RV Adventure Part 2: Reserving the Campsite

Where to RV in the winter

So the W family has decided to take the plunge and go RVing, for the first time, in winter. With our RV booked it’s time to confirm a location. Some initial considerations:

1. We’ve always wanted to trek to Northern BC, but at this time of year we can only swing 3 or 4 days off work.
2. We’d love to tour the Kootenay Rockies (and their bountiful natural hot springs) but again, time and distance is a challenge.
3. Ideally this first trip should be no more than 4 hours from home (so we get maximum time at the destination), and somewhere with a range of activities.

After searching around we settled on Sunshine Valley RV Campground. Located just outside of Hope, they’re about a 2 hour drive from the RV rental office, on a route we’ve travelled before, and very close to Manning Provincial Park, where we’d made a rest stop in the summer. Having passed Sunshine’s brand-new clubhouse and signature vintage sign a few times, we were eager to give it a try.

Their website has a fairly detailed online reservation policy, which is fantastic.

The first thing we needed to know were the dates of our visit (naturally), and the type of spot to hold. For RVs, the choices  revolve around the type of hookups, and whether you want a “pull through” spot (which seems the easiest) or a “back in” spot.

And unlike with tenting, you’ll need to know the specs of your vehicle. In our case, Canadream has these listed online.

Key information to look for are things like the vehicle length (we went with the maximum length listed), and amps of power required. On our specs sheet, this is under ‘interior power supply’, listed as 12/110 V (so, 12 amps). We also looked at diagrams of the motorhome to determine that it had one “slide-out” (the part of the RV that sticks out into the campsite).

With the reservation booked, and RV confirmed, we were ready to start planning our activities. Some initial ideas:

• Skiing, snowboarding, or tubing at Manning Provincial Park
• Snowshoeing on the trails around the campsite
• Swimming in the resort’s indoor pool (and soaking in the hot tub)
• Using the fitness centre
• Eating, napping, and playing music

Sounds like a good itinerary so far! The next step for us will be an updated packing list, and the (sometimes painful) wait for the trip to begin.

We’ll be posting from the road, so until then … wish us happy planning!

RV Adventure Part 1: First Time RVing in Winter

RV Adventure Part 3: Home Sweet Home

RV Adventure Part 4: Day Trip to Manning Park