Campground reservations for national parks in Alberta open this week

As much of Alberta heads into a deep freeze later this week, what better way to get over the winter weather blues than plan your summer camping getaways?

Reservations for front-country camping in Alberta’s national parks open this week, with Jasper National Park reservations opening at 8 a.m. Tuesday. Reservations will be available for visits between April 2020 and March 2021.

Jasper National Park said Wednesday that over the first day of reservations, it saw a record-breaking number of bookings. There were 11,431 bookings, up by 20 per cent from the previous record in 2018.

Whistlers Campground in Jasper National Park will be closed again this summer, as a major overhaul at the campground is taking longer than originally expected.

The closure of Whistlers means that there are about 750 less campsites available, per day, in Jasper National Park.

With that closure, campers will be able to book sites at Wapiti, Wabasso and Pocahontas campgrounds through Parks Canada’s online system beginning Tuesday. A limited number of sites will also be available to reserve in the refurbished Snaring Overflow, just east of Jasper.

3:35 Be bear aware: Clean up camp, picnic sites

Parks Canada is urging people to book early, as last year, nearly 6,000 reservations were made within the first hour of reservations being available and all long weekends were sold out.

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Reservations for backcountry campsites in Jasper National Park will open at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Banff National Park

Reservations for front-country camping open in Banff National Park at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Reservations for backcountry sites within the park will open at 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 23.

Elk Island National Park, Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Waterton Lakes National Park and Wood Buffalo National Park

Campers can start booking sites at Elk Island National Park, Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Waterton Lakes National Park and Wood Buffalo National Park beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 9.

Reservations can also be made over the phone by calling 1-877-737-3783. To reserve online, head to Parks Canada’s website.