Dreamy and rugged, camping along Port Alberni’s shores

Book Action Packed Charters and cruise down Alberni Inlet out to Barkley Sound.

The rest of the China Creek Campground came into sight just as Alicia Larue from Wind Ryder Windsurfing School took to the water in a stand-up paddleboard, followed by Mike Carter who oversees China Creek Campground & Marina’s operations in his role with facility operator, the Port Alberni Port Authority. Windsurfing, kiteboarding, SUP, and SCUBA - with a great artificial reef nearby at Underwood Cove - are all available at China Creek

The pair followed us into the marina and we went ashore with our bucket full of crabs. Mike and his team had set up a campsite for us and soon the pot was boiling with our fresh haul from the sea.

At a campground with all the amenities, you can still tuck your tent away in your wooded site and enjoy the peacefulness of camping outdoors.

China Creek Campground is just a 20-minute drive from downtown Port Alberni and 10 minutes by boat. It’s got all the amenities you might look for in a campground, along with the rugged beauty and nature of a wild west coast getaway.

There are 250 campsites at China Creek with either ocean or forest views. And by ocean views I mean you have the Alberni Inlet’s waves lapping at a beach just steps away from your tent. It’s stunning. Some of the forest sites are along the creek itself, which offers a freshwater option for dipping in on those hot summer days, or even gold panning. Be sure see great staff in the campground office about that!

Stories, songs, and quality family time around the fire at China Creek Campground. 

“We have 115 seasonal campers that come up here for five months on end,” Mike told me over our Dungeness crab lunch. No bibs, no nutcrackers, just our hands, teeth, and a spot around the campfire next to the creek. It was a dream for a Pacific Northwesterner such as myself.

“The number one driver has been fishing in the past. The sockeye, Coho and spring salmon, that’s been the biggest for us; it’s what China Creek was built on,” Mike said. Alicia, who had replaced her paddle board with an acoustic guitar, strummed by the fire with her daughter.

The new focus of China Creek is that it’s a destination for families. Disconnecting and getting away to the wilderness spells quality family time to me, and on top of that, China Creek has plenty of water recreation options, acres of beachfront, a playground, the trailhead for the Alberni Inlet Trail, and those perfectly smooth stones down at the creek that are just right for skipping.

You can’t beat these seaside campsite views at China Creek Campground. There is an entire row of campsites that look right out onto Alberni Inlet.

Mike says that when the campsite is full, they can accommodate 500 people at China Creek. “We become a small community.”

You can be as disconnected or connected as you want, meeting up with others on the beach, at the marina, on the hiking trails, at the community fire pit and picnic tables, or at the playground.

I enjoyed meeting the dedicated staff at China Creek hiking the Alberni Inlet Trail to a panoramic lookout and scouting campsites by the beach bordered by sun-bleached driftwood.

For the record, #55 is on my bucket list. My visit was all too quick, including the speedy transfer thanks to Action Packed Charters, but you can pack a tent or a camper, and book your spot for your next getaway this summer - and beyond.