UPDATE: On June 18, 2021, Jasper National Park announced the campground will reopen on July 12. On opening day, about half the campsites will be ready for campers and more campsites will be available the following week.
Whistlers Campground in Jasper National Park will reopen this summer following a more than two-year closure for renovations.
Parks Canada announced Friday that the newly modernized campground is going through its finishing touches this spring.
It’s anticipated that reservations to book at the 781-site campground will open in early June. Parks Canada said it will provide campers as much notice as possible ahead of the reservations launch.
Parks Canada said the campground now has a brand new registration centre, improved electrical and sanitation services, as well as 18 new washroom and shower facilities. All of the campsites have been levelled and restored with new picnic tables and fire pits.
“Plus, all roads will be repaved so potholes will be a thing of the past,” Parks Canada said in a media release Friday.
The campground closed for modernization work in October 2018 and was originally scheduled to reopen in spring 2020. However, Parks Canada said in September 2019 that more time to get the work done was needed due to the size and complexity of the project.
Whistlers boasts nearly 800 of the 1,800 campsites in the national park. It was built in the 1960s and had not had a significant upgrade until now.
In its Friday news release, Parks Canada said staff were also busy over the winter removing dead and dying trees within the Whistlers, Wapiti and Wabasso campgrounds. Some of the wood was repurposed to be used as firewood for the 2021 camping season.
“This work protects campers and campground infrastructure from falling trees and helps to reduce the risk of wildfire in the area,” Parks Canada explained.
“It is just one of the ways that Parks Canada continues to manage the impact of mountain pine beetles in the forests of Jasper National Park.”
Parks Canada said campers’ fire permits and firewood will now be included in the reservation fee at all campgrounds in Jasper National Park.
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