Camping reservations opened Monday March 8 at 7 a.m. to book a spot at provincial campgrounds. Spots can only be booked two months in advance. (BC Government Flickr)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

camping season

Reservations open for provincial campgrounds ahead of expected busy season

Mar 8, 2021 | 5:27 AM

NANAIMO — British Columbians can now book their spot at provincial campgrounds with the government advising demand is high and campsites fill up quickly.

Reservations to book provincial camping spots online and over the phone opened on Monday, March 8 at 7 a.m.

BC Parks noted reserving provincial camp sites is only open to British Columbians on a two-month rolling window.

Non BC residents can book reservations starting July 8.

There were plenty of unhappy campers late last May when the province’s online booking system failed when 50,000 people attempted to log in.

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“In preparation for the expected high demand for camping, the Discover Camping reservation system has been scaled up with additional server capacity to handle increased volume and web traffic,” stated BC Parks website, which added said call centre staff would also be in place Monday.

BC Parks said there are nearly 11,000 vehicle accessible campsites and roughly 2,000 walk-in backcountry sites province-wide.

Private campgrounds are also preparing for a busy season, despite travel restrictions keeping people closer to home.

Rob Littlejohn, co-owner of Living Forest Oceanside Campground and RV Park in south Nanaimo, said they are only accepting Vancouver Island customers for the time being.

He’s noticed a rise in the number of their customers who invested in camping accessories during the pandemic.

“A lot of people bought new RV’s that were either getting into camping or changing up how they camped, getting new gear and stuff,” Littlejohn said.

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