RV Parks In Smithers, British Columbia

The in-town option is the Riverside Municipal Campground, run by the Town of Smithers at 3843 19th Avenue, with full-service sites offering water, sewer, and 15 and 30-amp electric plus unserviced sites, all back-in and able to take rigs up to 50 to 65 feet. The best public choice nearby is Tyhee Lake Provincial Park near Telkwa, 10 km east off Highway 16, with electrical sites, a sandy beach, and a trailer sanitary station. For free rustic camping, Babine Lake Marine Provincial Park at Smithers Landing has eight first-come public sites about 66 km northeast. Together they cover full hookups, lakeside provincial camping, and free options.

Yes. The Riverside Municipal Campground offers full-service sites with water, sewer, and 15 and 30-amp electric for around $45 a night, along with cheaper unserviced sites at about $35. Run by the Town of Smithers at 3843 19th Avenue, it sits within walking distance of the river and the Perimeter Trail, which makes it a convenient in-town base. The one thing to know is that the sites are back-in only, with no pull-throughs, though they accommodate rigs up to 50 to 65 feet. The season runs roughly May 15 to October 1, and you can reserve online or by phone, with online booking closing a few days before arrival.

Mid-May through September is the season. Summer brings mild days around 22C, cool nights, and long daylight, with all the campgrounds open and the alpine trails and waterfalls at their best, making it the prime time to visit. Late spring and early fall are workable shoulder seasons, though snow can linger into May and return by late September at this elevation. Winter is cold and snowy with significant accumulation, the campgrounds close, and the Highway 16 mountain passes become hazardous, so it is not an RV season. Plan a summer trip, reserve provincial sites early, and always check DriveBC for current conditions.

For summer weekends, yes. Tyhee Lake Provincial Park near Telkwa is the only full-facility public park for 200 km along Highway 16, so its electrical sites fill on warm-weather weekends; reserve through the BC Parks system as early as you can. The Riverside Municipal Campground in town books online or by phone, with online reservations closing a few days before arrival, so plan ahead rather than counting on a last-minute spot in peak season. The free first-come sites at Babine Lake Marine Park cannot be reserved. Midweek and in shoulder season you can often find space, but booking your serviced nights ahead is the safe move.

Smithers has convenient sani-dump options. There is a sani-dump at the Canadian Tire on Highway 16 and another at the Smithers Visitor Centre, both handy for travelers passing through on the Yellowhead. If you are staying at a campground, the Riverside Municipal Campground has full-service sites with sewer hookups, and Tyhee Lake Provincial Park near Telkwa has a trailer sanitary station for registered campers. Because services thin out considerably on the long Highway 16 legs toward Prince George and Prince Rupert, it is smart to dump tanks and top off fresh water in Smithers before heading out into the remote stretches in either direction.

Yes. Tyhee Lake Provincial Park near Telkwa, 10 km east off Highway 16, is the standout public option, described as the only full-facility public park for 200 km in either direction along the Yellowhead, with electrical sites, a sandy swimming beach, hiking, and a trailer sanitary station. It reserves through BC Parks. For free, rustic public camping, Babine Lake Marine Provincial Park at Smithers Landing offers eight first-come, first-served vehicle-accessible sites about 66 km northeast, with no reservations and no hookups, suited to self-contained rigs. Provincial sites cost less than private full-hookup parks, making them a good value for travelers comfortable with electric or unserviced camping.

Plenty of mountain scenery within a short drive. Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park, about 10 km northeast, protects one of the world's significant fossil beds, with an interpretive trail where you can see ancient plant and insect fossils in the shale. Twin Falls in Glacier Gulch, roughly 12 km west, drops from the Kathlyn Glacier below Hudson Bay Mountain. The mountain itself offers summer alpine hiking and a winter ski hill, and the 13 km Perimeter Trail loops right around town. The Bulkley River is famous for steelhead fishing. Between fossils, waterfalls, alpine trails, and the river, Smithers easily justifies a couple of nights.

Yes, with one caveat about site type. The Riverside Municipal Campground accommodates rigs up to 50 to 65 feet, but its sites are back-in only, so larger setups should be comfortable backing in rather than expecting a pull-through. Tyhee Lake Provincial Park is vehicle-accessible and takes trailers and motorhomes, though you should check individual site lengths when booking through BC Parks. On the highways, Yellowhead Highway 16 handles large RVs within standard BC dimension limits, with seasonal load restrictions to watch. For the biggest rigs, confirm site length before reserving and check DriveBC for any width or load limits on the route in.

Smithers is a full-service town set in genuinely remote country, which is exactly why it matters to RVers. It sits midway on Yellowhead Highway 16, roughly 350 km from Prince Rupert to the west and a long drive from Prince George to the east, with few full-service towns in between. That makes Smithers the place to fuel, restock, dump tanks, and handle any repairs before the long legs in either direction. Within town you have groceries, propane, fuel, and RV service, so you are well looked after, but plan your trip around these resupply points because the stretches of highway between them are long and sparsely serviced.

