Campground Review - Toad River Lodge - Toad River, British Columbia, Canada

Description

Toad River Lodge is located at mile 422 of the Alaska Highway in a remote area of stunning natural beauty. The lodge is right next to a small, lovely, beaver-dammed lake and is surrounded by forested slopes and rugged, snowy mountains. The lodge features a small, big-rig friendly RV park, tent sites, and rental cabins. This is a lovely and relaxing place to stop while travelling the Alaska Highway.

Location

Toad River Lodge
Mile 422 Alaska Highway
Toad River, Northern Rockies B, V0C 2X0, Canada
Park: +1 250-232-5401
Latitude: 58.847512 N, Longitude: -125.232625 W, Elevation: ~2,400 ft (732 m)

Details

We stayed for 2 nights at the Toad River Lodge in mid May, 2018. This is a full service, clean, and well-maintained park. The lodge is in a very remote area with no cellular phone service and few nearby services or amenities. The campground is small and may fill up quickly during busy times – reservations are recommended, especially for peak travel season.

Cost

For 2 nights at a 30 amp full hookup pull-thru site we paid about $40(CN) per night. There were no fees for pets or an extra vehicle.

Ratings (1-5)

Accessibility – 3/5

The campground is easily accessible from the Alaska Highway. Lanes in the campground are well-maintained gravel. The park has both pull-thru and back-in sites and can accommodate large rigs. The campground facilities have few provisions for Universal access.

Facilities/Amenities – 4/5

The campground offers basic amenities, including full hookup sites, tent sites, rental cabins, RV dump station, free satellite WiFi, cable TV, fire box/grill, free firewood, coin-op laundry, restrooms and free showers.

The lodge features a cafe, gift shop, ATM, some convenience store items, gas station (with diesel), propane service, tire repairs, limited auto service garage, Canada Post mail service and Greyhound bus depot. (Oh, and don’t forget to see the famous hat collection at the cafe!)

Site quality – 4/5

RV sites have full hookups, cable TV, WiFi, fire box/grill, and a picnic table. Electric service is 30 or 20 amp. The campground has back-in and pull-thru sites. Sites are level gravel, with little separation between sites. Some sites have shade trees and a lovely lake-side view.

Scenic Value – 5/5

The campground is next to a small, lovely, beaver-dammed lake and has spectacular views of forested slopes and jagged, rocky mountains on all sides.

Location/Isolation – 5/5

The campground is just off the Alaska Highway in an area of stunning natural beauty. The campground is along a very remote section of the ALCAN highway and is near to many scenic local attractions. The campground is small, sites are close together, and there is some road noise from the highway during the day, but the spectacular scenery around the lodge makes it all worthwhile.

Paws Friendliness – 4/5

The campground is pet friendly, but does not have an enclosed pet run or cleanup bag stations. The park is large enough for a fair walk with your pet and the lake offers an inviting swim for water-loving pets.

Overall Rating – 4/5

Overall, Toad River Lodge is a lovely place to stay while travelling the Alaska-Canadian Highway – either for a short break or a longer stay to explore the spectacular attractions in the area. We enjoyed our stay here and would return another time.

Additional info

Internet access

We had no cellular signal at this campground. The campground had limited (one hour/device/day) free satellite WiFi – access was slow and unreliable. Hourly-rate pay WiFi options were available.

Water Quality

The campground water tested hard – we added our water softener to the water filtration stack.

Nearby Amenities

Toad River Lodge is in a remote area with few amenities or services nearby. The lodge features cafe, gift shop, ATM, some convenience store items, gas station (with diesel), propane service, tire repairs, limited auto service garage, Canada Post mail service and Greyhound bus depot.

Gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and some automotive and RV services are available in Fort Nelson, BC (177 miles/189 km), or Watson Lake, YT (201 miles/324 km). A wider range of shopping and services are available in Dawson Creek, Prince George, or Whitehorse – long drives away.