Every August long weekend, Google notices a surge in searches about camping.
“The August Civic holiday long weekend is the biggest spike around searches for camping that we see throughout the entire year,” Google Canada trends expert Nicole Bell said.
“This is the moment when Canadians seem to be most interested in learning about different things about camping.”
READ MORE: Record-breaking campground reservations at Jasper National Park
Across Canada, the top camping queries are:
- What should I bring camping?
- What food to bring camping?
- What is backcountry camping?
- Things to do when camping?
- How to make coffee when camping?
“If we look at the top list of questions that Canadians are asking, they kind of suggest to me that perhaps this is a time when either people who are new to camping or new to Canada are going to be getting out into the wilderness,” Bell said.
READ MORE: Squirrel glamping? Critter caught stealing toilet paper from Alberta campground
The top questions also provide a little glimpse into our priorities, she said.
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“I love the fact that the fifth most popular question about camping — which is kind of complicated, there’s a lot of things you have to learn about and know about — but we’re like: ‘How do I get my coffee while I’m camping?’ That’s a critical thing. I can’t go without it.”
READ MORE: Plains bison roaming free in Banff National Park for first time in decades
The top camping search term varies by province.
Google Canada found Alberta’s top term was “staycation” while B.C. folks seem more interested in competitive “adventure camping.”
“During the day you are competing with your fellow campers to either run or bike to different locations and overnight you’re staying in very simple dwellings,” Bell explained. “It’s a very streamlined form of camping, almost competitive camping.”
Alberta: Staycation
Ontario: Portaging
Nova Scotia: Glamping
Quebec: Car Camping
Manitoba: Yurting
British Columbia: Adventure Camping
Yukon: Bed and Breakfast
Prince Edward Island: Beach House
Newfoundland: Cabin Camping
Northwest Territories: Trailers
Nunavut: Baker Lake
Saskatchewan: RVing
New Brunswick: Ocean Camping
“Staycation — Albertans were searching for that more than any other province, which is really interesting,” Bell said. “Perhaps because two of the most popular national parks are in Alberta’s own backyard.”
READ MORE: Accessible camping in Kananaskis makes the wilderness open to everyone
Indeed, Canada’s top searched national parks in 2018 were Banff and Jasper, followed by Pacific Rim, Glacier and Fundy rounding out the top five.
“There’s a huge amount of interest from Canadians in learning more about those two gorgeous national parks in the Rockies,” Bell said. “That data does look at 12 months, so part of the reason they may be top is those are incredible playgrounds you can enjoy all year round, whether it’s summertime, whether it’s wintertime. People love going to Banff and Jasper.”
Google found the province that searches the most frequently for camping is Quebec.
Another trending search term? How to make s’mores.
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