Did you know BC had a record-breaking year for campground reservations in 2021?
In total, more than 350,000 reservations were made at reservable day-use and overnight accommodations ranging from day-use passes, parking permits and campsites to backcountry permits, picnic shelters, backcountry cabins and a yurt.
To make booking a little easier this year and keep up with growing demand, BC Parks has launched a brand new online reservation service.
The upgrade is part of a broader redesign of BC Park’s digital services to improve the park experience from computer to campground.
Although the new reservation service does not open until 7 a.m. on March 21st, users can already visit the site to create their user accounts and save booking preferences to ensure a smooth booking experience in the future.
Once reservations have opened, users will be able to reserve campsites up to two months before their desired arrival date at most campgrounds.
“As more people explore British Columbia’s spectacular outdoors, we are improving the online services they rely on to plan their visits to BC Parks,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
“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.”
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 campgrounds by region, park listing or site availability;
- information on nearby facilities and large photos of campsites so people know what to expect when they arrive;
- an interactive calendar that shows when booked sites will become available; and
- saved booking preferences within customer accounts.
More accessible information will be integrated into the new reservation services as extra features are added over the coming months.
BC Parks has also announced they will be investing $21.5 million to expand and enhance opportunities for outdoor recreation across the province over the next three years.
This includes adding new campsites and trails and upgrading facilities.
“We are all looking forward to another season of camping in our spectacular provincial parks, and we are listening to what people want to help plan their trips,” said Kelly Greene, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment.
“The ongoing improvements 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 view a detailed list of campground operating dates and reservable dates on the BC Parks website.
