WiFi in the wilderness: Parks Canada considering installing hotspots at campgrounds

Dec 19 2017, 6:25 pm

Long gone are the days when going camping meant leaving your phone behind as you explored the wilderness all around you.

Nowadays, campers are in need of internet access as much as anyone else and Parks Canada is hoping to help. The agency is looking into adding WiFi hotspots at 50 campgrounds across the country over the next year, before tripling that number over the next three years. Currently, cell phone coverage at Parks Canada parks is next to non-existent, making it difficult for visitors to keep up with, among other things, work.

Access to WiFi is expected to be free at certain campgrounds while others will carry a small fee if it’s particularly difficult to supply internet to that location.

Provincial parks have also recently begun dabbling with public internet access. Ontario’s provincial parks authority has been experimenting with wireless access since 2010, while Manitoba started installing Wi-Fi hotspots in its parks just last year.

Does adding internet spell the end of a realistic wilderness experience? Or would you let your family browse the internet while camping?

 

Featured Image: Campfire and tent via Shutterstock

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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