Everybody’s camping for the long-weekend
Posted May 17, 2013 5:54 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The long weekend has finally arrived, marking the unofficial start of summer across the province.
There’s good news if you’ve got last-minute plans to camp around the province and enjoy the great outdoors; Susan Johnson from Alberta Tourism, Parks, and Recreation says there are 170 first come, first serve campgrounds in Alberta.
While the camping is just as it sounds (first come, first serve), it’s best to check again before you pull out of the driveway.
There are 250 total campgrounds in the province and some have a strict ban on drinking and campfires and some trails have been closed.
The Bighorn Dam Trail and the Fall Creek Area will not be open due to wet conditions and fish spawning in nearby rivers.
The May long-weekend liquor ban applies to all national parks, but only nine provincial campgrounds, none in the Calgary region, and is meant to encourage less vandalism and a more family friendly atmosphere.
However, if you do want to enjoy a beer or glass of wine, there are 240 other campgrounds in the province that will allow it.
Seventeen campgrounds have a no-campfire ban as wildfire continues to threaten various regions but he good news is people can still have campfires in designated areas of national parks.
The fire bans currently include Bragg Creek Provincial Park, Fish Creek Provincial Park and Glennifer Reservoir Recreation Area.
Popular campgrounds like Tunnel Mountain in Banff, Redstreak in Kootenay and Kicking Horse in Yoho National Parks still have spots available for the weekend.
For a link to a map where fire bans remain in place ahead of your weekend including here in Calgary, click here and for more information about the temporary liquor ban in nine provincial parks and to book ahead or find a phone number to a campsite click here.
