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2020 a memorable year for BC Parks camping reservations: Minister of Environment

Northern residents including those in Prince George dealt with the pandemic by getting outdoors and re-engaging with our provincial parks.

Graphic Ministry of Environment

Between 2015-19, camping attendance at all ten provincial parks in the Prince George area went from 67,270 people in 2015 to 74-thousand last year.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change George Heyman told MyPGNow.com campsite reservations continue to skyrocket across the province.

“We saw an approximate increase of about 25% for reservations on BC Parks campsites over the last year and in the last five-year period we have more than doubled our reservations.”

Heyman is of the thought process they may have attracted a certain portion of the population they weren’t reaching before during the pandemic.

“I think a whole bunch of people discovered camping in BC Parks for the first time and they are going to keep coming back and people who maybe haven’t camped in a few years remember how gorgeous and beautiful they are.”

Over 50-thousand reservations were made during the first day the province launched its online portal this year.

“It was quite phenomenal, I think people will remember that day where had a lot of commentary of people having trouble making their reservations but by the end of the day we had over 50-thousand reservations in a single day, which smashed any record we previously had,” added Heyman.

He added a decision has not been made on whether or not the province will push back the opening of its online reservation system to April – similar to what Parks Canada announced last month.

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Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].

Brendan Pawliw
Brendan Pawliw
Since moving to Prince George in 2015, Brendan has covered local sports including the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, Prince George Spruce Kings, UNBC Timberwolves, Cariboo Cougars AAA, and Northern Capitals U18 female hockey teams. Career highlights include play-by-play during the Spruce Kings' BCHL championship runs in 2018 and 2019, including the Doyle Cup win. He also covered the 2019 National Junior A Championship, the 2017 Telus Cup, the 2022 World Women’s Curling Championship, and the 2022 BC Summer Games. Brendan is the news voice on 94.3 The Goat and Country 97 FM, reporting on crime, real estate, labour, and environmental issues. Outside of work, he officiates box lacrosse and fastball, sits on the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame board, and co-hosts the Hockey North podcast.

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