Albertans who haven’t gotten enough of sleeping outdoors, campfires and roasted marshmallows are in luck — Alberta Parks has extended the 2017 camping season by a month.
More than 250 provincial campgrounds will now be open throughout October, with some staying open until the end of the month after what Alberta Parks calls a “record-breaking camping season.”
As of the end of August, more than 158,890 bookings were made online for campgrounds across the province, which is a five per cent increase over the year before. Provincial parks have seen increased bookings each year for the past eight in a row, the province said.
The expansion of the season comes as some areas in southern Alberta, including Waterton Lakes National Park, were forced to close over the Labour Day weekend due to wildfire risk.
All of the 274 campgrounds in Alberta close at different times, most of them closing in early- to mid-October. More than 250 of them will stay open into October, with 82 staying open until the end of the month, including Crimson Lake and Moonshine Lake.
Thirty-seven campgrounds are open all year.
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The province has also added new year-round comfort cabins at Winston Churchill Provincial Park, which is a popular spot for ice fishers on Lac La Biche.
In 2016, the province extended the camping season at three parks — Cypress Hills, Saskatoon Island and Grande Prairie — as a pilot project.
While some campgrounds will continue to welcome guests into the fall, some are still closing for upgrades, including Jarvis Bay Provincial Park. The province is giving $239 million to expand and upgrade its campgrounds.
Parks getting improvements before spring 2018 include:
- Gregoire Lake Provincial Park – Continued reconstruction will include upgrades to campsites, day-use area and new shower facilities. Electrical upgrades will improve RV access.
- Beaver Lake Public Recreation Area – revitalization
- Ross Lake Campground, Whitney Lakes Provincial Parks – electrification
- Young’s Point Provincial Park and Williamson Provincial Parks – boat launch maintenance
- Jarvis Bay Provincial Park – campground redevelopment
- Fish Lake Provincial Recreation Area – multi-year campground redevelopment, including expansions to accommodate RVs
- Expansions of Boulton Creek Campground, Bow River Campground (including 30 new serviced RV sites)
- Tombstone Backcountry Campground — refurbishment
- Writing on Stone Provincial Park – trail improvements, shower building renovations, water treatment upgrades
A full list of campgrounds in the province and the dates each one is open can be found here.