We may be less than a month into winter, but people looking to enjoy one of British Columbia’s provincial parks this spring can now reserve their campsite, according to BC Parks.
The B.C. government on Friday launched spring 2024 BC Parks reservations, which it says allows visitors to book a campsite four months ahead of their desired arrival and, ultimately, bask in some of the province’s “best natural attractions.”
Frontcountry spots throughout the province, including on Vancouver Island, are included on BC Parks’ website. May long weekend reservations, meanwhile, open on Wednesday, Jan. 17, the B.C. government says in a news release.
The upcoming camping season has lots to live up too.
BC Parks says that in 2023, more than 366,000 camping reservations were made — a nearly 15 per cent increase from the prior year’s 317,000 reservations.
Also last year, BC Parks’ Notify Me feature was introduced to the reservation service to inform people when a previously reserved campsite was available again. In 2022, the reservation service was relaunched “to improve the park experience” after the old one had crashed, including in March 2020, when a big spike in traffic led to technical difficulties.
Officials said a new site would make the experience from computer to campsite easier.
“Providing a more reliable, responsive and easy-to-use reservation service will better meet the needs of people wanting to access and connect with nature by easily identifying available camping opportunities in provincial parks,” said B.C.’s Environment Minister George Heyman at the time.
Last year, the B.C. government also said it was investing $21.5 million to expand and enhance opportunities for outdoor recreation in B.C., with upgrades including new campsites and trails as well as improvements to existing facilities.
The province said B.C.’s park system — one of the largest in North America — includes 1,000 provincial parks, recreation areas, conservancies and more. They welcome around 23 million visits each year and, since 2017, have added 1,700 new campsites.
More information about BC Parks, including reservation details, park advisories and frequently asked questions, are online here.
Ethan Morneau
