Noisy Creek Recreation Site Review

Today I am sharing our Noisy Creek Recreation Site Review.  Be sure to check out more of our Camping Reviews for details on other campgrounds and products!

Hi guys!  This summer seems to be flying by.  We’ve been filling it with family camping trips every chance that we can get!  Last weekend we went to Noisy Creek, a local recreation site that I hadn’t been to since I was a kid…

Noisy Creek is located about an hour past Enderby, BC on Mabel Lake.  After leaving Enderby on Mabel Lake Road, turn left onto Three Valley Gap Forest Service Road and drive about 45 minutes to Noisy Creek.  The area is actively logged so the road is generally in good condition however there were some man eating pot holes to look out for on the last section of the road.

Our Noisy Creek Recreation Site Review:

This is a BC Recreation Campground which means campsites can be taken on a first come, first serve basis.  On this busy long weekend there were very few campsites available and none near the beach or on the lake.  We did get a fairly level spot across from the lake and near the creek which was perfect for the boys.  What I have learned with rec sites is to either not care what campsite you get OR plan to stay for a long period of time, talk to other campers about when they plan to leave and wait in cue for their spot OR have friends go up earlier and stick a pup tent on a site for you, therefor “reserving it”.  

First come, first serve.

The whole first come, first serve system seems to have some grey areas where many sites at Noisy Creek had pup tents on them without people actively camping in them.  Depending on the site host, this is frowned upon or against policy.

As with all campgrounds, not all sites are created equal.  This is one of the lakeside sites that became available mid weekend.  The beach was gorgeous and clean, perfect for swimming and other water sports.  Many families also had ski boats anchored just off shore as there is a boat launch at the campground as well.  The site features two beaches, one sandy with a steep incline into the water and one rocky with a more gradual incline.  There is no power, running water or garbage disposal on site.  Outhouses were well maintained and cleaned frequently but were situated a bit too close to campsites in some areas.

Entertainment for the kids:

The nearby creek provided hours of entertainment for our boys!  They absolutely loved building forts and exploring the area.  We had family camping with us so they had an opportunity to play with cousins and do some boating.  It was about a 30 min boat ride to the nearest store at Kingfisher.  We also packed our kayaks and had plenty of time to explore the area by water.

We decided that we would visit Noisy Creek again on two conditions; that we did not go on a long weekend and we plan to stay for at least a week.  This was mainly so that we could get a better campsite thus making the stay even more enjoyable.

Have you done any camping in BC?  Favorite spots?

This post was updated July 2020 and originally shared on Homemade Heather in 2015.