SMONECTEN Campground

SMONEĆTEN is a very nice Parks Canada campground located close to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal in North Saanich.

(Note: SMONEĆTEN is pronounced “Smonichton” which is similar to “Saanichton”, but with “smo” at the beginning. It means “place of pitch” in the local Indigenous language. The W̱SÁNEĆ people used to collect the sap or pitch from Douglas Fir trees in the area and use it for various purposes. To learn more about the park’s background, click The Naming of SMONEĆTEN.)

For the campground’s official website, and to learn about other campgrounds and parklands in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, see the Parks Canada website.

SMONEĆTEN Campground on Vancouver Island

The Gulf Islands National Park Reserve features a number of campgrounds in and around the Southern Gulf Islands. There’s Sidney Spit on Sidney Island and Prior Centennial Campground on Pender Island. On Vancouver Island, there’s also the SMONEĆTEN Campground, which is the focus of this article.

SMONEĆTEN is located at 10740 McDonald Park Road. It’s in North Saanich which is about a 30-minute drive north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. It’s only a 5-minute drive away from Swartz Bay ferry terminal. The campground is an excellent base for exploring the Greater Victoria region and the Gulf Islands.

Campground Amenities

The SMONEĆTON campground includes 49 campsites which is more than those at Sidney Spit and Prior Centennial. All three places are open from May 15th to September 30th each year.

Campsites at SMONEĆTON feature picnic tables and fire pits. There are two pairs of pit toilets and four places to get potable water from.

To reserve a campsite for your next adventure, click reservation.pc.gc.ca.

Smonecten Campground

Interpretive Programs

Interpretive Programming is available throughout the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Each place offers different educational experiences. SMONEĆTON has one program on its grounds and there’s another in the town of Sidney.

The Coast Salish Campfire program takes place at the SMONEĆTON campground on Saturdays between July 6th and August 24th in 2024. The one-hour sessions include historical information and Coast Salish stories. This program is especially fun for families with young children.

The other Interactive Programming session is held in Sidney, at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea. The venue is located at 9811 Seaport Place. Regular admission rates apply. The program is offered from Thursdays to Mondays each week between June 29th and August 25th in 2024. Sessions with Parks Canada interpreters include special art activities, stories and games.

About the Gulf Islands

Although SMONEĆTON isn’t part of the Gulf Islands, it’s very close by. People stay at the campground and then use it as a base to explore the surrounding regions. Not only can you drive to Victoria and other parts of Vancouver Island, but you can also hop on a ferry at Swartz Bay or the Port Sidney Marina. Boats sail to Metro Vancouver and Gulf Islands (the latter of which are scattered in between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland).

More islands with national parkland include Sidney Spit and Pender Island, both of which offer terrific camping and terrain to explore.