuffing the available tenting areas.
- At Bold Head, a family who arrived by boat had set in for long-term occupancy of the bluff commandeering the vast bulk of the prime open space. Other spaces were available during our visit, but were likely to fill as the day progressed. Given the bluff presented the main opportunity for overlow camping, a group arriving here would have had huge trouble finding spots.
- Outside the park, a few unofficial camping locations do exist, a key one being the Martin Islands off the southern tip of West Redonda Island. At that location a boat camping family had settled in for the long term and commandeered the central camping area. Other kayakers had filled the other locations, so a large group arriving was left scratching their heads wondering where they would stay.
- Surprisingly, congestion at the launch site at Lund did not seem to be an issue for visitors. This could be because many were launching from Okeover Arm, which is free of the parking and boat ramp launch congestion issues. While an advantage for those reasons, Okeover Arm does place you at the head of a tidal channel that could work for or against you in reaching your destination.
- Outside (north) of the key camping areas and the core of Desolation Sound, the number of kayakers dropped to almost zero. A few were spotted camping at Teakerne Arm. It may have been just a pair. At Quadra Island, a daily migration left the main launch at Rebecca Spit to head up either Hoskyn or Sutil Channels. Past those areas, and in Lewis Channel, the number of kayakers was almost zero.
- Tour operators face a particular issue by bringing in large groups to one location. Because they are guided, a three-three-three option of splitting up a group of nine kayakers doesn't work. The solution may be a change in philosophy and having guides less as participants and more as overseers. For instance, if they were in a motorized boat, they could scope out locations to avoid congestion and generally move more freely rather than showing up and forcing everyone else to make do with a sudden huge influx for which these locations are not designed. Additionally, this is an issue the park should address in some capacity. It may be the best option eventually is a designated commercial site or even multiple commercial sites where tour operators can be guaranteed use and other visitors can be guaranteed no tour groups will fill the other locations. Regardless, the benefits of the freedom to be had with campsite anarchy is definitely offset by the potential problems it creates in a location where large groups are popular in a setting no designed to accommodate large groups.
Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park faces an additional hurdle over some other kayaking campsites in that great care has been taken to create tent pads to protect both the ecology and the sensitive indigenous sites which populate these locations. This essentially eliminates the option for overflow camping by finding an alternative when the designated spots are filled. Given the congestion, this again raises the spectre of a reservation system in future years.
So what to do? Here are some thoughts to help you manage your trip.
- Don't travel in a large group. Or if you do, consider instead of nine kayaks at one campsite, splitting three-three-three and rotating or some other system rather than showing up and filling an entire campground with just your party. This is not a realistic option in the peak summer season.
- Travel off-season. The peak is July and August. The number falls off dramatically in the last week of August, and in September crowds won't be an issue even though the weather can be sublime then (in fact, in 2024, the weather in September vastly surpassed August for both sunshine and lack of rain).
- Go outside the core area. The vast majority of kayakers will stay within a day's paddle distance of the launch. Some will venture to a two-day's paddle distance. Few is any will go beyond that, meaning you could be in complete isolation even in peak summer season if you plan it well (the exception being boat traffic. That seems omnipresent and in high volumes along most channels and waterways. You will likely never be far from motorized traffic and the ever-annoying wake they create).
- In the worst case, if you wish to travel in peak season to peak locations like Desolation Sound, start your day of paddling early and pick your campsite early. If you arrive before noon, you are likely to have your pick of spots. Show up in the evening and expect the site to be full. If you love relaxing mornings and enjoying your coffee first thing, expect to pay the price. Better to enjoy the relaxing morning and your coffee once set up in your new site at mid-morning or late-morning. That will ensure your trip is truly relaxing overall.
Beyond that, I can only recommend either alternative destinations altogether (that is, avoid Desolation Sound) or try rock-bluff camping. While departing Martin Islands, Holly and I were picking out all the beautiful potential camping locations on West Redonda Island on the various welcoming bluffs. Granted, you would have to land on a rock ledge rather than a beach and figure out unloading in a less-than-ideal circumstance, but once settled in, the location would undoubtedly be sublime. You may not find a perfectly level tent site spot, but picture enjoying an evening looking out across the ocean from a beautiful wilderness location without another person in sight. That's what Desolation Sound should be about, not fighting for space in a crowded location filled to overflowing.
- John Kimantas
(John is owner-operator of Wild Coast Publishing and author of numerous kayaking guide books.)