LAKELAND - Just over a month into the summer camping season, the rush into Lakeland-area parks is expected to continue to be a busy one, although perhaps not as busy as last year.
After two years of COVID restrictions that saw hundreds miss out on international travel opportunities and instead head out to provincial campgrounds in Alberta, this year's reservations are still quite high even though restrictions are relaxed, according to Bridget Burgess, communications advisor for Alberta Environment and Parks.
“This summer is shaping up to be another strong camping season in the Lakeland region. We had anticipated a drop in camping reservations across the province due to the return of inter-provincial and international travel; however, we are continuing to welcome thousands of visitors to our provincial parks and recreation areas across the province every weekend," said Burgess.
With thousands of reservations already made since the start of the year, there are still plenty of options in the Lakeland Provincial Recreation Area. She explained that one of the busiest campgrounds, Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park near Lac La Biche, “continues to be in high demand for campers,” this year, but has seen a reduction since last summer.
“While visitation is slightly lower than 2021, we are welcoming more visitors than we did in 2019. Moose Lake, Cold Lake and Lakeland have also returned to pre-pandemic visitation levels,” she says, likely due to many Albertans' travel plans changing.
When asked if the cost of fuel is being seen as a deterrent to campers, Burgess says the provincial government can't speculate on how those costs may be impacting visitors to its parks.
“We can’t speculate on how fuel prices are impacting visitors; we had anticipated a reduction in demand this year. During the pandemic, we welcomed record numbers of visitors to our provincial parks and we are now returning to pre-pandemic levels of visitation in regions across the province,” she said, explaining that a camping experience for most Albertans is still a very affordable option.
“We are continuing to prioritize affordability while ensuring we are providing Albertans with outdoor recreation opportunities. We have not increased camping reservation fees,” she said which will hopefully ease financial concerns.
Furthermore, all the fees that are required for camping reservations and bookings also help cover the costs that come with exploring provincial parks, campgrounds, trails and covering provincial park services, she said.
“Our fees offset operational costs, which provide Albertans with opportunities to explore and experience our provincial parks, including trails, programs, special events, visitor centres, specialized facilities, staging areas and campgrounds,” she says, adding, prices are revised consistently to meet park standards.
“We review fees on a regular basis to ensure our system remains financially sustainable and accessible. Camping fee assessments include jurisdictional scans and evaluation against the consumer price index.”
Possible downward trend
The County of St. Paul operates a handful of municipal campgrounds, including parks at Stoney Lake, Floating Stone Lake, Lac Bellevue and Westcove campground, which is located on Vincent Lake.
According to the County’s Director of Community Services Tim Mahdiuk, weekends continue to be busy at County campgrounds, although he does anticipate that when the final numbers are tallied, a downward trend will be noted.
“Last year was an exceptional year,” said Mahdiuk, adding, people were very eager to get out and camp in 2021.
But, there was still plenty of pre-booked sites early in the season in 2022, and it can be tough to get a spot at some of the more popular lakes over the summer weekends.
Lac Bellevue and Floating Stone seem to be the more popular campgrounds, says Mahdiuk, noting that both lakes are usually very swimmable, and that is a big factor when people choose where they want to camp. When people call before booking a site, one of the more popular questions they ask is if blue-green algae has been noted at the lake, said Mahdiuk.
He also noted that the price of fuel could be a factor in why bookings at campsites are slightly down.
The County of St. Paul did increase its fees at campgrounds by $5 this year, putting them on par with other area campgrounds. Mahdiuk says the slight increase does not appear to be a concern for most campers.
*With files from Janice Huser
