British Columbia Fishing Lodge, Wilderness Resort & RV Park Appraisals
AACI-designated market value and insurance replacement cost appraisals for coastal and interior fishing lodges, wilderness resorts, hunting lodges, RV parks, and campgrounds across every region of British Columbia. Going-concern valuations prepared under CUSPAP.
Service Area · British Columbia
What a BC Lodge or Resort Is Actually Worth Depends on More Than the Improvements.
I appraise fishing lodges, wilderness resorts, hunting lodges, RV parks, and campgrounds throughout British Columbia as going-concern operations. The report captures the land or Crown tenure the operation sits on, the improvements, the chattels that make the business function, the licences and permits it depends on, and the operating goodwill built over decades. Reports are prepared under CUSPAP, typically delivered in two to three weeks, and are accepted by Canadian lenders, the CRA, insurers, and BC courts and tribunals.
British Columbia's resource-based tourism industry runs on the land and water itself. Fishing lodges, wilderness resorts, hunting lodges, campgrounds, and RV parks operate from Haida Gwaii and the Central Coast inlets through the Skeena, the Chilcotin plateau, the Peace, the Kootenays, and the Okanagan and Thompson lake country. Some are reached by highway, others by forest service road, boat, barge, or float plane. Most are family owned, many have been in the same hands for decades, and nearly all of them earn their revenue in a short, weather-dependent season.
They are businesses as much as they are real estate. What a buyer acquires is a combination of land, buildings and docks, boats and vehicles and equipment, the tenure or title the operation sits on, the licences and permits it runs under, and a guest base built over years. Those parts have to be understood together, which is why these properties are appraised on a going-concern basis in most financing, sale, estate, and legal contexts.
That is the work I do. I appraise lodges, resorts, camps, and RV parks throughout British Columbia for owners, buyers, lenders, lawyers, accountants, insurers, and public agencies. Every report is prepared under CUSPAP, and it draws on a private database of British Columbia and Canadian outdoor tourism transactions that I have built over more than a decade of working in this sector.
British Columbia appraisals at a glance
| Appraiser | Bryce Witherspoon, BA, AACI, P.App — Appraisal Institute of Canada member #908111 |
|---|---|
| Property types | Coastal and interior fishing lodges, wilderness resorts, hunting lodges, RV parks and campgrounds |
| Regions served | All seven BC tourism regions, from Haida Gwaii to the Peace to the Kootenays |
| Report standard | CUSPAP — Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice |
| Valuation basis | Going-concern market value; real property only; insurance replacement cost |
| Tenure types handled | Fee simple, Land Act Crown lease, Licence of Occupation, Park Use Permit, leasehold interests |
| Access types | Drive-in, boat-in, float plane. |
| Fee quote | Written, no obligation, within 24 hours of first contact |
| Typical delivery | 2 to 3 weeks from signed engagement letter |
| Accepted by | Chartered banks, credit unions, BDC, CRA, insurers, BC courts and tribunals |
Contact the appraiser directly
Bryce Witherspoon, AACI, P.App
Every BC inquiry is handled personally. No intake team, no call centre. A written fee quote comes back within 24 hours at no obligation.
Request a Fee Quote All Lodge & Resort AppraisalsWhat I Appraise in British Columbia
Five Property Types. One Specialty.
This is my primary service line, not an occasional file, and that focus is the reason lenders accept these reports on assets most appraisers will not touch.
Coastal & Saltwater Fishing Lodges
Salmon and halibut lodges from Haida Gwaii and the North Coast through Rivers Inlet, Queen Charlotte Strait, Nootka, Kyuquot, and Barkley Sound, including floating lodges and barge-serviced camps.
Interior & Fly-In Freshwater Lodges
Trout, steelhead, and char operations across the Skeena, Cariboo-Chilcotin, Omineca, and Kootenay systems, including fly-out lodges, float camps, and satellite outpost cabins.
Wilderness Resorts & Cabin Resorts
Lake resorts, backcountry lodges, and four-season cabin operations, including properties carrying food and beverage, retail, moorage, or fuel alongside accommodation.
RV Parks & Campgrounds
Seasonal and transient RV parks, campgrounds, and trailer resorts across BC, whether standalone or attached to a lodge, marina, or lake resort.
Hunting Lodges & Backcountry Camps
Fixed-roof hunting lodges, spike camps, and combination hunting and fishing operations in the Peace, Skeena, Cariboo-Chilcotin, and Kootenay regions.
When You Need One
Valuations for All Purposes
Every report is written for a defined intended use and intended user. Tell me who is going to read it and why, and the scope of work follows from there.
