Looking to book a campsite in Manitoba this year? Better get in line.
Monday marks the first day Manitobans can reserve campsites in provincial parks, and in an effort to ease the strain on the system the province has seen in previous years, launch dates for reservations are being staggered.
As of Monday morning, cabins, yurts and group use areas are up for grabs. Specific parks start opening for reservations on Wednesday, Friday and two days next week.
“There is high demand, especially for locations that are close to the capital region of Winnipeg,” said Elisabeth Ostrop of Manitoba Parks.
“We’ve tried to spread things out, so if you don’t get into your first choice, try a new park, be willing to compromise with which site you want to take.
“Maybe try booking weekdays … and maybe that’ll increase your chances of finding something.”
Later in the day the province said over 5,800 reservations had been made for cabins, yurts and group use areas by Monday morning.
A government spokesperson said 7,392 users were logged into the site by 7 a.m. They said by 7:42 a.m. users no longer had to wait in line.
The province announced last week that it has added a few short-term improvements to its online reservation page while continuing to implement a new system aimed at a 2023 launch.
Among the changes are system upgrades to enhance stability, improve the queue and lower the chance of falling out of line — a major complaint in past years.
Ostrop said some of the most popular spots will be open for reservations as early as Wednesday.
“On Wednesday, we follow up with Birds Hall and Falcon Beach, Falcon Lakeshore and Westhawk — and then Friday we move west and north, we hit all of our campgrounds in western and northern Manitoba,” she said.
“We have two additional opening days the following week — Monday, April 11, in Grand Beach and Nopiming and the remaining Whiteshell campgrounds, and Wednesday, April 13, with all our remaining campgrounds.”
Campers can make their reservations online or through the province’s call centre at 204-948-3333 in Winnipeg or toll-free at 1-888-482-2267.
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