I have wrestled with posting our continued summer travels to Tumbler Ridge, BC, due to the tragic situation the community has faced recently. We have stayed in the campground there the past two years and fell love with the community. The news this past winter left us stunned and shocked that this quiet, clean friendly community could experience such a terrible tragedy. Our hearts and prayers are with those in this wonderful community we kinda adopted.
By posting this I want to share the beauty of Tumbler Ridge and area and our experience within their community. The first season we had been advised by friends that the Tumbler Ridge area would be worth checking out. The beauty of the surrounding mountains, rivers and forest could be compared with those of Banff and Jasper, two beautiful but totally designed tourist traps. We fell in love with the community and area simply because of the lack of rows and rows of vendors selling cheap souvenirs at huge profits. If you’re looking for expensive restaurants and rows of taverns, you came to the wrong place.
It sounds like I may be coming down hard on Tumbler Ridge, and for those of you who are looking for that fancy dining and shopping experience I will save you the trip. When we were told we should visit Tumbler Ridge that it was like a mini-Banff, we were actually hesitant to check it out but so glad we did. I told Charlotte after spending a night camping at the provincial park by the Kinuseo Falls, we would overnight and check it out then get out of dodge. Well two almost three weeks went by before we left, and that was the first time. Our second visit was almost a month.
If you love nature, hiking, biking, canoeing and winter sports this is your place. This small community has everything one NEEDS, and just that we actually had to hunt to find a souvenir. Note: found at the travel center and the folks there are just wonderful and helpful. The stores and restaurants have everything one basically needs no Walmart’s or Costco’s. The community center is second to none, with everything one could wish for, swimming pool, several ice arenas, gym, library, conference rooms and more. All clean, staffed with helpful people making it a very user-friendly facility. We enjoyed their swimming pool to cool off during the hot weather.
We stayed a Monkman Campground on the outskirts of the community and absolutely loved our time there. We could bike into town from there and explore the community, go swimming or just enjoy the many bike paths. It was for this reason the proximity of the campground was important as we do not do electric bikes those are for the younger generation who do not need exercise. The campground host Terry went above and beyond to make sure our overnight stay would turn into three weeks. She runs a solid clean campground; the washroom facilities were the best we have encountered in our extensive travels and fantastically clean…always. The setting of this campground may not be as pretty or spaces with a lot of privacy but the atmosphere and quietness along with an on-the-bit camp host made it worthwhile, thanks Terry.
Just a bit about Tumbler Ridge, designated a UNESCO Global Geo Park, Tumbler Ridge is ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts. With accessible year-round recreation opportunities for all ages, interests and abilities, the possibilities are as diverse as the landscapes in which they appear. Fifty hiking trails and countless ATV, snowmobile and mountain bike trails lead to special places – caves, fascinating geological formations, waterfalls, dinosaur trackways and mountain tops. Tumbler Ridge lies within The Great Wilderness, one of six tourism regions in British Columbia and the largest by far. Spanning the vast northern half of the province, this region is defined by towering mountain ranges, ancient landscapes, and abundant wildlife.
Tumbler Ridge is located in the traditional territory of the Cree, Dunne-za, Metis, Saulteau and Tse’khene peoples, of the Kelly Lake Cree First Nation, Kelly Lake Metis Settlement Society, McLeod Lake Indian Band, Saulteau First Nations and West Moberly First Nations, within Treaty 8. Accessible via Highway 52 and Highway 29, the town in northeastern B.C. is roughly 660 kilometers west of Edmonton, 1,180 kilometers northeast of Vancouver and roughly 1,000 kilometers north of Kelowna. We enjoyed this land and trust we all use it responsibly to allow future generations the opportunity we have enjoyed.
Tumbler Ridge began as a coal mining community in 1981 and grew steadily until the 1990s. “As the 1990s rolled in, global coal prices began to dip, and Asian markets faced some challenges. These hurdles cast a shadow of uncertainty over Tumbler Ridge’s future, hindering its projected population growth to 10,000 residents. Despite the setbacks, this resilient town persevered. As coal prices rebounded in the 2000s, so did Tumbler Ridge. Since then, the traditional coal mining town has diversified its economy with an emphasis on tourism and renewable energy projects, including generating wind energy. According to our camp host Tumbler Ridge has faced challenging times before. In the 2023 B.C. wildfire season, the entire town had to be evacuated she said it was a little scary as they could see the glow from the fires just over the mountain tops. Everyone living in the community of about 2,400 people, along with people living in the areas east of it, including Bearhole Lake, was ordered to leave immediately due to the West Kiskatinaw River fire.
As always these are just my impressions, and one would have to experience for themselves, we are back country less crowds’ nature loving, keeping it simple kinda travelers. We have stolen several images to share with you and leave nothing but tracks and a deep appreciation for the area and its residents. We look forward to a return and again our hearts go out to those in this small community we have grown to love.
NOTE: As of writing this Monkman Campground formerly run by the Tumbler Ridge community has been sold as of June 2025 to Dunne Za Ventures Limited Partnership. At this point I have no further information as to its status.
Our next travels take us back up through Dawson Creek and a return to the North West Territories…. tag along be glad for the company.
We hope to meet you down the road, look for the Northern Lite condo.
Gerry & Charlotte (Slow Roaming Nomads)
We fell in love with BC after spending weeks traveling back and forth though it in our cabover camper while in ask in 2024. We definitely want to spend more time there. This sounds like a gorgeous area. We only spent a few days in NWT due to many fires and smoke. I’ll be looking forward to see any adventures you have there.