More people than ever before signed up for a hiking day pass or a campsite within BC Parks this summer.
The government-run agency that operates provincial parks in BC announced Tuesday that 2022 was a record-setting year with 317,000 total reservations. That’s a 26.5% jump since before the pandemic in 2019.
“It has been another exceptionally busy season for BC Parks as more people discover and enjoy the health benefits of being in nature,” Kelly Greene, parliamentary secretary for environment, said in a news release.
Pre-pandemic, people only needed to reserve a spot to go camping. As people turned to the outdoors when restaurants, concerts, and sporting events were limited, the province implemented a new day pass reservation system on popular hikes to control crowds.
Then, in March 2022, BC Parks revamped its entire online reservation system in response to complaints from users. The old reservation system typically crashed the day camping slots opened up.
“The new and improved reservation service is more reliable and easy to use, which is reflected in the record number of reservations,” said George Heyman, minister of environment and climate change strategy. “We listened to people’s suggestions and frustrations, and worked hard to address these with our new system.”
Greene added that the BC government is working to create more camping opportunities, “so more people can experience the joy of exploring BC’s parks.”
The province is currently investing $21.5 million to add more campsites, work on trails, and upgrade facilities. A new proposed regional park on Bowen Island could also add 98 campsites near the Lower Mainland.