Alberta Parks updating campsite booking system, promises 'no more stressful launch dates'
CBC
Alberta Parks is changing its online reservation system for campsites next month.
Previously, the online reservation system opened on a certain date, but starting January 11, the system will be available year-round. Campers will be able to reserve individual sites 90 days in advance and group and comfort camping 180 days in advance. The booking window will advance by one day every morning at 9 a.m., according to the Alberta Parks website.
"This means no more stressful launch dates," promised Alberta Parks in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.
The province is also reducing the maximum number of consecutive nights Albertans can book at campgrounds from 16 to 10. The Facebook post said Albertans will still be allowed to camp in one location for 16 nights, but they will require separate reservations to do so.
Bridget Burgess, a communications advisor for the environment and parks ministry, said changes were necessary "to reduce the volume of online users at one time and ensure equitable access to campgrounds."
She said there has been a 148 per cent increase in the number of transactions and camping reservations across the parks system since 2019.
Reservation opening days, especially in recent years, have been chaotic, with the website struggling to handle heavy traffic.
Burgess said launch days also often led to last-minute cancellations and no-shows.
Other agencies, including Ontario Parks and most American parks agencies, already offer year-round reservation systems, she said.
Dan Chernyk, a camping enthusiast in Edmonton who runs a YouTube channel on outdoor pursuits, said he is optimistic that the changes will make booking campsites easier.
"Hopefully it takes a bit of pressure off that system," he said.
He figures reducing the number of consecutive bookable days from 16 to 10 could help deter people from booking off more time than they will use.
Burgess said that was the intent of the change.
She said the number of campers booking more than 10 consecutive nights increased by 154 per cent this year. Long-term bookers changed their reservations much more than short-term bookers did and 27 per cent of 16-night bookers cancelled their reservations entirely.
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