Smithers is the service hub of the Bulkley Valley, so the essentials are all here. You will find full groceries and supplies in town, fuel and diesel, propane through suppliers like the Smithers/Telkwa Transfer Station, and vehicle and RV repair for mechanical needs. Sani-dump stations at the Canadian Tire on Highway 16 and the Smithers Visitor Centre handle tanks and water. This concentration of services is the main reason Yellowhead travelers stop here: it is the dependable place to reprovision and service the rig in a long, remote stretch of northern BC highway, so take advantage of it before pushing on.

It is not practical. Winters in the Bulkley Valley are cold and snowy, with significant accumulation and daytime highs below freezing, so the campgrounds close and the Highway 16 mountain passes become hazardous with snow and ice. Riverside Municipal Campground and Tyhee Lake Provincial Park both operate on a roughly mid-May to October season, leaving no developed winter RV camping. Hudson Bay Mountain does draw skiers in winter, but that is day-use rather than RV territory. For RV travel, treat Smithers as a mid-May through September destination, and if you must pass through in the cold months, check DriveBC closely and plan around closed parks and limited services.

Smithers is roughly 350 km east of Prince Rupert along Yellowhead Highway 16, about a four to five-hour drive depending on conditions. Prince Rupert is the terminal for BC Ferries and the Alaska Marine Highway, so many RVers traveling to or from the ferries break the journey in Smithers. It is the last major full-service town with the range of fuel, groceries, propane, and repair you will want before or after the ferry leg, so it is a logical place to stop, reprovision, and rest. Check DriveBC for current Highway 16 conditions, as mountain weather can affect travel times even in summer.

Yes, if you are self-contained. Babine Lake Marine Provincial Park at Smithers Landing offers eight free, first-come, first-served vehicle-accessible public sites about 66 km northeast of town, with no hookups and minimal facilities. Beyond that, Recreation Sites and Trails BC maintains forest-service recreation sites and there are forest service roads in the Bulkley Valley that suit self-contained rigs, though you should check access and road conditions before committing a large RV. These free options have no services, so arrive with full water and a plan for waste, and pair them with a sani-dump and refill in Smithers. For travelers happy to camp rustic, they are a great way to keep costs near zero.

The in-town option is the Riverside Municipal Campground, run by the Town of Smithers at 3843 19th Avenue, with full-service sites offering water, sewer, and 15 and 30-amp electric plus unserviced sites, all back-in and able to take rigs up to 50 to 65 feet. The best public choice nearby is Tyhee Lake Provincial Park near Telkwa, 10 km east off Highway 16, with electrical sites, a sandy beach, and a trailer sanitary station. For free rustic camping, Babine Lake Marine Provincial Park at Smithers Landing has eight first-come public sites about 66 km northeast. Together they cover full hookups, lakeside provincial camping, and free options.

Yes. The Riverside Municipal Campground offers full-service sites with water, sewer, and 15 and 30-amp electric for around $45 a night, along with cheaper unserviced sites at about $35. Run by the Town of Smithers at 3843 19th Avenue, it sits within walking distance of the river and the Perimeter Trail, which makes it a convenient in-town base. The one thing to know is that the sites are back-in only, with no pull-throughs, though they accommodate rigs up to 50 to 65 feet. The season runs roughly May 15 to October 1, and you can reserve online or by phone, with online booking closing a few days before arrival.

Mid-May through September is the season. Summer brings mild days around 22C, cool nights, and long daylight, with all the campgrounds open and the alpine trails and waterfalls at their best, making it the prime time to visit. Late spring and early fall are workable shoulder seasons, though snow can linger into May and return by late September at this elevation. Winter is cold and snowy with significant accumulation, the campgrounds close, and the Highway 16 mountain passes become hazardous, so it is not an RV season. Plan a summer trip, reserve provincial sites early, and always check DriveBC for current conditions.

For summer weekends, yes. Tyhee Lake Provincial Park near Telkwa is the only full-facility public park for 200 km along Highway 16, so its electrical sites fill on warm-weather weekends; reserve through the BC Parks system as early as you can. The Riverside Municipal Campground in town books online or by phone, with online reservations closing a few days before arrival, so plan ahead rather than counting on a last-minute spot in peak season. The free first-come sites at Babine Lake Marine Park cannot be reserved. Midweek and in shoulder season you can often find space, but booking your serviced nights ahead is the safe move.

