Northern Island

• For beach camping north of Courtenay, start at Miracle Beach Provincial Park, a popular spot on a wide, sandy beach that has a 201-site campground. If Miracle Bay is full, head to nearby Kitty Coleman Provincial Park, which has campsites overlooking the beach. Or take a ferry to the Smelt Bay Provincial Park on Cortes Island, which has 22 campsites on a bay that's teeming with wildlife.
  Wilderness fans should consider the nine-site campground at Schoen Lake Provincial Park, home to old-growth forests, lakes and lots of deer. Or try one of the two 85-site campgrounds at Strathcona Provincial Park, the oldest provincial park in British Columbia and home to 250,000 hectares of rugged mountain wilderness. Cape Scott, a pristine coastal wilderness area at the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island, has an 11-site, tents-only campground at Eric Lake.
  Fishing fanatics have a home at the 122-site campground at Elk Falls Provincial Park on Campbell River, which boasts excellent year-round salmon fishing. Anglers will also like the 24-site campground at Morton Lake Provincial Park, a hot spot for rainbow, cutthroat and Dolly Varden lake trout fishing.
  
  

Central Island

• Attention waterskiers and windsurfers: Consider the two campgrounds at Sproat Lake Provincial Park, a water sport mecca 15 minutes northwest of the town of Port Alberni. Those who prefer waterfalls and gorges can head southeast from Port Alberni to Englishman River Falls Provincial Park or Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park.
  Families need look no further than Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, 20 miles north of Nanaimo. Its campground has an adventure playground and is a five-minute walk to a long sandy beach.
  If you'd like to try camping in a national park, check out the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on the island's west side. It's home to the fully developed, vehicle-friendly Green Point Campground as well as wilderness camping opportunities in the Broken Group Islands and along the 47-mile West Coast Trail.
  
  

Southern Island

• To camp along the beach on the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the island's southwest coast, home to great whale- and bird-watching, make a beeline for the China Beach campground in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park or the campground at French Beach Provincial Park.
  If island camping is more what you had in mind, Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park is a kayaker's paradise two miles off the coast from Victoria, the island's largest city. It has open-field camping (no vehicles) at one designated area. North of Victoria, Galiano Island in the southern Gulf Islands has vehicle-friendly campgrounds at the Montague Harbour and Dionisio Point provincial parks.
  For family-oriented camping on the mainland, drive northwest from Victoria to the campground at Cowichan River Provincial Park, where swimming, canoeing, white-water kayaking, tubing and fishing are some of the popular activities. Continue up the river to Gordon Bay Provincial Park on Lake Cowichan, home to sandy beaches, good swimming, and a campground set in a second-growth Douglas fir stand.