Financing & refinancing
Chartered banks, credit unions, and BDC require an AACI-designated report with documented hospitality experience before approving commercial financing on a BC lodge or resort. Where the security is a Crown lease or a leasehold interest, the report addresses remaining term, renewal, and assignment directly, because that is what the credit adjudicator will ask about.
Purchase or sale
An independent, current going-concern value opinion before an agreement is signed, so a buyer knows what the operation is worth as a business and a seller sets an asking price that will survive a lender's review.
Insurance replacement cost
Many BC operators carry insurable values estimated years ago and never revisited. A replacement cost appraisal establishes what it costs to rebuild cabins, the main lodge, docks, and fixed equipment today, in locations where materials, trades, and equipment arrive by barge, forest service road, float plane, or helicopter.
Estate, probate & CRA
Current and retrospective date-of-death value opinions for BC estate administration and Canada Revenue Agency filings, including deemed disposition and intergenerational transfer of family lodge operations.
Family law & separation
Reports written to survive scrutiny in mediation, arbitration, and BC Supreme Court, where the separation of real property from chattels, licences, and business goodwill is usually the contested issue.
Litigation & expropriation
Expropriation claims, partnership and shareholder disputes, insurance loss claims, and Crown tenure disagreements, supported by evidence I can defend under cross-examination.
Property assessment appeals
BC Assessment reviews and appeals to the Property Assessment Review Panel and the Property Assessment Appeal Board for lodge, resort, and RV park properties assessed on methodology that does not reflect how these operations actually earn.
Foreclosure & receivership
Market value opinions supporting lender action on BC hospitality assets, including liquidation and exposure-period analysis where instructed.
Regional Expertise
Six Things That Move Value in British Columbia
These are the issues I work through on every BC file. An appraiser who does not know them will either miss value or invent it, and both errors get a report rejected by a credit committee, a reviewer, or a judge.
1. Crown tenure under the Land Act
Commercial operations on Crown land are tenured under the province's adventure tourism framework, most often as a lease or a Licence of Occupation over an Intensive Use Site, sometimes with a non-exclusive Licence of Occupation over an Extensive Use Area for guided activity.
The distinction is financial, not administrative. A lease is exclusive, survey-defined, and registrable under the Land Title Act, which is what makes it mortgageable. A Licence of Occupation is non-exclusive, generally unsurveyed, and not a registrable interest. Term, rent basis, renewal history, and whether the improvements are recognized all belong in the analysis.
2. Assignment consent on a sale
A Crown tenure does not transfer because a purchase agreement says it does. Assignment requires the province's prior written consent and the buyer has to meet eligibility requirements in their own right.
That turns a routine closing condition into a real risk factor, and it is one of the first things a lender's counsel looks for. A report that assumes seamless transfer without verifying tenure status and any outstanding obligations is doing the client a disservice.
3. Angling guide licences and angler day quota
On BC's classified waters, guided angler days are allocated as quota to a licensed angling guide operating under an approved angling guide operating plan. The quota attaches to the licence holder, not to the lodge, and transferring it requires the written approval of the regional manager.
Quota can also be adjusted downward when a water's allocation is revised. For a steelhead or trout lodge, that allocation is often the single most important intangible on the file, and it has to be verified rather than assumed.
4. Federal fisheries management on the coast
Saltwater lodge demand is governed by conditions set annually on the BC tidal waters sport fishing licence: chinook retention windows, size limits, coastwide annual limits, and area closures.
These measures are set federally, they change from season to season, and they cut straight into package pricing and repeat booking behaviour. A coastal lodge income analysis that ignores regulatory risk is not a credible income analysis.
5. Park Use Permits and operations inside protected areas
An operation inside a provincial park, conservancy, or recreation area runs on a Park Use Permit rather than a land tenure. Major resort permits can carry a base fee plus a percentage of gross revenue, so the effective occupancy cost rises with performance.
Permit term, renewal expectations, and the fact that the permit is an authorization rather than an interest in land all need to be stated plainly in the report and reflected in the conclusion.
6. Access type and the remoteness premium
BC access ranges from paved highway frontage to deactivated forest service road, boat-in, float plane, barge, and helicopter. Remote product commands a meaningful package premium over comparable road-accessible product, and that premium is a real economic asset.
It is also fragile. New resource road access, a changed float plane base, or a rising charter cost can compress it. Access is analyzed directly rather than buried in a vague location adjustment.
Terminology
The BC Tenure and Licensing Terms That Appear in These Reports
Plain definitions of the terms that come up on almost every British Columbia lodge, resort, and RV park file.
