Manitoba camp cheers for season opener – Winnipeg

Thousands of happy Manitoba campers have already booked their spots for the hot start to Manitoba's camping season.

The provincial reservation system, which had disappointed campers in the past, met the demand of eager campers who were able to reserve sites.

Elisabeth Ostrop of Manitoba Parks 680 told CJOB it's been a relatively smooth road to more than 10,000 reservations at three popular parks, Bird Hill, Winnipeg Beach and Grand Beach campgrounds.

Ostrop said one problem quickly arose: the reduction in minimum reservation times took up many weekends, leaving sites open only on weekdays.

“In some places, those who like to stay longer will have a better chance of staying long-term. … But weekends are the most popular, so they fill up quickly.”

According to Otrop, 2024 will be the first year that individual weekends can be booked on their own, which has resulted in many weekdays being partially filled.

“We do have campgrounds where we have set aside camping inventory for long-term stays — the minimum start is a seven-night stay — but we don't offer that inventory at all campgrounds.”

Campgrounds in the Whiteshell area will open for reservations on Wednesday morning, and the following locations will be open for reservations later this week, with northern and western campgrounds opening on Thursday and the rest of the province on Friday.

0:36Registration for the camp will begin soon

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