This week British Columbia Park service sent out reservation notices for their 2021 camping season. It may seem early to you, but the truth is that February is almost over, and camping season is around the corner.
BC Parks handles almost all provincially owned outdoor recreation areas. As you might expect, it is a big job.
The province maintains
- 10,700 drive-in campsites
- 2000 walk-in campsites
BC has North America’s third-largest park system. You might think there would be plenty of room for everyone and plenty of time to reserve your spot. If you did think that, you would be wrong.
It may seem like a lot; yet, spaces fill up fast.
RESERVATIONS
2021 reservations will open for the Berg Lake Trail and Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit starting March 1, 2021, at 7 am PT.
You can make those reservations at the Discover Camping website
Campers should be aware that reservations for most sites will run on a two month rolling window. For example, blocks will roll out for the period from March 8th to May 8th. Then the second set of blocks will start on May 9th.
A big piece of news is that up until July 7th, British Columbia Residents get priority access. After July 7th, reservations will be available to out-of-province visitors. Should you see an out-of-province license plate before July 7th, it may be due to two reasons.
- They are there for day use which is permitted.
- They are in a non-reservable, first come, first serve spot.
NOTE: This is assuming provincial guidelines allow for out-of-province travel. In any case, remember to be kind.
Reservation Tips
Here are a few tips that will come in handy to get the dates you want for your epic adventure.
- Prepare before March 1st: Not sure where you want to go? It will pay for you to do a little pre-adventure preparation. Make a list of the campsites you want to visit and the dates you want. Then be ready on March 1st to go in and book your preferred dates.
- The site can get busy so have a couple of alternate choices ready.
- Understand how the reservation system works. When you click on the spot you like, the system thinks that you have or will soon reserve it. The site you clicked will look like it has been reserved: until you unclick that site. Anyone else looking at the system will think that site is already taken. You need to go back and check several times before you give up.
- Use your cell to make your reservation. Your cell will run faster on the site than a desktop application.
Here are some helpful links to get your planning started.
List of Individual campsites
Camping policies and fees
Backpacking and Hiking links
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Ramona On The Trail 
Useful info. I didn’t know that cell phones work better for the reservation system. I was on last Monday for the Berg Lake frenzy. Even though I was prepared and fast (or I thought I was), I didn’t get the dates or campgrounds I’d hoped for. Oh well, at least I’m going!
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Have a great rip, I will read about it when you get back 😉
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I read an article a few weeks ago about how campsite reservations in Ontario has nearly doubled since the same time last year. Book a campsite for the summer has become fiercely competitive. I’ve had to rearrange a few of my plans because I wasn’t able to book a site. I’ve never seen it so busy before. Instead we’re planning a few camping trips in the off-season.
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