BC Parks Reservation System

Just seen on the BC RV forum

"Hello BC Parks Facebook Fans,
We are aware of the recent news stories regarding the reselling of BC Parks’ reservations. We take this matter very seriously and investigate every incident that is brought to our attention. Please note that over the last 5 years we have received less than 10 complaints regarding the reselling of camping reservations.
As soon as this practice was brought to BC Parks’ attention, we implemented and continue to follow this policy, established in 2013:
Reservations are not transferable. Any reservation owners or holders found to be transferring or selling their reservations to another party, risk the chance that their reservation may be cancelled without a refund. If a customer can no longer use their reservation, they are encouraged to cancel their reservation so that any unused User Fees that are not forfeited as a penalty can be automatically refunded to the credit card that was used to make the original reservation."
We encourage you to contact us immediately if you observe a person trying to sell their reservation booking ParkInfo@Victoria1.gov.bc.ca.

GaryKH wrote:

Yes, We've experienced that also. We actually got to a BCFS campground (on Vancouver Island) when they were in the process of distributing all of their pup tents to each individual site. When i asked him wtf he was doing, he got his rifle out of his truck & said they had all the sites & to take off! We then went down the hill to another forestry site (with an attendant) & told the attendant about this. He said he would pass on the info to authorities. We didn't stick around to see what, if anything, happened.

Oh man oh man....that is some bad stuff, right there. I do hope they got up there and dealt with it.


Gary Haupt

jimbob3ca wrote:
There is also a problem with British Columbia's forest service recreation sites. In the East Kootenay's, I often go out to use one of the sites that is near where I want to fish. I arrive on a Monday and find trailers or tents set up and nobody there, and nobody is there all week. I have even come a second time up to two or three weeks later, and the same trailer/trailers are still there. Some people treat these sites as their own private recreational property. Problem is partly due to cutbacks so that forest service staff cannot police this because of a lack of staff.

Yes, We've experienced that also. We actually got to a BCFS campground (on Vancouver Island) when they were in the process of distributing all of their pup tents to each individual site. When i asked him wtf he was doing, he got his rifle out of his truck & said they had all the sites & to take off! We then went down the hill to another forestry site (with an attendant) & told the attendant about this. He said he would pass on the info to authorities. We didn't stick around to see what, if anything, happened.
Years ago, before the reservation system came to be, people were doing similar things in the Provincial Parks (setting up & leaving, just to claim a spot). The reservation system was supposed to fix that.

jimbob3ca wrote:
There is also a problem with British Columbia's forest service recreation sites. In the East Kootenay's, I often go out to use one of the sites that is near where I want to fish. I arrive on a Monday and find trailers or tents set up and nobody there, and nobody is there all week. I have even come a second time up to two or three weeks later, and the same trailer/trailers are still there. Some people treat these sites as their own private recreational property. Problem is partly due to cutbacks so that forest service staff cannot police this because of a lack of staff.

Man..that would irk me, so bad. I'd be taking pictures of units and plates and sending them off to RCMP, Parks, Forestry and local MLA.

Having now read the regs...it appears like it is wide open. Can park for two weeks.

Duration of stay at a recreation site

13 (1) A person must not camp at a recreation site for a period exceeding 14 consecutive days unless authorized by a designated forest official.

(2) For the purposes of calculating 14 consecutive days under subsection (1), a period of consecutive days is cumulative unless the person and their vehicle and equipment, as the case may be, are not present on the recreation site for a period of at least 72 consecutive hours.


So...with that in mind, you could forward your comments and pix (proof) to your MLA. The heat is on reservations for camping in BC. Perhaps they'll take a look at this too.

Mind you...one wants to be careful what they wish for.




Gary Haupt

There is also a problem with British Columbia's forest service recreation sites. In the East Kootenay's, I often go out to use one of the sites that is near where I want to fish. I arrive on a Monday and find trailers or tents set up and nobody there, and nobody is there all week. I have even come a second time up to two or three weeks later, and the same trailer/trailers are still there. Some people treat these sites as their own private recreational property. Problem is partly due to cutbacks so that forest service staff cannot police this because of a lack of staff.

How about:

Since you have to login to make a reservation the system has a record of your transactions, so why not make it impossible to make more than one reservation for any given date?
This would mean that these multiple block reservations could not be made.

In order to stop the early reservations with subsequent cancelling (this might not be popular!) increase the cancellation charges, or maybe you could have to pay full price even if you cancel more than say 4-5 in a block.

Even more annoying is the folks who drive out from a city and put a tent or chairs on a non-reservable (usually provincial) site 5-6 days ahead of when they intend to use it, just so they have a site available at weekend, making it unavailable to any other camper. I realise that they will have paid for these unused days. But these selfish people are in effect blocking the use of unused sites.

End of rant!

Trevor

Artum Snowbird wrote:
clicky

Thanks for that. It wouldn't let me add a clicky, or even the link initially.

It is frustrating. Maybe those that book ahead should pay up front with a limit on the number of sites.

And that's just the first part of the problem. The other part that is being abused is that people can book for two weeks. So, now the ones that get the primo sites are booking for the entire week before they actually intend to go there, and can do that, and then they cancel the first week and take the weekend that the rest of us are trying to book on the day that spot becomes available.

Perhaps the full name of the intended camper needs to go onto the reservation at the time it is made, and if they cancel and cause others to not get a site that is kept on the record, and they get charged full time next time.

Sadly, those that really don't care can still pay. Seeing empty sites that are paid for is not good for tourism.

Any other suggestions? Go back to no reserve, but sites have to be occupied?