Do you love camping? If so, then you now have several hundred new options for enjoying the great outdoors in B.C., with 594 campsites recently added to BC Parks and recreation sites throughout the province.
Whether you prefer walk-in tent sites or marine sites, you’ll find a spot that suits you and your family, with 362 new sites at B.C.’s provincial parks and 232 new spaces at 12 provincial recreation sites. The new campsites are located in regions with the highest demand: the Lower Mainland, Thompson-Okanagan, Kootenay Rockies, and Mount Robson.
Some 431 new campsite spaces were created at BC Parks in 2018, which means more than 1,000 sites added in the past two years. For the third year in a row, there will be no increase to camping fees in provincial parks.
Along with the additional campsites, existing facilities and infrastructure have been upgraded or added in four BC Parks campgrounds this year: Fintry Park, Martha Creek Park, Robson River, and Monck Park.
BC Parks has campgrounds with a variety of facilities, day-use areas, and recreational activities, such as hiking, boating, fishing, and mountain biking. Recreation sites are areas of Crown land located outside of provincial parks and are managed by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. Generally located in remote areas accessed by gravel forestry roads, recreation sites provide a rustic camping experience with basic facilities. Potable water and electricity are not provided.
British Columbia has one of the largest protected area systems in North America. There are 1,033 provincial parks, recreation areas, conservancies, ecological reserves, and protected areas, covering more than 14 million hectares: approximately 14.4 per cent of the provincial land base.
British Columbia’s provincial parks receive more than 21 million visits each year. Of the 10,700 campsites BC Parks manages, approximately 55 per cent are reservable, and 45 per cent remain available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The new BC Parks campsites are available for reservation via the Discover Camping reservation service. Construction is still in progress at some locations, so check the BC Parks website for updates on availability. You can reserve BC Parks camping spots at https://discovercamping.ca/.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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