In October 2017, we sold our large home and moved into our 32-foot travel trailer. We moved our RV to Living Forest Campground and RV Park in Nanaimo, BC and stayed for 6 months.
First Impressions of Living Forest Campground
When you first drive into Living Forest Campground the main office is on your left. It is right after the entrance. What you notice right away is how clean and organized everything looks. The garbage and recycle area is to the right of the entrance and looks very neat and tidy. Everything looks well maintained and nothing looks neglected. There is not a speck of garbage, nothing looks rusty or old. The bushes and trees are groomed away from the road but still left very much natural around the campsites. When you drive through the park you can see that there has been a lot of attention to detail and everything is neat and tidy but still looks like a natural forest. The sites themselves are groomed and are free of branches and leaves, so they look neat and tidy.
Check-In at Living Forest Campground
The check-in process was quick and simple. Because we were staying longer term we had filled out and sent in an application. and we were pre-screened by the park manager, Shirley. This is typical for longer stays (monthly) and is not required for shorter stays. Once we arrived at the park we went to the office to prepay for our first month. There were a few other people ahead of us but the process was quick and the staff was efficient.
Our Stay at Living Forest Campground
We were assigned site 52 (forest site) for 2 weeks. The site was clean, quiet and private. It has a firepit and hooks up for 30 amp electric, water, sewer and the hook up for tv/internet. After 2 weeks, we moved to site 113 (ocean view site). Site 113 has an ocean view and 30 or 50 amp service as well as water, sewer and tv/internet.
We liked both of the sites we stayed at. Site 113 had the most beautiful views and there was nothing but forest and ocean behind us. Our neighbours to each side of us were very friendly and quiet. We never had any issues with noise.
The campground has Wi-Fi available for a fee at your site. You don’t get very much for your money and the coverage is a bit spotty in a few places in the park. As we were staying long term this was not sufficient for our needs. Fortunately, if you are staying for an extended period, you can order shaw cable high-speed internet hook up. They will come and hook up high-speed internet. We choose this route and so our internet connection was perfect for work and entertainment while we were there. We did not have to sign a contract and it cost us about $90 per month for high speed.
Facilities and Amenities and Living Forest Campground
Living Forest Campground has laundry facilities located right next to the main office. You can also buy firewood, have your propane tanks filled and pick up a few supplies or snacks during business hours at the office. There is a games room, basketball court, volleyball and kayaking/canoeing to enjoy if you are there in the spring or summer. We didn’t use any of these facilities personally, so I can’t give you much more information on them.
With a park that is over 50 acres and 300 camp/RV sites, there is something at Living Forest Campground, for every type of camping experience. All the full hookup sites are large enough for RV and tow vehicle. They also have smaller sites for tents and some partial hook up sites. There are sites right on the oceanfront, some with an ocean view and others tucked away in the forest. Each site comes with a picnic table and a fire ring. The park is family and pet-friendly.
The Staff at Living Forest Campground
All the staff we interacted with were helpful and courteous. There were no negative interactions, and they went out of their way to assist with issues or questions we had (we did not have many). One of the most helpful was Bob. During our stay, when we needed propane, we called the office and Bob came and pick up our propane tank. He took it and filled it up and returned it back to us a short while later. So easy and convenient.
Summary of our stay at Living Forest Campground
We loved our stay at Living Forest Campground. There is no option to live year-round at Living Forest Campground like there is at some RV parks. It is a bit pricier than other campgrounds in and around Nanaimo for the peak season summer months so that may be a deterrent for some to stay there but their off-season rates are very comparable to others in the same area. We will definitely go back to Living Forest Campground again. It was a really great place to stay.
You can check out their website at www.livingforest.com to book a site or get more information.
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