- Going-concern value
- The value of the operating business as a single asset, combining land or tenure, improvements, chattels, licences, and goodwill. The report still breaks out the components, because lenders, insurers, and the CRA each need them separately.
- Land Act tenure
- The provincial authorization required for a commercial recreation or tourism operation occupying Crown land in BC, issued most commonly as a lease or a Licence of Occupation.
- Licence of Occupation
- A non-exclusive Crown tenure suited to minor improvements or overlapping uses. It typically requires no survey and is not a registrable interest, which limits how it can be financed and secured.
- Crown lease
- An exclusive, survey-defined Crown tenure intended for substantive improvements such as a base camp lodge. It can be registered under the Land Title Act, which is generally what a lender needs to take security.
- Intensive Use Site
- The tenured footprint covering fixed improvements such as a lodge, cabins, or a campsite, as distinct from an Extensive Use Area, which authorizes dispersed guided activity over a larger area without exclusive rights.
- Park Use Permit
- The BC Parks authorization for commercial activity or occupancy inside a park, conservancy, or recreation area. It is a permit to operate, not an interest in land, and fees for larger resorts can include a share of gross revenue.
- Angling guide licence
- The provincial licence required to guide anglers in BC fresh water, supported by an angling guide operating plan identifying the waters to be guided. Eligibility sits with the individual licence holder.
- Classified waters and angler day quota
- Higher-demand BC rivers are classified, and guided angler days on them are allocated to guides as quota. The quota is transferable only with regional manager approval and can be revised, which makes it a verified input rather than an assumed one.
- Tidal waters sport fishing licence
- The federal licence required for saltwater angling in BC. Its annual conditions — retention windows, size and catch limits, area closures — set the operating envelope for coastal lodges.
- Insurance replacement cost
- The cost to rebuild the physical improvements today, on the same site, at current material, labour, and mobilization costs. It is a separate figure from market value and the two are not interchangeable.
Geographic Coverage
Serving Every Region of British Columbia
Site visits are completed in person, including at fly-in and boat-in access properties. Remote access is arranged as part of the engagement.
Vancouver Island & the Central Coast
Saltwater lodge countryQueen Charlotte Strait, the Broughton and Discovery Islands, Nootka and Kyuquot Sounds, Barkley Sound, and the inlets north to Rivers Inlet and Bella Coola. The densest concentration of saltwater fishing lodges in the province, including floating operations and remote camps served by float plane and crew boat.
Communities servedCampbell River · Port Hardy · Port McNeill · Tofino · Ucluelet · Nanaimo · Victoria · Gold River · Tahsis · Bella Coola · Bella Bella · Port Alberni · Sointula
Skeena, North Coast & Haida Gwaii
Steelhead and salmonThe Skeena, Bulkley, Kispiox, Babine, and Dean systems, plus Haida Gwaii and the North Coast. Classified waters, guided angler day allocation, and helicopter and jet boat access are the defining valuation issues here more than anywhere else in BC.
Communities servedTerrace · Smithers · Prince Rupert · Kitimat · Hazelton · Houston · Masset · Queen Charlotte · Stewart · Burns Lake · Dease Lake · Atlin
Cariboo-Chilcotin Coast
Fly-out lake countryThe Chilcotin plateau, the Nimpo and Anahim lakes district, the Quesnel and Chilko systems, and the coast range corridor down to Bella Coola. Float plane bases, fly-out cabin systems, and combination lodge and RV operations.
Communities servedWilliams Lake · Quesnel · 100 Mile House · Anahim Lake · Nimpo Lake · Clinton · Likely · Horsefly · Alexis Creek · Tatla Lake · Wells
Northern Rockies & Peace
Remote northThe Alaska Highway corridor, Muncho Lake and the Northern Rockies, Williston Reservoir, and the Peace country. Hunting lodges, highway-corridor motels and RV parks, and remote camps with airstrip or float access.
Communities servedFort St. John · Dawson Creek · Fort Nelson · Chetwynd · Tumbler Ridge · Hudson's Hope · Mackenzie · Muncho Lake · Toad River
Thompson-Okanagan
Home regionThe Okanagan and Shuswap lake corridors, the Nicola and Thompson valleys, and the high-country trout lakes. Lake resorts, cabin operations, campgrounds, and the largest concentration of destination RV parks in the province.
Communities servedPenticton · Kelowna · Vernon · Kamloops · Salmon Arm · Merritt · Osoyoos · Oliver · Summerland · Princeton · Sicamous · Clearwater
Kootenay Rockies
Rivers and mountain lakesThe Elk and St. Mary systems, Kootenay Lake, the Arrow Lakes, and the Columbia corridor. Classified waters guiding, backcountry lodges, and a strong seasonal RV park and campground market.
