Salt Spring Island Camping Info (2025)

Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
Can we have a campfire?	No. There is a fire ban for the entire area since July17. Click here for more info.
How will I charge my precious mobile electronics?	Tim has 8 Milwaukee batteries that attach to two different charging converters. These Milwaukee batteries can be recharged in the Mustang EV so we will always be topped up.
Will I get a mobile data signal at the campsite?	Sorta kinda. Reports suggest that service is spotty. I will provide an update once I’m there.

What to Take

Tim will be bringing all of the equipment for the base camp, such as tents, cooking gear, gazebos and camping chairs.

Vicky will be bringing the Porsche by herself and will have a lot of space to take gear.

Here is the list of things you will need to bring that Tim will not have:

Pillows
Sleeping bags
Air Mattresses
Warm Clothes
Rain gear (it might rain a small amount)
Bug spray
Sun screen
Towels
Large plastic garbage bag to put your clothes in.
If your clothes are not stored in a hard suitcase there is a good chance they’re going to get wet or damp. After arriving, put your clean clothes inside a plastic bag to avoid them getting wet.
Optional things to consider:
- Flashlights. We will have the lanterns and multiple flashlights but not enough for everyone.
- Tablet with preloaded shows that won’t require data to play.
- Bathing suits. It will likely be too cold to swim.
- Cash. There may be some vendors in outdoor markets that only accept cash.
Optional things to AVOID:
- Anything made out of glass. When camping stuff gets stepped on, crushed, dropped, etc

Ferry Info

Getting There

You need to arrive at the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal by 8:20 AM, Tuesday August 4. You have a reservation so arriving earlier is fine but won’t change anything.
When entering the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and keep right when you enter the ferry terminal into the “Vehicle Ticketing” area. See picture below.
Choose a lane that reads “Gulf Islands” and/or “Salt Spring”. If you chose the wrong lane, don’t worry, the ticketing agent will direct you to the appropriate area.
Let the ticketing agent know you have a reservation for the Saltspring ferry at 9:10 AM. They will ask for the reservation number. Give them the piece of paper I printed with your reservations or quote the number here:
- Tamsin, Denys, Levi and Roman – B255520601
- Lauren and Theo – B255520687
- Vicky – B255520735
All reservations are pre-paid. You should not be required to pay unless people switch cars or we add people.

The Ferry

The ferry you will be boarding is the Salish Heron which is a medium sized ferry. It’s not as big as the ones that go to Victoria and Nanaimo but they do have a restaurant, play areas and upper decks. More info on the Salish Heron here:

https://www.bcferries.com/on-the-ferry/our-fleet/salish-heron/HERO

Getting to the Campsite

You will be landing on Saltspring Island at Long Harbour which is on the North side of Saltspring. When you drive to Ruckle Park you will first go through “Ganges” which is the downtown hub of Saltsrping. There are 30+ restaurants in Ganges and 5+ grocery stores. This is where we’ll go to have lunch and pick up food for the campsite each day.

Use your GPS to navigate to Ruckle Park. Then:

When you get to the park entrance there will be a fork in the road. GO RIGHT to the area designated as “Campground” (see picture below).
Follow the road a little bit and then turn right again to go to the parking lot designated for Walk-In camping.
DO NOT continue straight to the area for RVs. These sites will be marked RV1 through RV8. This is not where we are camping.
Park in the parking lot designated for walk-ins. You will see wheel barrows there which you can use to load your gear. You will then need to follow the signs to walk to campsite G3