Skip to content

Time to reserve your campsite … if the booking system works

27570campbellriverCampingTweet
Tweets like this one began popping up quickly Tuesday morning as frustrated prospective campers expressed their disappointment in the Discover Camping website and booking system.

It’s starting to feel a bit more like spring with every passing day (most days, anyway), and as of this week, all 2016 provincial campsite inventory and availability is now visible on the province’s Discover Camping website (discovercamping.ca) and reservations are open.

“Our world-renowned parks are in increasing demand from not only British Columbians, but the global community, as well,” said Minister of Environment Mary Polak in a recent government release in advance of the site’s opening, and that certainly seemed to be the case Tuesday as prospective campers flooded social media with complaints about the website, which struggled to deal with  the amount of traffic.

“So, you said the camping reservation system is open…but you never specified it would work. Well played, BCParks #discovercamping #fail,” said one Twitter user.

“Anyone else screaming at the #BCParks discover camping website? Grrrrr. #CampingProblems #FixYourDamnWebsite,” said another.

Many others had similar complaints.

The government, for their part, responded to these complaints by saying that while they expected website traffic to be significant when booking opened at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, they received three times the traffic they received last year, which was unanticipated.

So while “the camping reservation system is a convenient and efficient way to secure a fun, outdoor adventure for the whole family, in some of the most spectacular settings anywhere,” according to Polak, it wasn’t efficient – or even convenient for many – during the first wave of booking on Tuesday morning.

That initial push has settled now, however, so outdoor enthusiasts who haven’t yet booked should start looking at their calendars to determine when they’re heading out, because with demand increasing – more so than even those who offer the booking website are even prepared for – the further ahead you book your site, the better chances you’ll get the spot you want.