Saskatchewan provincial park campgrounds open today for the May long weekend, after a hugely successful reservation launch in April that saw an increase in campsite booking for this year.
Campsite booking opened on April 12, with the launch of a new parks website designed to manage a large volume of users and minimize time waiting in the queue to book.
Saskatchewan residents booked a total of 43,566 nightly, group and seasonal campsite reservations for this year, a marked increase from the last two years — 110 per cent over 2020, as only half of the sites were available due to COVID-19, and 65 per cent over 2019.
"With nearly 44,000 campsite reservations made during launch, the new system successfully managed a very large volume of users and transactions at once,” said Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross. “Many campers were able to successfully secure a site this season."
Most bookings were on the weekends, which are largely full for the season, but some campsites remain available during the weekdays. Residents are encouraged to continue checking back for their desired dates, as cancellations occur.
Sask Parks also added a new feature to the site called “Camping This Weekend,” which locates last-minute spots for campers.
Campers heading out this weekend are reminded that alcohol and cannabis bans are in effect in provincial parks from May 20 to 24, with the exception of cabins, cottages and at licensed establishments serving liquor.
Fire bans are also in place in several areas of the province due to dry conditions, and officials ask campers to check the restrictions in their park destination.
Open fires in parks with fire restrictions are prohibited but approved portable gas devices are permitted for cooking and heating purposes.
Full details on fire restrictions and COVID-19 guidelines in provincial parks this season can be found online at saskparks.com.
