Frontcountry camping

Look in this section for information on:

• When to make a reservation
• How to make a reservation
• How to change or cancel a reservation

Make a reservation  
 

When to make a reservation

• You can make a reservation for your entire stay up to four months before your desired arrival date
• New frontcountry camping reservations become available at 7 am Pacific Time daily

Example: If you want to arrive on July 25 and stay four nights, you can reserve all four nights starting at 7 am PT on March 25

• Because most parks lack internet connectivity, most reservations can only be made up until 8 pm two days before your arrival date

Example: If you want to arrive on July 25, you must make your reservation before 8 pm on July 23

• Parks that have internet connectivity accept reservations right up until your planned arrival date

Restricted booking window

If you make your reservation on the first day of the four-month booking window, you cannot change: 

• Your arrival and departure dates 
• The length of your stay

Example: If your arrival date is July 1, and you booked on March 1, you cannot change the dates of your reservation

It is your responsibility to know when you are making a reservation in the restricted booking window. This policy ensures that access to reservations is fair and equal for everyone. It prevents people unfairly securing reservations for popular dates by booking more nights than they intend to use.

If BC Parks determines that a reservation holder is intentionally violating this policy, the reservation will be cancelled. Transaction fees will not be refunded. Standard cancellation fees and cancellation windows apply.

If you can no longer make your originally booked dates, you must cancel your reservation. If you cancel more than seven days before your arrival date, your camping fees are refunded. For information on cancelling and getting a refund, see how to change or cancel a reservation, below.

Need more information on the restricted booking window?

• For detailed information on this policy, see the restricted booking window section of the reservation services policies and terms [PDF]
• To see when you can make a cancellation and get a refund, see the cancellation windows page 
• To learn about deadlines for arriving at a campground, see check in and check out, below
• For full details of our reservation policies, download the reservation services policies and terms [PDF]

How to make a reservation

• Anyone 16 years of age or over can make a frontcountry camping reservation via camping.bcparks.ca
• Reservations can also be made by calling 1-800-689-9025 toll-free from Canada and the US or 1-519-858-6161 internationally
• You pay all camping fees and transaction fees in advance to secure your booking (see fees, below, for more information)
• When booking your reservation, you specify the ‘named occupant’ who will be your official reservation holder
• This named occupant cannot hold multiple camping reservations for the same dates
• The occupant can be yourself or another person, but must be present when your party arrives and throughout your stay

If the named occupant cannot be present throughout your stay, your reservation must be rebooked with an occupant who can be present.

The named occupant may be asked to show ID during your stay to keep your reservation valid.

How to change or cancel a reservation

• You can change or cancel your reservation via camping.bcparks.ca or by calling 1-800-689-9025 (1-519-858-6161 internationally)
• Reservation changes or cancellations must be made by the reservation service account holder who made the original booking
• To change your reservation to a different park, you must cancel your original reservation and rebook
• Reservations cannot be transferred or sold to another party, and attempting to do so leads to cancellation without refund
• If you change or cancel your reservation, there will be additional charges (see fees, below)
• For most BC Parks, you cannot change a reservation after 8 pm two days before your scheduled arrival date 
• You cannot cancel a reservation for any BC Park after 8 pm on your scheduled arrival date
• Parks that take same-day reservations can accept cancellations up to your scheduled arrival
• Changes or cancellations made after arriving at the campground must be made directly with the park operator
• You cannot change your reservation date if it was booked during the restricted booking window, you must cancel and rebook

For detailed information on when you can and cannot change or cancel a reservation, see the cancellations and refunds page.

For full details of our cancellation and refund policies, download the reservation services policies and terms [PDF].

Look in this section for information on:

• Arrival and departure times
• Maximum stays
• Rules for statutory holidays

Arrival and departure times

• Check-in is after 1 pm on your scheduled arrival date; check-out is before 11 am on your scheduled departure date
• You must claim your reserved spot before 11 am the day after your scheduled arrival date
• If you do not arrive by then, your reservation is cancelled without refund and your site becomes available to others
• The reservation holder (‘occupant’) you named when booking your reservation must be present upon arrival and throughout the stay

Maximum stay

At most parks, you can stay a maximum of 14 nights each calendar year in total (consecutive or non-consecutive). At sẁiẁs Park and Porteau Cove Park, you can only stay seven nights per year in total (consecutive or non-consecutive). These limits apply to the reservation holder and all members of your party. They apply to reservations and first come, first served camping.

