Did you know British Columbia had a record year for campground reservations in 2021?
In total, more than 350,000 bookings have been made at bookable day and overnight accommodations, ranging from day passes, parking permits and campsites to backcountry permits, shelters picnic, backcountry cabins and a yurt.
To make reservations easier this year and to meet growing demand, BC Parks has launched an all-new online reservation service.
The upgrade is part of a larger overhaul of BC Park’s digital services to improve the park experience, from the computer to the campground.
Although the new reservation service will not open until 7 a.m. on March 21, users can already visit the site to create their user accounts and save their reservation preferences to ensure a smooth reservation experience. ‘to come up.
Once reservations are open, users will be able to book campsites up to two months before their desired arrival date at most campgrounds.
“As more people explore BC’s spectacular outdoor spaces, we’re enhancing the online services they rely on to plan their visits to BC Parks,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and of the Climate Change Strategy.
“Offering a more reliable, responsive and easy-to-use reservation service will better meet the needs of people who want to access and connect with nature by easily identifying available camping opportunities in provincial parks.
The new website was designed with input from campers, park operators and other service organizations and includes:
- more flexible search options such as a map to search for campgrounds by region, a list of parks or site availability;
- information about nearby facilities and large photos of campsites so people know what to expect when they arrive;
- an interactive calendar that indicates when the reserved sites will be available; and
- booking preferences stored in customer accounts.
More accessible information will be incorporated into the new booking services as additional features are added over the coming months.
BC Parks also announced that it will invest $21.5 million to expand and improve outdoor recreation opportunities across the province over the next three years.
This includes adding new campgrounds and trails and upgrading facilities.
“We’re all looking forward to another camping season in our spectacular provincial parks, and we’re listening to what people want to plan their trips,” said Kelly Greene, Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment.
“Ongoing enhancements to BC Parks’ digital services will help people of all abilities plan their trips to provincial parks so everyone can be better prepared to get out and enjoy nature.”
You can consult a detailed list of the opening dates and the reservation dates of the campsites on the BC Parks website.