Kelowna-BC, Canada

[norcalhawk]

Greeting to all,

I am planning a road trip in late June from Northern California to the Kelowna, BC area, eventually landing in Kamloops to visit a friend. I prefer dodging the heavy traffic through Portland, Seattle, etc. along Interstate 5. That said, Hwy 97 looks like a good alternative. From Grants Pass, OR, I'll shoot over to Hwy 97 near Crater Lake and head north. Has anyone traveled this route (north) into Canada recently? Any advise, i.e., must see places, places to explore and camping along the way would be greatly appreciated.

Then at the border: I don't want to come across naïve, but are there any surprises I should be aware of? I know about needing my passport. Is it (still) unlawful to transport a handgun into Canada? Can I transport my rifle/shotgun across?

Once in Canada, is it required to camp in a designated campground or can I veer off the Hwy and camp in the backcountry which I prefer. Special permits? I will be road tripping in my 2002 Toyota Tundra/Hawk.

Looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Be careful on 97. People pass in unwise places.

Cut over to Crater Lake at the town of Gold Hill, then over to highway 62 and up to the park. Another route is from Roseburg, up the north Umpqua to the north entrance of the park. Be prepared for Mosquitos. Lots of camping along 62 near Union Creek. There's a campground out on the loop, but I don't know what shape it's in. There was a lot of roadwork in the general area, plus a lot of beetle killed jack pine that was being removed.

Lots to see and do in the area.

 

[N'kwala]

I really like the trip up 97, and haven't experienced the inappropriate passing. I can think of some spots where it could be an issue.

No, you definitely cannot bring a handgun into Canada. They're just flat illegal. A rifle or shotgun might be permissible, but I'd check re documentation first.

I note that the discussion on this list re camping in Temagami addressed dispersed camping on crown land. That said, if you're sufficiently dispersed it's not real likely that anyone is going to raise any problems. I've never had anyone raise any issues, but then again, I'm a Canadian citizen and have BC plates on my truck.

I really like the High Desert Museum south of Bend. Interesting place.

I've enjoyed camping and hiking at Cove Palisades State Park north of Bend. It's anything but dispersed, but the geology is pretty amazing.

Kelowna is pretty densely settled these days, and I'm not sure about dispersed camping. That said, there's definitely some nice country. Oh yeah, some of the vineyards produce some nice wines, if that's of interest.
There's some nice camping in the grasslands above the Thompson River northwest of Kamloops. Some dispersed stuff. I'd take a look at Deadman Creek and the Skeetchestn Reserve off Highway 1--I've not stopped there for a few years, but it was pretty nice.

Bon voyage.

 

[N'kwala]

PS. Pepper spray other than Bear spray isn't generally welcome at the border. I think they prefer the bear spray to be of Canadian manufacture, too.

 

[Ramblinman]

I would not recommend bringing guns unless you have a legitimate purpose. Self Defence is not one according to our Govt. I am Canadian and wish our gun control allowed us to carry more freely. If you bring anything that could be construed as a weapon you are likely looking for trouble at our border.

Other than that Welcome!!!

 

[norcalhawk]

Good info, thank you. This is what I'm looking for....I have Bear spray, I bought at Cabala's however. Will check on rifle/shotgun permission. What do other members here do with their handguns when visiting Canada?

 

[buckland]

This is the Canadian Firearms Center phone #: (800) 731-4000. They can answer all questions. You must have a permit for carrying a rifle for hunting into Canada and NO handguns.

 

[Old Crow]

Responses after reading thread from top--

re: non-resident camping fee on crown lands (post 3). Not a problem in BC. It's a policy in Ontario but I don't find it in several searches of BC government web sites. It was not an issue in our travels through BC.

re: pepper spray. I've crossed the border several times with it and the issue was whether or not it's labeled for use against animals. (Yes, the agent read the label). My Counter Assault one is clearly labelled 'Bear Deterrent' and a smaller one, 'HALT Dog Repellent' were no problem. Advice to purchase in Canada is (I believe) based on the idea that someone (the seller) has already determined that the labeling will meet Canadian law so there's less room for interpretation of the label by a border agent.

re: firearms. We've crossed several times with a shotgun w home defense barrel. Issues: where traveling, my purpose for firearm, ammo capacity, not on restricted list. Once I had an agent who I felt was goading me a bit with comments like "you Americans think..." but in retrospect I think he was just probing a bit to see if my answers held up.

re: where to leave a handgun (on the US side before approaching the Canadian border). Call a local gun shop and ask if they store guns for the period of time you'll be out of the country. I've also seen recommendations to ask for the gun(s) to be cleaned and stored, I guess to make it worth the shop's time. I also ran into a guy who had been turned back at the border at Calais, Maine. He had taken his long-gun to the local police chief there for a week's storage (and was going to have to pay a $75 storage fee). He was stunned to learn I had my shotgun with me after crossing at the same border station. Do NOT challenge the border agent's authority or Canada's right to make laws the way they see fit!

Also:

One issue for us was lumber roads. There were signs indicating we were expected to announce our presence on specific CB channels or VHF radio frequencies. We couldn't do that but were only going in a few miles. Sure enough, though, after getting to our camping spot we had lumber trucks barreling down the road past us about every hour most of the night. I haven't yet figured out how best to prepare for that without a lot of expense.

Also-

You might also poke around here for info and click on a few of the map-bubbles to see the type of info there. Lots of interesting stuff...

http://www.tour-guide-canada.com/free-campsites.html


-OC

 

[N'kwala]

There's some nice dispersed stuff around the Kettle River country. Christian Valley north of Rock Creek might be a good point of departure.

