How did the province’s new campsite reservations website do on Day 1?


“British Columbians are very passionate about their parks. Overall, I think, the majority of people were very pleased. It looks like it’s a lot more user friendly.” — Louise Pedersen, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC

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The province’s new campsite reservation website opened on Monday morning to mixed, but generally positive, reviews.

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“British Columbians are very passionate about their parks,” said Louise Pedersen, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC “Overall, I think, the majority of people were very pleased.

“It looks like it’s a lot more user friendly.”

The thumbs-up comes with caveats, however.

“One concern is that within a 100-kilometre radius of Vancouver pretty much everything is by reservation only,” said Pedersen, who is based in Revelstoke. “It’s a little inflexible. From what I’m hearing, people would like to see more of a mixed (reservation/first-come) model.

“A good number of people in British Columbia are not able to plan their getaway two months in advance.”

One solution, Pedersen said, is copying what is common for high-demand concert tickets and holding some spaces back until just a couple days ahead of time.

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The reviews on BC Parks’ social media complained of waits but generally seemed to rate the new system as better than what it replaced.

But as one reviewer on Twitterwho goes by the name Derek L, put it: “No new system will fix the real problem … the number of parks and camping spaces has not grown to match demand over the past several years.”

“That’s a perfect comment,” Pedersen said. “That’s exactly it. There are plans to create new sites, but it’s not going to be enough.

“The only solution is more sites, but there is such demand … that experience you and I are seeking is one sought by people in Europe and elsewhere, we all want basic amenities and scenic surroundings and that’s what you get when you go to BC parks .”

The province has added more than 1,700 campsites and recreation sites in high-demand areas since 2017, a spokesman for the ministry of environment said.

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“Of those, 500 are in the Lower Mainland parks, including Cultus Lake, Golden Ears, Chilliwack Lake, Stawamus Chief and Garibaldi,” he said.

Of the 10,700 campsites BC Parks manages, 55 per cent are reservable and 45 per cent are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Most campgrounds with reservable sites also offer first-come, first-serve sites, the ministry spokesman said.

When the new reservation site launched Monday at 7 am, 23,000 people were lined up, their place in the queue selected randomly for the peak opening hour only. That queue was cleared by 7:45 am, the ministry said.

As of noon Monday, 97 per cent of the reservations made were from within BC

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