Frequently Asked Questions
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The New BC Parks Reservation System
BC Parks has engaged a new web service provider to enhance the Discover Camping system. To reserve a campsite click here.
The Call Centre can assist, with information, at no charge.
For transactions made through the Call Centre, a $5 service fee will be applied.
The Call Centre is open 7 days per week, 7:00 am – 7:00 pm (PST)
Open all holidays except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
You can contact the Call Center at 1 800 689-9025 within Canada and USA. Outside Canada and USA, call 778 309-1439
Additional features with the launch of the new reservation system include:
- Notifications if previously booked sites become available at a certain park during a specific time;
- Advanced search and availability display features that show what’s available in nearby parks if the first choice is full;
- An option to sign up for additional BC Parks information, such as newsletters and event notices;
More features will be added in stages, including:
- Add-on features to a reservation, such as firewood, ice and park related merchandise;
- An option to purchase and send e-gift cards to family and friends for use on the Discover Camping system.
No. BC Parks is a user-pay system and is not subsidized by taxpayers. Transaction costs remain at 1996 levels. The reservation service charge is $6 plus tax per night.
No, all reservation policies are the same. Any changes are outlined in the FAQ section of the BC Parks Camping website.
For additional assistance, our Call Centre staff will be pleased to assist you.
The Call Centre is open 7 days per week, 7:00 am – 7:00 pm (PST)
Open all holidays except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
You can contact the Call Center at 1 800 689-9025 within Canada and USA. Outside Canada and USA, call 778 309-1439
All active and future bookings are secure and have been transferred to the new system.
Your upcoming reservations may be accessed at camping.bcparks.ca. Your account login email address will still work. However, the password must be reset, and the rest of your profile information updated with your address and phone number.
To access your account and existing reservation:
- Go to camping.bcparks.ca
- Go to Login.
- Use login email address you have for your account.
- Click “Forgot Password” on the Login Page.
- You will be sent an email with a temporary password.
- Use this temporary password to login.
- Update your profile with a new password, address and phone number.
If you do not have an existing future reservation, you will need to create a new account. This is done by clicking on “Create Account” in the upper left-hand corner and following the directions.
Customer profiles from the previous system have not been migrated over to the new system. If you have an existing future reservation, your account login email address will still work. However, the password must be reset, and the rest of your profile information updated with address and phone number.
- Go to camping.bcparks.ca
- Go to Login.
- Use login email address you have for your account.
- Click “Forgot Password” on the Login Page.
- You will be sent an email with a temporary password.
- Use this temporary password to login.
- Update your profile with a new password, address and phone number.
If you do not have an existing future reservation, you will need to create a new account. This is done by clicking on “Create Account” in the upper left-hand corner and following the directions.
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Making Reservations on camping.bcparks.ca
Once you’ve entered this information, you can also use additional search preferences by clicking the filters. Filters are located on the left-hand side of the park list page. This allows you to filter the results to show only certain site types or to exclude certain site types.
You can view availability and make a booking on a park-specific map and/or grid.
Date ranges can be chosen in 4 different way using the calendar feature:
- Select Date – will allow you to specify an exact date for your chosen search
- This weekend – will auto-populate the closest Saturday/Sunday for your chosen search
- Next weekend – will auto-populate the second closest Saturday/Sunday for your chosen search
- Furthest arrival date – will automatically jump to the latest date that reservations are available for your chosen search
On each map: A double site will display with 3 site icons – 1 icon with a 2x for booking the double site, and 2 single icons. The single icons will only be enabled when booking within 7 days of an arrival date.
On the booking grid: Double sites will be categorized as Standard-Double (regular campsite) or Serviced-Double (with electrical). If you want to book within 7 days of an arrival date, you can either book the full double site or you can book a half of the double site by locating the section displaying Standard-Single. Each Standard-Single site represents a half of a double site.
If you are looking for availability for your favourite site, the easiest way is to select the park and campground from the menus and then click on the map to see the site in relation to other sites or click directly on the site in the booking grid.
Visitors can also select a park as a “Favourite”. All favourite parks will automatically display when on the reservations page. Also, this can be applied as a filter when sorting “Nearby Places”.
Sites that show as restricted on the map or grid mean that the sites may not be available for the dates you have selected. If a person symbol displays, the site is available for a given date as FCFS (First-Come, First-Served) in the park only. If an X displays, the site is closed.
The system will hold your reservation until it is complete. However, if your session is inactive for more than 15 minutes, the cart will clear, and you will need to restart your activities by reselecting one of the menu selections.
When your reservation is booked successfully, you will receive an email with a transaction reference number. You can view your upcoming reservations, when logged into your account, by selecting “Your Account” tab, and then Your Reservations in the top menu bar.
If you have an online account, you will be able to see your reservation by logging in, clicking “Your Account” and then “Your Reservations” in the top menu bar of the website. If you don’t have an online account, you can create one — click on “Create Account” in the top menu bar and follow the instructions for creating a new customer profile. If you use the same name and address information you used when you made your reservation, you will be able to access your reservations online. If you still cannot see your bookings, please contact the Call Centre and they will be able to assist you.
The Call Centre can assist, with information, at no charge. For transactions made through the Call Centre, a $5 service fee will be applied.
The Call Centre is open 7 days per week, 7:00 am – 7:00 pm (PST). Open all holidays except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
You can contact the Call Center at 1 800 689-9025 within Canada and USA. Outside of Canada and USA, call 778 309-1439
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Payments & Charges
The shopping cart allows you to add bookings into your cart (up to three) and hold them until each booking has been completed and paid in full. Unpaid bookings are lost if you log out or if your session is inactive for more than 15 minutes.
Yes. All bookings can be paid for in one payment, however each booking/reservation will remain unique and have its own confirmation letters.
