By Laura Keil
BC says it will be replacing Discover Camping with a new campsite reservation system starting March 21st and is asking people to give feedback on the beta site that’s already live.
BC Parks said the new website will be more user friendly and is in response to visitor feedback.
Many users of Discover Camping have reported website crashes or trouble finding sites.
The beta site is located here: https://beta.bcparks.ca/. Anyone can sign up to become a beta tester of the new site.
According to BC Parks, The new reservation service will soft-launch on March 15, allowing people to create an account, save booking details and explore the site. It will be open for bookings at 7a.m. on March 21 for bookings within two months of that date.
The new site includes more flexible search options, maps, calendars, saved preferences and locations, and lists of available sites for quicker navigation. It will also include as many as five photos per campsite.
People can book a campsite at most campgrounds two months ahead of their desired arrival date.
Reservations for group campsites open March 24 for the rest of the year and reservations for the popular Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit will open in early April, with availability between May and September. The Berg Lake Trail does not have an anticipated opening date due to damage caused by severe flooding in the summer.
Feb 28th is the last day for reservations on discovercamping.ca (including web reservations and call centre support) for arrival dates up to March 31, 2022 (Porteau Cove and Garibaldi Backcountry reservations and backcountry permits only).
BC Parks says there will be a scheduled blackout period as they transition to the new system from March 1-20. Existing reservations between March 21-31 will be transferred from the old system to the new one. For support on these bookings, visitors can contact [email protected].
BC Parks says the recent locals-first policy B.C. implemented to accommodate higher demand from British Columbians due to the pandemic would not be in effect for 2022, but that 45 per cent of camping sites would remain first-come-first serve.
Learn more here: bcparks.ca/reserve.