I gottoo say, as a Canadian, I"m delighted about the handgun restriction and only regret it's not better enforced. I write this as an aging small dumpy woman who's camped a LOT alone in the past thirty years and only once had an issue in a private CG in a settled area. Can't imagine why anyone would want to bring a handgun with them. I know the firearm subject has been done into a greasy spot on WTW, but I did want to have a second Canadian voice on the site, making it plain that not all of us want to emulate the US in this particular respect.

Bear spray does make sense, though.

 

[norcalhawk]

Thank you everybody....this helps so much.

 

[Mike S.]

Hand guns are a no no, long guns are different, what ever that phone # gives you get a copy to give to customs just in case, you never know what kind of day they are having. Some of the customs people have no idea and make it up as they see fit.

I will see if I can find an old website for off road camping I have posted it before but have not looked at it for a couple of years. Basically if it is crown land you can camp where ever you want, no charge. Most forest service roads are on crown land.

Have fun, and don't sweat the small stuff!

 

[Mike S.]

OK this should give you what you need http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/sv/imapbc/ You will need to down load MS silverlight to run them but it gives you the whole province. They have changed the mapping system, this is the newest one I think. If you could log into the government version it is more detailed, they now use one map for Forestry, mining and tourism. Decent maps if you take a little time to figure them out.

 

[Mike S.]

So the other link does not work so try

http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/sv/imapbc/


Ok I have made this work kind of...apparently I am not saving it right so highlight the above address and open in a new link and it will take you to the maps,

This is a new one and I am not familiar with it yet .there has to be an easier way

This will give you the new map that is the base for all BC govmt maps Take a little to get it to do what you want but if you want to see BC back roads this will work

 

[Kispiox]

Been through there. Go for it. Canada does allow revolvers with over 4.1" barrel. Long guns are not a problem either with the proper paperwork completed. My advice is leave them at home. Bear issues are way over dwelled upon. Canadians must get a kick out of Americans beating their chest about firearms and "bar" protection. First off Moose injure way more folks than bears and you need to be negligent to be injured by either. Maybe I should have said deserving. Don't get me wrong. I'm a 2nd A guy through and through, but or amendment right was not intended for bear protection, it was for government protection.

Buy a fish bonker and bear spray if it'll make you feel better. The spray has duel purpose. Learn and sing the Rodeo Song when hiking in habitat. First rule of self defense is not putting yourself in a position you need to defend. You'll find no gang bangers in rural Canada. RCMP doesn't seem to care where you spend the night. However, if they run your plates and you have a gun they may wake you up to see that it is not loaded and properly cased,... So why have one. Canadians are lovely folks! Enjoy.

 

[N'kwala]

Thanks for kind words, Kispiox. I think you've pretty much called the safety situation. You COULD conceivably have bad luck rather than negligence re wildlife, but I doubt a firearm would be much use in such a situation.

Here, for what it's worth is the Canada Border Services publication re firearm classification and restriction, if for some reason someone thinks the bear spray and fish bonker won't suffice for them:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5044-eng.html#P004

I'm not sure we're all lovely. Ottawa has some really not lovely folks these days...

 

[park]

Good info, thank you. This is what I'm looking for....I have Bear spray, I bought at Cabala's however. Will check on rifle/shotgun permission. What do other members here do with their handguns when visiting Canada?

I've buried my pistol in an airtight tupperware container with the pistol wrapped in an oiled cloth. Buried in the wood on the US side, marked it with GPS coordinates and dug it up when crossing back in the states. I've taken bear spray across numerous time with no problems.

 

[Old Crow]

Re: (post 14): "Canada does allow revolvers with over 4.1" barrel" . That got my attention, particularly once I learned Lone Wolf sells 4.2" 'Canadian' barrels for several Glock-brand handguns. It suggests a simple barrel swap would change a Glock from a 'Prohibited' to a 'Restricted' status in Canada. It can't be that easy, can it? Well, no. (But it took me a while to figure out why...)

BillM noted in http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/9749-bear-spray-vs-a-gun/ (post 5) you must also have an approved Authorization to Transport and these will not be granted for hunting or self-protection purposes and links to http://canada.usembassy.gov/traveling_to_canada/bringing-weapons-into-canada.html

This concept is also in http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/storage-entreposage-eng.htm under 'Restricted and Prohibited Firearms"... but it merely says "Obtain an Authorization to Transport (call 1-800-731-4000)" Sounds easy. Isn't.

So why does Lone Wolf sell Canadian barrels? Let's look at the Authorization to Transport form for clues. It's at http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/form-formulaire/pdfs/679-eng.pdf and includes this specific direction for non-residents:

"Transport Reasons for Non-residents. If you are a non-resident, the reason for transporting your restricted firearms into Canada must be selected from Box 8 k), m) or n). If you have another reason for transporting a restricted firearm into Canada, put a check mark in Box 8 o) and provide further details in the space provided."

Boxes k, m, and n are: (k) transportation to a gun show, (m) to an approved shooting club or range for target practice, and to a target competition under the auspices of an approved shooting club or range. Box o is "Other Reason. Specify".

Then Box 10 and 11 require the dates and times the firearm will be transported and Box 12 requires the transport route.

And then you sign after being notified that it's an offense to make a false or misleading statement that all the information you provided is true and correct to the best of your knowledge.

Note-- I post this merely to address the issue of a barrel longer than 4.1" being legal in Canada. It is but you can't just swap in a longer barrel and go.

-OC

 

[snuffy]

That kind of sucks, i never setup camp without my two friends...smith&wesson.. i remember years ago when you could leave your handguns at the gate in Maine and pick them up on the way back, my how times change..

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I don't see much value in further discussion regarding Canadian gun laws.

The question has been asked and answered several times. The best answer is to contact Canadian authorities if you're planning on visiting Canada with a firearm.

 

[norcalhawk]

I got my questions and concerns answered...

Thank you everybody.