Smithers has convenient sani-dump options. There is a sani-dump at the Canadian Tire on Highway 16 and another at the Smithers Visitor Centre, both handy for travelers passing through on the Yellowhead. If you are staying at a campground, the Riverside Municipal Campground has full-service sites with sewer hookups, and Tyhee Lake Provincial Park near Telkwa has a trailer sanitary station for registered campers. Because services thin out considerably on the long Highway 16 legs toward Prince George and Prince Rupert, it is smart to dump tanks and top off fresh water in Smithers before heading out into the remote stretches in either direction.

Yes. Tyhee Lake Provincial Park near Telkwa, 10 km east off Highway 16, is the standout public option, described as the only full-facility public park for 200 km in either direction along the Yellowhead, with electrical sites, a sandy swimming beach, hiking, and a trailer sanitary station. It reserves through BC Parks. For free, rustic public camping, Babine Lake Marine Provincial Park at Smithers Landing offers eight first-come, first-served vehicle-accessible sites about 66 km northeast, with no reservations and no hookups, suited to self-contained rigs. Provincial sites cost less than private full-hookup parks, making them a good value for travelers comfortable with electric or unserviced camping.

Plenty of mountain scenery within a short drive. Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park, about 10 km northeast, protects one of the world's significant fossil beds, with an interpretive trail where you can see ancient plant and insect fossils in the shale. Twin Falls in Glacier Gulch, roughly 12 km west, drops from the Kathlyn Glacier below Hudson Bay Mountain. The mountain itself offers summer alpine hiking and a winter ski hill, and the 13 km Perimeter Trail loops right around town. The Bulkley River is famous for steelhead fishing. Between fossils, waterfalls, alpine trails, and the river, Smithers easily justifies a couple of nights.

Yes, with one caveat about site type. The Riverside Municipal Campground accommodates rigs up to 50 to 65 feet, but its sites are back-in only, so larger setups should be comfortable backing in rather than expecting a pull-through. Tyhee Lake Provincial Park is vehicle-accessible and takes trailers and motorhomes, though you should check individual site lengths when booking through BC Parks. On the highways, Yellowhead Highway 16 handles large RVs within standard BC dimension limits, with seasonal load restrictions to watch. For the biggest rigs, confirm site length before reserving and check DriveBC for any width or load limits on the route in.

Smithers is a full-service town set in genuinely remote country, which is exactly why it matters to RVers. It sits midway on Yellowhead Highway 16, roughly 350 km from Prince Rupert to the west and a long drive from Prince George to the east, with few full-service towns in between. That makes Smithers the place to fuel, restock, dump tanks, and handle any repairs before the long legs in either direction. Within town you have groceries, propane, fuel, and RV service, so you are well looked after, but plan your trip around these resupply points because the stretches of highway between them are long and sparsely serviced.

Smithers is the service hub of the Bulkley Valley, so the essentials are all here. You will find full groceries and supplies in town, fuel and diesel, propane through suppliers like the Smithers/Telkwa Transfer Station, and vehicle and RV repair for mechanical needs. Sani-dump stations at the Canadian Tire on Highway 16 and the Smithers Visitor Centre handle tanks and water. This concentration of services is the main reason Yellowhead travelers stop here: it is the dependable place to reprovision and service the rig in a long, remote stretch of northern BC highway, so take advantage of it before pushing on.

It is not practical. Winters in the Bulkley Valley are cold and snowy, with significant accumulation and daytime highs below freezing, so the campgrounds close and the Highway 16 mountain passes become hazardous with snow and ice. Riverside Municipal Campground and Tyhee Lake Provincial Park both operate on a roughly mid-May to October season, leaving no developed winter RV camping. Hudson Bay Mountain does draw skiers in winter, but that is day-use rather than RV territory. For RV travel, treat Smithers as a mid-May through September destination, and if you must pass through in the cold months, check DriveBC closely and plan around closed parks and limited services.

Smithers is roughly 350 km east of Prince Rupert along Yellowhead Highway 16, about a four to five-hour drive depending on conditions. Prince Rupert is the terminal for BC Ferries and the Alaska Marine Highway, so many RVers traveling to or from the ferries break the journey in Smithers. It is the last major full-service town with the range of fuel, groceries, propane, and repair you will want before or after the ferry leg, so it is a logical place to stop, reprovision, and rest. Check DriveBC for current Highway 16 conditions, as mountain weather can affect travel times even in summer.

Yes, if you are self-contained. Babine Lake Marine Provincial Park at Smithers Landing offers eight free, first-come, first-served vehicle-accessible public sites about 66 km northeast of town, with no hookups and minimal facilities. Beyond that, Recreation Sites and Trails BC maintains forest-service recreation sites and there are forest service roads in the Bulkley Valley that suit self-contained rigs, though you should check access and road conditions before committing a large RV. These free options have no services, so arrive with full water and a plan for waste, and pair them with a sani-dump and refill in Smithers. For travelers happy to camp rustic, they are a great way to keep costs near zero.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Smithers.