Posts Tagged ‘Campgrounds’

Campers interested in reserving a provincial park campsite can start making bookings at 7:30 a.m., Monday, April 2, as Manitoba’s Parks Reservation Service opens for the season, Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh announced today.

“Whether it’s yurts, cabins or just a campsite, we have some of the lowest rates in Canada and that, along with the beauty of Manitoba’s provincial parks and campgrounds, is a great combination,” said Mackintosh.  “As well we are offering liquor-free camping this season in select camping bays at Grand Beach and Birds Hill provincial parks to create more opportunities for a quieter camping experience.”

New and recent capital improvements to Manitoba parks include:

• the recently opened new campground at Winnipeg Beach,
• a lake improvement project at Birds Hill and a boardwalk expansion at Grand Beach,
• design of a campground expansion for Paint Lake,
• construction of new yurts at Childs Lake,
• construction set to begin on a new park centre building with an observation tower at Duff Roblin,
• improved water and waste-water facilities in several parks,
• new washroom and shower facilities in a number of parks, and
• improvements to trails in several parks.

A number of provincial parks, including Spruce Woods Provincial Park, were affected by flooding last year.  Complete damage assessments of the parks are expected in coming months.

“We are working to make sure the restoration of these parks will make them better than ever,” said Mackintosh.  “Campsites will be available this season in Spruce Woods’ upper campground.  We have also opened trail access to the Spirit Sands and Epinette Creek areas.  Access to the campground off of PTH 5 will be restored.  And the pedestrian bridge, beach area, Pine Fort and interpretive centre will all be available there later this summer.  When we are done, it will be a premier camping destination.”

The Parks Reservation Service is the most popular way to book campsites in Manitoba’s provincial parks, said Mackintosh.  In 2011, a record 64,268 reservations were booked and over 70 per cent of total reservations were made online.

During the first two weeks of the booking period, a number of campgrounds offer select sites that require a seven-night minimum reservation including a Sunday to Sunday stay. The campgrounds that offer these sites are Birds Hill, Camp Morton, Grand Beach, Stephenfield, Big Whiteshell, Brereton, Falcon Beach, Falcon Lakeshore, Hecla/Gull Harbour, Nutimik, Otter Falls, Opapiskaw, St. Malo, West Hawk, Bakers Narrows, Campers Cove, Paint Lake Asessippi and Childs Lake.

Campsite reservations can be made at www.manitobaparks.com or by calling 1-888-482-2267 (toll‑free) or 204‑948-3333.  Customers are encouraged to confirm online user names and passwords a few days prior to making reservations.  For customers who require in-person reservation assistance, the call centre is located on the third floor, 421 Mulvey Ave., just off Osborne Street in Winnipeg.

General information or assistance with forgotten passwords is also available through the call centre at 1-888-482-2267.

Advance reservations at several campgrounds, RV parks and resorts in the greater Branson area were running well ahead of last year’s figures prior to last week’s tornado.

Park operators are therefore concerned about negative effects of media publicity.

“We’re hopeful that reporters will use caution in reporting about the tornadoes and not exaggerate the relatively minor damage that was reported in the Branson area,” said Larry Helms, president of the Missouri Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds.

Only one campground reported damage as a result of the storms.

Branson Missouri RV park and marina

“Our major attractions are totally untouched,” said Lynn Berry, director of public relations for the Branson Convention and Visitors Bureau, adding, “We estimate that things will be very much back in total swing in about a month, with the exception of the convention center and convention center hotel, the Hilton.”

“From my standpoint, (the storms produced) minimal damage,” said Kim Newell, who operates the Branson KOA, adding that her advance bookings are double what they were last year at this time at the 160-site park.

Newell added that business typically picks up after April 1st as the weather warms up.

Other Branson area campground owners also said their advance bookings have been up, including Lenny Ammerman of Treasure Lake Resort in Branson. “We are ahead of schedule by about 7 percent through March and April,” he said. “We’re looking good so far.”

Sue Alkire of America’s Best Campground said her group reservations are also running ahead of last year’s figures. “We didn’t even lose a tree branch (in the storms)” she said, adding that she hoped media would use care in reporting about the storms.

For more information about campgrounds in the Branson area, please contact Larry Helms at (573) 759-7294 and visit www.CampInMissouri.com.

A proposed closing of COE campgrounds and campsites is a sign of tough economic times.

Almost all federal agencies have taken a hit and that includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Little Rock Arkansas District of the Corps operates 178 public parks and access areas — and a number of the sites in those parks, will be closing this year.

It’s part of tightening the belt on the federal level.

The Little Rock District of the U-S Army Corps of engineers announced 29 parks will face some sort of a reduction and that includes closing 248 camping sites out of the 1,227 sites available at Greers Ferry Lake.

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