May Long Weekend kicks off another busy camping season in the Special Areas
Special Areas Parks is looking forward to another very busy camping season. After seeing unprecedented demand and visitors in 2020, Special Areas is expecting another very busy summer.
“We welcomed more visitors than ever before in 2020, and we are expecting to see the same high demand for camping this year. People are looking for ways to get outside and enjoy local recreation opportunities. We have made changes to how parks will operate to help make everyone’s camping experience as enjoyable as possible, while still respecting public health restrictions and campground rules,” said John Armstrong, Parks Supervisor.
All Special Areas municipal campgrounds are operating on a first-come, first-serve basis, except for group camping at Prairie Oasis Park. Group camping reservations were accepted from April 7 until May 12 for the Bullpound Loop and Camp Kitchen group sites; however, group camping reservations will only proceed if provincial public health restrictions allow. Gooseberry Lake and Little Fish Lake Provincial Parks are being operated by the Special Areas for the 2021 season. Reservations for campsites at Gooseberry Lake can be made online at https://reserve.albertaparks.ca/.
One big change people may notice at Prairie Oasis Park this year is a front-entrance booth. To help manage high demand for campsites during peak season (July & August), Parks staff will be manning an entrance booth. Campers will be asked to stop at this booth to register for their campsite before proceeding into the campground, with Parks staff on-hand to provide help and answer questions. When the booth is not manned, campers will need to self-register their site. This new process is intended to reduce the amount of traffic in the campsite during peak use and improve the registration process for campers. Another big change is an after-hours contact number in place for parks and campgrounds in the Special Areas. This new 24/7 service can be accessed by calling the SAB Parks Info Line at 403-779-2155 and pressing 3. Campers are encouraged to use this service to report any site maintenance, damage, or vandalism. This number can also be used to request help with campground issues like rowdiness. In case of an emergency requiring police, fire, or an ambulance, campers need to call 9-1-1.
Learn more about camping in the Special Areas, including camping rates, at www.specialareas.ab.ca.
