Camping reservations for B.C. Parks now open

Camping reservations formany of B.C.'s provincial parks are now openfor the 2023 season.

As of 7 a.m. PT, campers eager to get outsidein the months ahead logged in online to make their reservation, including Louise Pedersen, who was after a spot on Vancouver Island.

"I was successful!" she told B.C. Today host Michelle Eliot.

Last year, the province revamped the online booking process, offering moreflexible search options such asa map for searching campgrounds by region, park listing or site availability, information about facilities, and saved booking preferences for customer accounts.

Pedersen, who is alsoexecutive director ofOutdoor Recreation Council of B.C., says the new system has worked well overall.

The biggest issue, she says, is that the supply for campsites can't meet the demand.

There are more than 10,000 campgrounds in B.C. Of those managed by B.C. Parks, approximately half are available on a first-come-first-served basis.

B.C. Parks says more than 317,000 reservations were made last seasonon itsupdated online booking system,an increase of 26.5 per centfrom 2019.

Camping reservations for 2023 can be made on the B.C. Parks website.

Four-month booking window

Starting this year, campers can reserve sites up tofour months ahead of their planned arrival date, as opposed to two months ahead previously.

Before the pandemic, people were able to reserve four months in advance.

Amandeep Singh, parliamentary secretary for the environment and MLA for Richmond Queenborough, says after speaking with campers, who offered a lot of feedback, the province changed the time period in which people could reserve a spot.

"The old camping reservationsystem was fantastic, but there was a lot of things missing," he said.

Singh, a camper himself, says he used to have a "terrible" time trying to make a reservation.

"People will have a much better experience," Singh said.

"They may not get their first-time choice, but they'll get a choice."

Flood-damaged trail remains closed

Reservations for the Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit in Bowron Lake Provincial Park openedon Dec. 1.

Most of the Berg Lake Trail, which takes hikers through nearly two dozen kilometres of Mount Robson Provincial Park in northern B.C., will remain closed in 2023, except for 14 sites at Kinney Lake Campground. Reservations for those sites will open onFeb. 1.

The world-renowned hiking trail was closed after being seriously damaged by flooding last summer.