Communities servedCranbrook · Fernie · Nelson · Kimberley · Invermere · Golden · Revelstoke · Creston · Castlegar · Trail · Nakusp
Sea-to-Sky, Sunshine Coast & Lower Mainland
Drive-market resortsHowe Sound and the Sea-to-Sky corridor, Jervis and Sechelt Inlets, Harrison and the eastern Fraser Valley. Drive-market cabin resorts, campgrounds, and lodges serving the largest population base in the province.
Communities servedSquamish · Whistler · Pemberton · Powell River · Sechelt · Egmont · Harrison Hot Springs · Hope · Chilliwack · Mission · Lillooet
How It Works
A Clear Four-Step Process
From first call to delivered report, typically two to three weeks once the engagement letter is signed and access is arranged.
Discussion & written quote
Call or email with the property, the purpose, and who will rely on the report. A written fee quote follows within 24 hours. On acceptance, an engagement letter is issued and the site visit is scheduled.
Site visit & inspection
In-person inspection and photography of the lodge, cabins, docks, sites, outbuildings, and equipment, plus a walk-through of the operation with the owner. Float plane, boat, and barge access is arranged as part of the engagement.
Research & analysis
Tenure, permit, and licence verification, normalized financial analysis, comparable transaction research from my BC and national database, and application of the income, sales comparison, and cost approaches as the assignment requires.
Report delivered
A full CUSPAP-compliant narrative report delivered as a PDF, with a review call so you understand exactly how the conclusion was reached before it goes to your lender, lawyer, or accountant.
Before We Start
What You Will Need to Provide
Nothing here is unusual, and most owners already have it. Assembling it early is the single biggest factor in delivery time.
- Three to five years of financial statements and corporate tax returns
- Current-year revenue to date and forward booking summary
- Rate sheet and package structure, including guided and unguided pricing
- Occupancy or guest-night records by cabin, room, or site where available
- Title documents, and any Land Act lease or Licence of Occupation
- Park Use Permit and any foreshore or water lot tenure
- Angling guide licence, operating plan, and angler day quota history
- Water licence, septic permit, and drinking water approvals
- Site plan or survey, and a building list with sizes and construction dates
- Chattel inventory: vessels, vehicles, aircraft, ATVs, generators, equipment
- Capital improvement history and any deferred maintenance list
- BC Assessment notices and the current insurance schedule
About the appraiser
Bryce Witherspoon, BA, AACI, P.App
I hold the AACI designation, the highest appraisal credential in Canada, and the P.App designation, and I am a member in good standing of the Appraisal Institute of Canada under member number 908111. I hold a BA from Lakehead University and I operate from Penticton, in the South Okanagan.
I work with fishing and hunting lodge owners, wilderness resort operators, RV park owners, lenders, lawyers, accountants, and public agencies throughout British Columbia. Outdoor tourism real estate is my only service line, which means every hour of experience I have compounds on this asset class rather than being spread across others.
"By specializing in lodges, resorts, and RV parks, I have built the most comprehensive private database of BC and Canadian outdoor tourism transactions available to any appraiser. That data is why these reports hold up."
I operate Frontier Hospitality Advisor, which has been Canada's dedicated hospitality real estate platform since 2016. I am not a licensed real estate agent. Appraisal engagements are independent professional assignments, entirely separate from the platform's marketplace, and hiring me to appraise a property carries no obligation to list it or to work with anyone I might refer.
Track Record
100+ British Columbia and Canadian Properties Valued
A sample of named lodge, resort, camp, and RV park assignments completed.
Frequently Asked Questions
BC Lodge, Resort & RV Park Appraisals: Common Questions
Don't see your question here? Call 1-800-592-1349 or email bryce@frontierhospitality.ca. I answer every inquiry personally.
Request a fee quote
Tell Me About the Property. I'll Send a Written Quote Within 24 Hours.
Send the location, the property type, and what the appraisal is for. If you already know your lender's requirements, your tenure situation, or a deadline, include that too. There is no cost and no obligation, and every inquiry is answered by me personally.
If it is easier to talk it through, call directly. Most BC owners find a ten-minute conversation settles the scope faster than a form.
British Columbia Appraisal Inquiry
Fishing lodges, wilderness resorts, hunting lodges, RV parks, and campgrounds anywhere in British Columbia.
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Page last reviewed September 2026 · Bryce Witherspoon, AACI, P.App