By Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative
Reporter, and Goat Staff
Parks Canada has announced that it will be launching reservations for the 2023 visitor season beginning March 13. This comes as its web-based reservation platform is about to get an upgrade.
“Like a lot of technology, the platform currently housing our reservation service is becoming out of date,” read a Parks Canada statement. “Our service provider is moving the Parks Canada Reservation Service to a more modernized platform to help ensure the continued stability of the service.”
The 2023 Parks Canada Reservation Service will have a different look from its previous version. Regardless of its design, it will have similar features and functions for making Parks Canada reservations.
Users will need to create a new account to make their reservations. Anyone who has an existing user account on the Parks Canada Reservation Service will need to set up a new user account once the service has moved to the new platform. This would ideally be done between March 3 and March 12.
Parks Canada recommends that existing users make notes of their previously preferred campsites, roofed accommodations, activities and rentals before Feb. 26. After that date, the information will no longer be available.
People should pay attention to Parks Canada’s website and social media accounts. Information, including a step- by-step guide on setting up new user accounts, will be shared in the coming weeks.
March 13 is the first day that Parks Canada reservations will launch for camping spots, roofed accommodations and activities.
Visit the website at: www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/reserve
BC Parks
The new BCParks.Ca website is now live, after a year of being in a beta (user testing) phase, and after engagement with users. BC Parks says the site provides a streamlined, inclusive and more engaging experience.
As of Jan. 3, 2023, many BC Parks campsites opened for reservations. People can book a site four months ahead of their desired arrival date instead of the previous two-month booking window. A list of campground operating and reservable dates can be found at: https://bcparks.ca/operating-dates/
With 1,037 parks and protected areas pages or sub- sites, BC Parks is approaching these pages in a phased approach based on site visitation statistics for each page.
All park pages have migrated content available to access on the new site, and BC Parks will continue to update links and documents in order of highest visited pages to lowest, until it is complete.
