British Columbians who love the great outdoors will soon have nearly 600 new campsites to choose from.
The province announced plans Thursday to build 362 new campsites in 13 provincial parks, and an additional 232 new campsites at a dozen recreation sites.
It said the sites in provincial parks will be primarily in areas with the highest demand, such as the Lower Mainland, the Thompson-Okanagan, the Kootenay Rockies and Mount Robson areas.
The new sites stack on to 431 spaces built in 2018, making for more than 1,000 new sites in total. The province also says camping fees will not be increased this year.
Many of the new sites are already ready to go, and can be booked through the province’s Discover Camping website, though some remain under construction.
The move comes amid continued pressure on the province’s campsites, with demand frequently outstripping supply.
About 55 per cent of the province’s 10,700 camp sites can be booked online, with the remainder held on a first-come, first-served basis.