BC Parks offers booking tips after instant May long-weekend camping site sellout

Porteau Cove Provincial Park is seen in this photo from the BC Parks website. (bcparks.ca)

Once, the act of logging on early, waiting in line, frantically refreshing the page, and having multiple tabs open was reserved for highly sought-after concerts, but now the same nail-biting process comes hand-in-hand with securing a camping spot in B.C.

Following an instant sellout for sites for the May long-weekend, many unhappy campers were out of luck. The sites were made available the morning of Jan. 17, and were fully booked by 7 a.m.

In an emailed statement Thursday, the Ministry of Environment said there are 5,887 reservations in place for BC Parks campsites over the May long weekend, including offerings like group sites, which are booked one year in advance.

As camping in B.C. continues to gain popularity – last year there were more than 420,000 reservations for camping sites, a 3.5 per cent increase from the year prior – the ministry said it will work to keep up with the growing demand.

“We continue to add more campsites in existing parks and we’ll have more to say about individual projects as they move forward,” it said.

Since 2017, BC Parks has welcomed more than 2,000 new campsites, including new sites at Rolley Lake, Fintry Park and China Beach. Of those sites, approximately 500 have been added in the Lower Mainland, including at Cultus Lake, Golden Ears, Chilliwack Lake, Stawamus Chief and Garibaldi.

As for whether ticket-scalping is a concern, the ministry said BC Parks continues to enforce its policy that only the camping reservation holder, or another camper designated in the online reservation, can access the reserved campsite.

If anyone other than the holder shows up at the campsite to claim the reservation, they are turned away, the ministry said.

“BC Parks has a principle of fair and equal access to camping, monitoring and responding quickly to any behaviours that violate that principle, including reselling reservations,” it said.

“If we suspect someone is reselling their reservation, we will do an investigation to confirm the behaviour and cancel all reservations linked to the individual in question.”

To increase the chances of getting a site at a popular campground in future, the ministry suggests people try booking for mid-week, or to avoid long weekends.

“People can also try a campground they have never been to before, which might involve traveling a bit further,” the ministry said.

Campers can sign up for the free “Notify Me” feature, which sends email alerts when sites become available for their preferred park and dates. Receiving a notification email does not guarantee a reservation, warns the ministry, so respondents are advised to act quickly once they receive the email, and book right away.

With the interest in day visits to BC Parks equally as fervent, the ministry said it will also continue to grow its day pass program, introduced in 2020 and bolstered last year for the likes of Mount Seymour Park and Joffre Lakes Park.

“Our continual evaluation has led to adjustments to the number of participating parks, the duration of pass requirements, the window to reserve passes, and the online reservation system. This evaluation process will continue,” it said.