BC Parks accepts VISA and MASTERCARD debit cards as well as VISA, MASTERCARD and American Express credit cards.
No. BC Parks is a user-pay system and is not subsidized by taxpayers. Transaction costs remain at 1996 levels. The reservation service charge is $6 plus tax per night.
The Call Centre is available to customers who prefer personalized service to assist with their reservation for an additional surcharge of $5 plus tax per transaction.
Card payment information is collected to process payments in real time. Your card number is not stored within the reservation system database.
Only one transaction charge applies for a double-site when it is sold together, but separate transaction charges apply when the sites are sold individually (within 1 week of the arrival date). Camping fees apply to each side of the double site, regardless of whether it is sold together or separately.
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Camping Reservation Questions
Standard – Day Use
Available for day-use, only; no overnight. Typically picnic shelters.
Standard
A regular frontcountry campsite for one party. Vehicle-accessible.
Standard – Double
Designed to allow two camping parties to camp in close proximity, shares a driveway, and more open and connected than standard campsites. Vehicle-accessible.
Standard – Half-Double
Half of a double site, can only be booked as an individual half within seven days of arrival date. Vehicle-accessible.
Serviced
A regular frontcountry campsite for one party with electrical service. Vehicle-accessible.
Serviced – Double
Designed to allow two camping parties to camp in close proximity, shares a driveway, and more open and connected than standard campsites with electrical service. Vehicle-accessible.
Serviced – Half-Double
Half of a double site, with electrical, can only be booked as an individual half within seven days of arrival date. Vehicle -accessible.
Walk-in
Foot access, only.
Standard (Group)
A group site. Capacity and details vary by park. Vehicle access varies by park.
Youth Group
A group site booked under special youth group rates. Restrictions apply. Vehicle access varies by park.
FCFS (First-Come, First-Served)
Site denoted with blue box featuring a walking person icon. These sites cannot be reserved. They are only available in the park.
- Example: Reservations arriving on May 25 can be made as early as January 25.
- The reservation window advances daily and reservations can be made starting at 7:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) daily.
- Information about when reservations are available for individual parks can be found on the BC Parks website at camping.bcparks.ca
Group Campsite reservations can be made up to 12 months in advance. This means you can reserve for Aug 24 on Aug 24 of the previous year.
A FCFS is a first-come, first-served site. FCFS sites are campsites managed at the park and are not part of the reservation service. These sites may be shown on campground maps with likely availability information shown via the traffic light index. These sites are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis in the park only, and cannot be reserved.
Double sites must be booked together at the same time online.
The number of people and vehicles is outlined in BC Parks camping party definition.
When you enter dates to make a reservation, only valid arrival dates are displayed. Reservations are available on a 2 month daily rolling window for frontcountry campsites, so the latest arrival date is 2 months from the current date. The dates available in the date selection calendar will be limited to dates within the reservation window.
The available dates are also limited by the reservable period for the park. This means that once you have selected a park you will only be presented with dates that are valid for that park. Also, reservations for most parks must be made at least 2 days in advance of arrival.
You can view other available reservable inventory easily at nearby parks, which meet your search criteria. Also, you can set up an availability notification for a specific site for a specific date range. If the site becomes available using the criteria you selected, you will be notified via text or email.
For example: 4 adults and 5 children, or 4 adults, 4 children and a baby or an extra vehicle, etc.
The number of people per campsite cannot exceed 4 adults and 4 children/youth (15 years or younger). A camping party may be allowed a second motor vehicle not designed as an accommodation for camping on the campsite for an additional 50% of the camping fee, to a maximum of $12/night.
You can reserve two single sites, or you may wish to consider reserving a double site (if available in that park). In some campgrounds, if the sites are large enough, the park operator can authorize two camping parties for one site, but this is only if the parties can fit onto the site pad. If there are two camping parties on one site, there is two camping fees per night.
Switching for a FCFS spot is generally not permitted. However, when you arrive at the park, you can ask the park operator if this is possible. If there is availability, the park operator may be able to approve this, but there is no guarantee. The most secure option is to reserve early for the site you prefer.
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Changes, Cancellations & Refunds
Click HERE for complete cancelation refund schedule.
To cancel a booking, first log into your account. Click “Your Account” and then “Your Reservations” in the top menu bar of the website. You can then select the booking you want to change or cancel by clicking on the Cancel link beside the applicable reservation. The Call Centre is also available to assist with cancelling reservations, for a $5 surcharge.
Only the person whose name is on the reservation has access to change or cancel it.
To change your reservation to a different campground/park, you must cancel and re-book. You may be permitted to change campsites within the same park without penalty at the discretion of the park operator.
Reservations for campsites can be made up to two (2) months in advance of your arrival date. If your reservation is made within the first week of this two month window (the “restricted booking period”), you are not permitted to make changes to your arrival date. For example, the restricted booking period for an August 1st arrival date is June 1-7.
Reservation charges, change fees, and call centre surcharges are non-refundable.
Double sites sold together must be cancelled or changed together. One transaction fee is applied for cancellations or changes made more than one week prior to the arrival date. When cancellations or changes are made within one week of arrival date, penalties will be applied to each side of the double site. Double sites sold separately may be cancelled or changed separately. Cancel and penalty fees will be applied to each side of the double site. Camping fees apply to each side of the double site, regardless of whether it is sold together or separately.
Learning Links
RESERVATION CALL CENTRE
($5 surcharge applies)
Canada/USA Toll-Free • 1-800-689-9025
International Callers • +1 778-309-1439
7:00 AM to 7:00 PM (PST) • 7 days per week
CLOSED December 25 and January 1
WKPM Office: info@westkootenayparks.com
Contact Form
