Salmon Point Resort RV Park & Marina, Campbell River, BC.

After two weeks in Tofino it was time for us to pack up and make the long, slow drive back across Hwy 4 where we could get back on Hwy 19. This is the only route to the North end of the Island and the last area left for us to explore. I realize I may sound a little bit like a broken record but we were super excited for this leg of our journey. It was now April and the weather was getting more and more spring like by the day. On top of the changing weather, we were headed to our first truly oceanfront campsite and we had high hopes for what the next month would bring.

Location

Salmon Point Resort RV Park & Marina lies just over 10 km from the South end of Campbell River. This made it the perfect location for us as it placed us within a 30 minute drive from both downtown Campbell River and Courtney. The park is at the end of Salmon Point Rd, right off Hwy 19A, which makes it really easy to access for a rig of any size.

Just 2 km south of the park lies Oyster River where you can find most of what you’ll need during your stay. I highly recommend Discovery Foods for groceries, it’s smaller than the big box grocery stores but has all of the essentials, including an amazing variety of fresh produce and a large selection of meat from the Island. There is also a pharmacy and liquor store in the same plaza if you’re in need of either. If you arrived later in the day and you don’t feel like cooking, try The Forbidden Zone, their Extreme Hawaiian pizza was one of the best I’ve had. If you’re not in the mood for pizza, you could also hit up Driftwood Restaurant, which is just a few kilometers north of the park, for some pretty good Canadian Chinese food.

Park Layout

Salmon Point is another one of those RV Resorts that truly deserves to call itself a “Resort”. The park itself is divided up into 2 main parts, the Main Park and the Lighthouse Loop. While the Main Park is, in and of itself, a beautiful park, the beachfront sites in the Lighthouse Loop are some of the nicest RV Park sites we’ve ever seen. No matter what site you choose you will have an amazing view of the Salish Sea, Quadra Island and the Coast Mountains on the main land. However, if you are interested in a little insider tip, the Lighthouse Loop Beachfront sites 125-133 if you’re in a motorhome or 134-147 if you’re in a trailer are by far the most amazing sites at the park. Each site has an elevated rear area where your fire pit will be located that has the most amazing views of the ocean. Plus, your proximity to the water means you’ll be getting lulled to sleep every night by the sound of the waves rolling onto the beach. Additionally, the beach has all sorts of birds, seals and sea lions going about their business at all hours of the day. And if that were not enough, on several occasions we were able to sit and watch a pod or gang of Orcas swim by while enjoying our evening fire. Does this all sound too good to be true? You would think so, but seriously; it’s that awesome!

Park Services

Salmon Point has every service you would expect from an RV park of this caliber. The laundry room was well equipped with 5 washers and dryers, and the load prices were reasonable. There was a fantastic play area with all of the playground equipment you’d expect. They offer propane on site and the main office has plenty of snacks, RV essentials and even fishing tackle if you need it. They also have more outdoor seating then I’ve ever seen at any RV park I’ve been to. On top of all this, they are well equipped for summer fun with a volleyball court, horseshoes and shuffle board. All of the facilities we were able to access were well taken care of and meticulously maintained.

Stand-Out Services

First and foremost for the stand-out services offered at Salmon Point is the oceanfront restaurant. While still under construction while we were there, this restaurant, when finished, will have the absolute best view of any restaurant we found in Campbell River. And believe me, we looked. Dining out is something we love to do and we always look for amazing outdoor views when we’re choosing a location. Nothing we found compared to the view at Salmon Point. On top of the restaurant, Salmon Point had the nicest hot tub/pool facility we’ve ever seen at an RV Park as well as a games room for kids with foosball, ping pong, television and movies. Combine both of those with activities on the weekends in the summer and the wee ones are sure to always have something to do. While the kids are off participating in some activity or watching a movie with some new found friends, you will have the opportunity to take a relaxing nature walk with your significant other through Oyster River Nature Park. There is a trail along the beach right from the park! With everything Salmon Point has to offer we never once got bored during our three week stay, even with many of the facilities being shut down due to COVID.

Affordability

If you’ve made it this far into this review, this is where you’re probably expecting me to tell you how astronomical the prices are at Salmon Point. If that’s what you’re expecting then prepare to be disappointed or elated; take your pick. Just based on it’s location alone Salmon Point Resort RV Park & Marina is incredibly reasonable. A beachfront site in the Lighthouse Loop is only going to run you $65 per night. That’s their most expensive site….. If you don’t need to be beachfront, you can stay over in the Main Park for as low as $54 per night. That’s right, stop rubbing your eyes, I said $54 per night. We’ve stayed at parks that cost nearly twice that with not even half of the amenities that Salmon Point offers, let alone the view!

Final Thoughts

By now you can probably guess what I’m going to say here. We completely fell in love with Campbell River and a large part of that was how much we enjoyed our three weeks at Salmon Point. The park has everything you could ever want and more. There are 2 parks on Vancouver Island that we will plan our next trip out West around and Salmon Point is one of them. There really is not a single negative thing I could say about this park. The staff were friendly, the park facilities were spotless, it has the most amazing view of any park… Ok, ok. Enough with the sales pitch, I promise I’m not being compensated for this review. If you are looking to spend some time on Vancouver Island then do yourselves a favour and plan to spend some of that time at Salmon Point. Even if you don’t have an RV, book one of the cottages and see how amazing it is for yourself.