The Manitoba government is launching a new parks reservation service in time for the 2023 camping season.
Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister Greg Nesbitt said in a media release, “Provincial parks are treasured by Manitobans and we want to provide a positive experience when guests book a spot at a provincial campground. We are excited to provide Manitobans with an enhanced park reservation experience to plan for enjoyment of our beautiful summers and make great camping memories.”
Each year, over 100,000 campsite reservations are made at 46 campgrounds located within 28 different provincial parks. Improvements made to the system will allow for easier navigation and responsiveness to provide campers with a modern, enhanced reservation service that Manitobans can rely on for years to come, the minister noted.
For 2023, reservation policies and parameters are expected to remain similar to last year with staggered campground booking opening days:
– April 3 – All cabins, yurts and group use areas (including Hecla and Camp Morton recreation halls);
– April 5 – Campsite reservations for all western and northern region parks including Asessippi, Bakers Narrows, Clearwater (Campers Cove and Pioneer Bay), Duck Mountain (Blue Lakes, Childs Lake, Wellman Lake), Manipogo, Paint Lake, Rainbow Beach, Rivers, Spruce Woods (Kiche Manitou), Turtle Mountain (Adam Lake), William Lake and Wekusko Falls;
– April 11 – Campsite reservations for Birds Hill and Winnipeg Beach campgrounds;
– April 12 – Campsite reservations for south Whiteshell including Caddy Lake, Falcon Beach, Falcon Lakeshore and West Hawk Lake;
– April 13 – Campsite reservations for Nopiming (Tulabi Falls, Tulabi Short Haul, Bird Lake, Black Lake, Shoe Lake, Beresford Lake) and north Whiteshell (Big Whiteshell, Brereton Lake, Nutimik Lake, Opapiskaw, Betula Lake and White Lake) campgrounds; and
– April 14 – All remaining locations including Birch Point, Camp Morton, Grand Beach, Hecla, Hnausa Beach, Lundar Beach, Moose Lake, St. Malo, Stephenfield and Watchorn.
Campers should note that a new account is required to access the updated parks reservation system. This should be created prior to booking dates to save time and make it easier to reserve a campsite. The system will be open for new account creations on March 27. More information will be released prior to the opening of the new reservation service to help guide campers with account creation and provide tips and technical advice for using the parks reservation service on opening days.
Campers are also encouraged to log into existing accounts prior to March 24 and take note of preferred sites from previous reservations.
On opening days, reservations will continue to be accepted through the call centre at 204-948-3333 in Winnipeg or 1-888-482-2267.
The Manitoba government is working with Camis Inc., a company based in Guelph, Ont., to provide this new reservation service. The company has over 30 years of experience and a strong, proven track record in a variety of jurisdictions, the minister added, including Ontario Parks, BC Parks, Nova Scotia Parks, New Brunswick Parks, Yukon Parks, and Newfoundland and Labrador Parks. Camis has also provided call centre services to Manitoba Parks for the past two seasons.
The minister noted the province will closely monitor Manitobans’ experience with the new system with the intention of refining and enhancing it to continually improve the process.
For more information on planning a Manitoba Parks adventure, visit www.manitobaparks.com
