BC Parks opens up for spring camping reservations
Zoya Lynch photo
While the snow and more seasonal temperatures are helping us to finally embrace the winter season, it’s not too early to start planning your camping adventures. The BC Parks campsite reservation system is open with a four-month rolling booking window, which means reservations are open for early May.
After conducting a comprehensive review of what was working and what wasn't, BC Parks introduced a new reservation system last year. This revamped system represents a significant improvement over its predecessor, addressing many of the frustrations that campers experienced when attempting to secure bookings for their outdoor adventures while introducing new handy features.
In addition to introducing a more robust system, the improvements include:
Introduction of the Notify Me feature, informing users when a booked campsite becomes available at a specific campground. This new feature can help campers find last-minute camping opportunities.
A commitment to upholding the existing no-show policy where park operators can make the site available to others if people don’t show up by 11 am the morning after their reservation starts. This policy aims to address concerns raised about numerous empty campsites throughout weekends, previously booked but left unoccupied.
Remaining issues:
The reservation system falls short of accommodating a significant number of British Columbians seeking short-term opportunities. It poses challenges for those who may lack the flexibility to plan well in advance, particularly impacting local working families whose circumstances are subject to change.
First-come-first-serve sites have gradually been eliminated from all of the busy parks. Unfortunately, most, if not all, parks within a 100 km radius of Vancouver are now almost entirely reservable, posing challenges for those unable to plan months in advance. This means that the current policies are not working well
The demand is far outstripping the supply of local and regional camping opportunities for many British Columbians.
B.C.’s parks are more popular than ever. Between 2014 and 2019, BC Parks saw a 23 percent increase in visitation. Based on what has been observed over the last few years, the demand for recreation and camping opportunities within BC Parks and outside the parks system remains very high.
There are vast areas of backcountry and wild lands across the province, both within the parks system and on Crown land, that could be developed with both front country and backcountry facilities and relieve the pressure on current parks. In Greater Vancouver, Pinecone Burke is a prime example. Nearly all provincial parks within a few hours of Vancouver face challenges of overuse, prompting access restrictions from BC Parks. This issue extends to the Sea to Sky corridor, reaching as far as the Pemberton area, and east to E. C. Manning Provincial Park.
BC’s provincial parks are beloved by British Columbians, and they remain one of the most affordable opportunities for residents, including seniors, students and families, to enjoy the province. With an increasing population and a booming interest in spending time outdoors, more needs to be done at the provincial level to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of camping and other types of recreation opportunities. The provincial government is leading work on a new BC recreation strategy, and we hope that this strategy will outline a new vision and path for managing, developing and funding recreational opportunities, including camping, for all British Columbians.
More funding is needed to make this happen. We know from an Ipsos poll we commissioned 18 months ago that 85% of BC residents who participate in outdoor recreation activities agree the government should invest more in the development and maintenance of campsites as well as the trails, parks, recreation sites, day-use sites, and access roads.
