Skwellepil Creek Recreation Site – Mom & Kid Style!

I took my kids and my dog and headed up the Chehalis FSR for the first time with a couple of women and their kids from my 4×4 women group! I was excited to explore a new area not too far from home, and my kids reluctantly agreed to come along, but ended up having so much fun we stayed an extra night!

After turning off Highway 7, we drove behind the Sasquatch pub and hotel to the Chehalis FSR and followed it for 30km until you see the signs for the Skwellepil recreation site, then it is a sharp right and down the hill with a few cross ditches to the campground.

Skwellepil Creek is a user maintained recreation site overseen by the Four Wheel Drive Association of B.C.

This is a Free campground and there are outhouses, beachfront campsites with picnic tables and metal fire pits, as well as campsites up in the forest with rock fire pits and no picnic tables, but more privacy.

User maintained means that you pack out what you pack in. It is also recommended to bring your own toilet paper!

There is a trail down to the lake from the forest sites and we had the beach all to ourselves!

I was pretty jealous of the canoes and kayaks we saw paddling across the lake, but we had a pretty great spot on the beach with our floaties. This lake is so beautiful and peaceful, I could have spent a full week there!

Every morning the lake was like glass! Around 1230pm the wind would come up and the waves would start! White caps would be rolling across the lake and then around dinner time the lake would be smooth as glass again. What a gorgeous view to wake up to though….

There is a small waterfall when you walk down the hill to the beach sites and turn left, the path is marked with some orange flagging tape but overgrown in some areas.

The forest floor is very spongey and mossy and we had seven kids who were not all cooperating on the hike, so we did not go all the way to the top, but enjoyed some amazing views nevertheless.

After convoying up to the site, my kids and I had planned to stay two nights but ended up staying for three. Everyone else was staying one more night so we took our time packing up and got ready to head out. My 10 year old was a huge help and even learned how to use a ratchet strap!

After I convinced everyone else that we were fine and didn’t need any help finishing our pack up, they headed down to the beach and we finished loading the truck.

As Murphy’s Law would have it, I turned my truck on to a flashing Tire Pressure Indicator telling me to inflate my tire! Of course my compressor was under my backseat which now had all sorts of things piled on top of it… I got out, kicked the tire, checked for leaks, and decided to see if it was temperature related and if the Kpa would increase as we drove. As luck would have it, the pressure increased slightly as we drove and the light turned off right as we got back into town!

My daughter was concerned about getting up the hill as Friday night we listened to car after van after car spin out and get stuck on the hill trying to get out! I reminded her that we have a 4×4 and her mom knows how to drive, and guess what? We made it up and out no problem!

The views on the way down were spectacular! We took our time driving down, stopped to take some photos of the mountains and gorgeous scenery along the way, and made it down without incident!

The road was bumpy and we did have to pull over for one logging truck to pass us, so use caution especially on weekdays. Overall I think the FSR is in pretty great shape and would be confident driving it by myself again.

Overall, this trip was Fantastic! At first I was a little intimidated by having to pack our own water in and pack all of our garbage out, but it was not that much of a hassle, especially camping with a group. My kids and I all came home with a few scrapes and bruises, as well as covered in dirt head to toe, but those are all signs of a great camping trip! Excuse the picture of my dirty foot, but it sums up the trip perfectly! Very Dirty. A Little Bloody… but totally worth it!

I am so grateful to the 4WDABC for all of their work and for maintaining Skwellepil Recreation Site so everyone can enjoy the beauty of this place. I am proud to say I am a member of this wonderful Association and I encourage you to click the link above and learn more about them! Better yet, become a member and support all of the work they do to help ensure Public Access to Public Land!

As always, thank you for reading! I appreciate each and every one of you who takes the time to read my posts! I hope this post inspires you to explore a new area, or pack up your kids and take a back road, instead of a highway. Get out and explore!

Disclaimer: Road Trip Mama is for information purposes only and is not liable for any damages or injuries incurred if you attempt one of the trips posted. Always do your research, go prepared, tell someone your timeline and trip plan, and have a means of communication in case you run into trouble.