BC Parks audits reservations to identify bookings that exceed the maximum stay limits. Any reservation that exceeds the limit may be cancelled without refund. Park operators conduct checks in-park and may deny entry to any party found to be over the maximum stay limit.

Our maximum stay policy helps us ensure equal camping opportunities for all visitors.

To learn more, see the information on the maximum stay policy in the reservation services policies and terms [PDF].

Long-stay programs

The following parks have long-stay programs that allow for stays of four weeks to six months:

• Beaver Creek Park
• Big Bar Lake  
• Buckinghorse River Wayside  
• Carp Lake  
• Charlie Lake  
• Crooked River  
• Lac La Hache  
• Meziadin Lake  
• Moberly Lake  
• Norbury Lake  
• One Island Lake  
• Paarens Beach  
• Ten Mile Lake  
• Tunkwa

For more details of the long-stay program, download the camping fees and information supplement [PDF].

Rules for statutory holidays

• On statutory holiday weekends, you must reserve your campsite for a minimum of three nights
• If the statutory holiday falls on a Monday, you must book Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights
• If the statutory holiday falls on a Friday, you must book Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights
• When a statutory holiday falls on any day other than a Friday or Monday, no minimum stay applies

For a list of this year’s holidays, see the provincial government’s guide to statutory holidays in British Columbia. To learn more, see the information on our statutory holiday weekend policy in the reservation services policies and terms [PDF].

Look in this section for information on:

• Camping party sizes
• Double sites
• Vehicle parking

Camping party sizes

Only one camping party is allowed on each campsite. A camping party must have:

• A minimum of one adult (16 years or older)
• No more than four adults
• No more than eight people total (including under-16s)

For example, a camping party can consist of:

• One adult in charge of up to seven under-16s
• Two adults in charge of up to six under-16s
• Three adults in charge of up to five under-16s
• Four adults in charge of up to four under-16s

If you arrive with more people or vehicles than your reservation states, the park operator decides how to accommodate them. Usually, additional people cannot stay on your campsite and must book their own site.

If no sites are available, these additional people might be required to leave the campground. However, the park operator may let them to stay on your site for an additional fee. This is not guaranteed and is at the park operator’s discretion.

Many campgrounds in B.C. offer groupsites for larger camping parties. For more information, see the group camping page.

Double sites

• Many campgrounds also offer double sites, which consist of two adjacent campsites, with one camping party allowed per site
• Double sites provide the same facilities as two individual sites that share a driveway and are open to each other
• Double sites must be reserved together, and only a single transaction fee is required to book a double site

For a detailed definition of the term ‘transaction fees’, please see the fees section, below.

Vehicle parking

Parking for one vehicle is automatically included in your reservation. You can usually add an extra vehicle to your reservation, for a fee, when booking. To see if vehicles can be added at the park you are visiting, see camping.bcparks.ca.

For more details on party sizes and vehicle allowances, download the camping fees and information supplement [PDF].

Look in this section for information on:

• Fees you pay
• Paying your fees
• Cancellations and refunds
• Rates for frontcountry camping

Fees you pay

Camping fees vary by park. To get fee information for a specific park, either:

• Use our find a park tool to view the park’s webpage
• Download the camping fees and information supplement [PDF]

You pay two types of fees when booking a reservation: 

• Camping fees pay for your campsite and parking place as well as other campground services and amenities
• Transaction fees include reservation fees, change fees, and call centre surcharges, which help us maintain the reservation service

Tax is included in your camping fees. However, tax is added to all transaction fees.

Paying your fees

• You can pay all your camping fees and transaction fees using Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Visa Debit, or Mastercard Debit
• The reservation service lets you put three reservations in your shopping cart, but separate transaction fees are applied to each
• The BC Senior Camping Discount and Social Services Camping Fee Exemption may apply to camping fees, but do not apply to transaction fees

For more information on discounts, exemptions, and anything to do with fees, see the camping fees page.

Cancellations and refunds

• If you cancel a reservation, you get a full or partial refund of camping fees (subject to policies outlined on the cancellations and refunds page)
• All transaction fees, including change fees, cancellation fees, and phone-booking surcharges, are non-refundable 
• If you cancel nights within seven days of arrival, you may receive only a partial refund of your camping fees

For detailed information on our cancellation and refund policies, see the cancellations and refunds page.

Rates for frontcountry camping

A transaction can include up to three reservations that were made at the same time.