For those of us who enjoy hiking, camping and the great outdoors, it‘s great to hear that these reopening plans will include provincial park campgrounds! So, when will we be able to get out camping again? What restrictions will be in place? Who can book? Province by province, here’s a run-down of what we can expect in the coming weeks.
Yukon
All Yukon government campgrounds and recreation sites remain closedduring May. Earliest opening of these facilities will be 4 June.
British Columbia
British Columbia has announced the opening of most provincial park campgrounds from 1 June with reservations back online on 25 May. Washrooms and shower buildings in campgrounds will be opened on a phased basis with appropriate safety measures in place. It’s suggested that you check with the applicable park for details. Availability of campgrounds may vary from region to region so be sure to check out http://bcparks.ca/covid-19/parks-affected for anticipated re-opening dates for specific parks. Bookings for BC provincial park campgrounds are currently open only to Britsh Columbia residents.
With social distancing in place, campgrounds may be offering fewer sites than in previous years. Don’t forget that private campgrounds are also a great option for your RV vacation. Check out some of our CanaDream Club partner campgrounds in the province open to welcome you.
Alberta
Alberta’s provincial park campgrounds are scheduled to reopen from 1 June with reservations available from 14 May. To limit the spread of COVID, campgrounds will operate at 50% occupancy and no out-of-province bookings will be taken. Unfortunately a sweeping fire ban will be in effect until further notice, meaning that campfires will be a no-go. If you don’t have your own cabin on wheels, CanaDream’s Calgary location is an ideal place to rent an RV for an enjoyable Staycation.
Private campgrounds are currently allowed to open to both residents and out-of-province Guests. .jpg)
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan’s provincial park campgrounds are also opening from 1 June for residents only. While non-essential travel from out of province is still discouraged, bookings can be made by non-Saskatchewan residents for regional park and private campgrounds.
Manitoba
Residents of Manitoba are now able to make bookings for provincial park campgrounds. Public health orders remain in place and gatherings must be limited to ten people or less. Social distancing measures apply. No travel is allowed north of the 53rd parallel. Enhanced cleaning procedures will be in place at all public washrooms and shower facilities.
Ontario
The Ontario government has announced that all provincial parks will open by 15 May for day use only but no announcement had been made regarding dates for opening provincial park campgrounds. We expect this may happen sometime in June. Check the Ontario Parks website for more information. We suggest that, when campsites open, you consider making a reservation at one of the lesser used parks to better enable physical distancing. If you would like to rent an RV for your Ontario staycation, contact our Toronto location.
Quebec
As of the writing of this blog, no announcement had been made by the Quebec government regarding dates for opening Quebec national park campgrounds (Sepaq campgrounds). More information will be available on the Sepaq website as it becomes available. You can also call our Montreal location for the most up-to-date information.
New Brunswick
While some public areas in provincial parks are accessible right now, campgrounds remain closed until further notice. Private campgrounds will open when it is safe to do so.
Prince Edward Island
Provincial park trails will open for walking and cycling with physical distancing rules in place. Provincial park campground will open on 26 June for use only by Islanders who booked their seasonal campsite before the end of March. This is to allow for major infrastructure projects needed. Private campgrounds will welcome Guests as will National Park campgrounds when they reopen.
Nova Scotia
Provincial and private campgrounds are expected to open soon. Staff are permitted to do maintenance work in preparation for reopening and a further announcement is expected in coming weeks. When these campgrounds do open, physical distancing and other measures will be in place. Our Halifax location is open to accept bookings if you need to rent an RV once the parks are back in operation.
Newfoundland
Reservations for the 2020 camping season in Newfoundland provincial parks are currently on hold.
National Park Campgrounds
Parks Canada have announced that National parks will begin to open for day use from 1 June. Not all parks will be reopening then and visitors should refer to the Parks Canada website for more information. The earliest any campgrounds within national parks will reopen is 21 June.
