BC Parks' new camping website goes live this week

BC Parks’ new online camping booking system goes live on Tuesday, giving users several days to make an account before summer reservations open up next week.

The new reservation site has been in the works for some time, and is soft-launching on March 15. Users will be able to log in and explore, but they won’t be able to make reservations until March 21 at 7 am.

“Visitors have made it clear that while you love your time in BC Parks, the experience of getting there – especially booking a campsite online – has been less than delightful. We’re set to change that in 2022,” BC Parks said on its new beta-version website.

BC Parks

The new site includes more flexible search options, maps, calendars, and lists of available sites for easier navigation. BC Parks has also scaled up its web servers to manage higher traffic volumes.

Similar to last year, reservations on the new site will open up at 7 am for dates two months in advance. For example, if you’re aiming to go camping July 1 you should try to book on May 1.

There won’t be preferential access for BC residents this year because COVID-19 restrictions have lifted. Anyone will be able to make a reservation once booking opens.

The last day for reservations on Discover Camping, the previous booking website, was on February 28. The province is currently in a blackout period where there’s no web portal to book camping reservations.

If you can’t figure out the new site right away don’t worry — BC Parks will be releasing more tutorials and instructions later this week before reservations open on March 21. The site is for booking campsites in provincial parks only.