Alberta Parks campsite booking system opens, offering new backcountry options
Camping may be the last thing on your mind in this winter weather, but online reservations for provincial campgrounds opened Tuesday morning. And this year, there are new options for both backcountry and comfort camping in Alberta.
That means whether you want to go off the grid, or you want cutlery in your heated cabin, you can find your campsite through the Reserve Alberta Parks site.
"We're pleased to add to the reservation system 650 new camping options and that includes comfort camping, group camping areas, individual campsites — and completely new to the system this year is Kananaskis backcountry additions," said Tim Chamberlain from Alberta Parks, adding that these are not new campsites but they're new to the online booking system.
"Prior to adding them to the [Reserve Alberta Parks] system this year, people had to get their permits through an online process on the website. So we've just made it more efficient for people to book the backcountry sites this year."
Comfort camping has gained in popularity, with a wide range of accommodations including yurts, canvas-walled tents and rustic cabins. The best part? They are usually fully stocked with everything but your food.
"These units usually come equipped with the standard amenities such as beds, water, stoves, in some cases microwaves, heat, cutlery, your dishes — so there's really no need to pack anything along other than your sleeping bag and your pillow and and your other amenities," Chamberlain said.
"It's a ready-made camping experience."
Chamberlain says the popularity of comfort camping is on the rise, and Alberta Parks is trying to offer more options.
"Alberta Parks is investing more dollars in comfort camping opportunities," he said. "We have them in all regions. So, for instance, we have comfort camping units being introduced this year at Castle River Bridge. We've got five new units in there. And then, of course, there are others down in Dinosaur Provincial Park and other various campgrounds throughout the province."
As always, some camping locations are more popular than others. Chamberlain says Gregoire Lake, Young's Point, Saskatoon Island, Pigeon Lake, Cypress Hills and Dinosaur Provincial Park are among the most popular of the roughly 80 campgrounds on the reserve system.
But people are venturing beyond those tried and true provincial parks to discover more of the hidden gems across the province.
"Over the last couple of years, since we announced the new Castle Park, we are finding quite a bit of people going down to the south region and exploring what we have to offer down here now in the Castle region. So that's been a very pleasant surprise for us," he said.
"But there's lots of little hidden gems across the province: Crimson Lake, Little Elbow Provincial Recreation Area, Moonshine Lake. And a number of our provincial recreation areas also have campsites, so some of those smaller little areas are real gems for people to explore."
Campsites across the province fill up quickly, and Chamberlain says there is a low rate of cancellation. Bookings can only be made within a 90-day window, meaning that as of Tuesday, you can book as far ahead as May 20.
"The majority of people are preplanning for their summer, so we don't have a lot of fallout for people that are making reservations for this time of year," he said, adding that all is not lost if you are not already planning your summer.
"The nice thing about the Alberta park system is we have a good balance of reserve sites versus first-come, first-served sites as well," he said.
Last year's provincial campground online bookings broke a record with nearly 171,000 reservations.
