Yard Creek Campground is now open. Please note: effective Friday, July 12, 2024 campfires are not permitted.

CAMPGROUND INFORMATION

Yard Creek Park offers 65 quiet, forest shaded RV and tent sites, trails, and a popular day use area with a log picnic shelter. Just 15 km east of Sicamous, along the Trans Canada Highway, Yard Creek Park is a great spot to use as a base camp for visiting the Sicamous and Shuswap area. The landscape surrounding Yard Creek Park is part of the Interior Wetbelt, characterized by cedar and hemlock forest and lush undergrowth. The park also contains a variety of birds, including American Dippers. These fascinating little birds dive into the icy waters of the creek and “fly” along under the water in search of water insects. Watch for them on the rocks along the creek.

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• Check-out Time is 11:00 am. Campsites not re-registered may be reassigned unless special arrangements have been made with park operators.
• Reservations are not accepted. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Vehicles per Camping Party: One vehicle and trailer, either one (not both) may be an RV. A second vehicle (non RV) may be allowed for an additional nightly charge of $15.00.
• Camping Maximum: One camping party per site, unless otherwise authorized.
• Quiet Time: is from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am. Please do not operate equipment such as generators. Vehicles must remain on the gravel portion of your campsite.
• Trails are found within the campground along Yard Creek.
• Campsite Cost: $25.00 Per Night

CAMPING ETHICS

• Parking is permitted only in designated areas & on the gravel portion of campsites. Parking is not permitted on roadsides.
• Vehicles must be licensed and operated by licensed drivers.
• Visitors must leave by 9:00 pm. Only registered campers are allowed after 9:00 pm.
• Excessive Noise is not permitted.
• Liquor Consumption is only allowed in your registered campsite.
• Campfires must be confined to metal fire-pits and be less than one half meter in height. Do not leave your campfire unattended.
• Trees & Shrubs are easily damaged. Stay on the roads and trails to avoid trampling vegetation. Do not cut trees or shrubs for wiener sticks, or use them for clothesline supports. Do not pick the flowers, berries foliage, etc.
• Valuables should not be left unattended. Report all thefts to the Park Facility Operator as soon as possible.

FREQUENT QUESTIONS

1. Does Yard Creek Campground take reservations? 
   No, we do not take reservations, we operate on a first come, first serve basis.
2. Do you take electronic payment or credit card payment?
   No, we can only take cash or cheque.
3. Does Yard Creek Campground have showers, sewer and/or power hook ups?
   No, Yard Creek Campground is a rustic campground without modern amenities.
4. How many vehicles (non camper) stay at 1 site?
   One vehicle per site, every additional vehicle is a $15.00 charge.
5. How many tents per site?
   We allow a maximum of 3 tents.
6. Who do we make cheques payable to?
   Yard Creek Campground.
7. How late can generators be run?
   Our quiet time begins at 10:00 p.m.  Generators must be shut down by then.
8. Can we bring our pets?
   Yes, Yard Creek Campground is a pet friendly campground.  Please remember to keep them on a leash and clean up after them.
9. How long can we stay in the campground?
   14 days unless other arrangements are made with management.
10. How many motor homes per site?
    One motorhome per site.  An extra vehicle (car, truck, van) is an additional $15.00 charge.
11. Do you have specific sites for tents or trailers? 
    No, we do not specify areas, feel free to pick your favourite spot!
12. Is your water drinkable?
    Yes, our tap water is drinkable.  We follow Interior Health Authority guidelines for sampling and testing.  If there are any water quality issues, boil water notices are posted at each water tap.
13. Firewood is available at the Park for $10.00 per bundle.

MANAGEMENT MESSAGE

• Water Safety The water in the creek is very cold and fast, especially in May and June. Small children should not be allowed to play unattended along its banks.
• Bears are seen within the park. To avoid attracting them, put all food cans and tin cans in bear proof garbage cans. Keep a clean campsite. Store all your food in your vehicle.
• Park Attendants are on duty morning and evening. They will be pleased to answer any questions you have on facilities, services and recreational opportunities in the park and surrounding areas.
• Firewood may be purchased from the park attendants @ $10.00 per bundle. Wood may not be taken from the bush for campfires as the wood regenerates the growth in the park.
• Do not take wood from the bush. If wood is taken from the bush the charge will be double the cost of a bundle.

NEARBY COMMUNITIES

• Malakwa Amenities east of the campsite within a 10-kilometer drive
• Sicamous – 15 km West
• Revelstoke – 60 km East
• Salmon Arm – 41 km West
• Kamloops – 149 km west Vernon – 85 km South

TRAIL INTERPRETIVE STOPS

Look for the numbered posts as you hike the trails in Yard Creek Park

1. The Park Internment Camp
   No. 2 Camp at Yard Creek was established in 1942 as one of the five camps between Sicamous and Revelstoke. These road camps were set up for Canadian-born and naturalized Japanese men during W.W. II. While they were here, the men worked at widening and reconstructing the narrow road from Sicamous to Revelstoke. There are very few remnants of the camp left in the area.
2. The Trees Around You
   There are many species of trees in the area. See how many of these species you can find: Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Douglas Fir, White Spruce, White Pine, Lodgepole Pine and Trembling Aspen
3. Remnants of the Internment Camp
   If you look closely, you can see small levelled off rectangles alongside the trail. These are some of the remains of the internment camp set up in 1942. This is all that remains of the camp’s small outbuildings. Most of the remnants of the camp have disappeared over time.
4. Typical Wet Belt Forest
   The forest in this spot is typical of the interior wet belt forest, which is extensive in the eastern part of the southern interior of British Columbia. Western Cedar and Western Hemlock are the dominant trees, with sprinklings of Douglas-Fir, White Spruce, White Pine, Lodgepole Pine and Western Yew.
5. What Killed the Cedars?
   Looking around, you will notice that many small cedars have died. This was not caused by disease but by shortage of water during the hot dry summer of 1998.
6. Sockeye Salmon
   Between August 20th – September 10th you will have a good chance of seeing spawning Sockeye Salmon in the pools to your right.
7. Old Growth Douglas Fir
   Here is a good example of an old growth Douglas Fir. Note the difference between the bark on the old growth and on the 2nd growth. The thick bark on Douglas Fir trees enables them to live through low intensity fires. This is why you can find old-growth Douglas Fir in a relatively young forest.
8. Mosses and Lichen
   There is an abundance of mosses and lichens that grow in the Interior wet belt forest at low elevations. If you have a plant guidebook, you may be able to identify several species. Lungwort – Common Witches Hair – Shaggy Peat Moss – Lacy Fern Moss
9. Huckleberries and Blueberries
   There are 4 types of berry bushes near here. Black Huckleberry, Oval Leaved Blueberry, Red Huckleberry and Velvet-leaf Blueberry. Remember, you are in bear country. When the berries are ripe, bears frequent this area. Use caution – hike as a group and do not let children wander alone. Make loud noises frequently.
10. Flowers on the Forest Floor
    Two flowers are very common in clearing in the type of moist forest. One-leaved Foam Flowers and Queen Cups.
11. Signs of Pileated Woodpecker
    The holes in this tree were made by a Pileated Woodpecker hunting for bugs to eat. See if you can spot trees like this, or the woodpecker itself! The pileated is a large black and white woodpecker with a conspicuous red crown on its head.