BC Campsites are open. - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Camping | Places, Gear and Planning > Campgrounds, Waysides and Resorts
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-25-2020, 01:11 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,728
BC Campsites are open.

The ongoing banshee sound that sounded like a williwaw sweeping down from the mountains was probably my 2 1/2 hours of screaming at the discoverbc website.

I got every kind of dead end known to computers. Timeouts, error messages ad nauseum. The list of provincial parks showed some, but not all, open for day use from May 14 and open for camping on June 1. However, at 7 am reservation opening time, those that weren't open for day use previously still showed as not being available for camping. In the end, magically, we ended up with the park and site that we wanted, probably about a nanosecond before we were ready to give up.

So, yes, parks are open, even those ones that showed as not opening on June 1. Maybe after the initial rush is over the website will improve but it was a massive exercise in frustration.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 01:14 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Worth noting again that BC Parks campsites are only open to BC residents.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 01:19 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
LarryandLiz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Maple Ridge, BC, British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 17B;2012 Nissan Frontier SV 4
Posts: 701
Ron, we had similar experiences.

like you, we managed to get two different trips - different parks and the sites we wanted

not my favourite way to spend Monday morning .... but we hit the road next Monday
LarryandLiz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 01:21 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
LarryandLiz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Maple Ridge, BC, British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 17B;2012 Nissan Frontier SV 4
Posts: 701
media reports 50,000 of us online at 7:00 am
27,000 reservations made
LarryandLiz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 01:41 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
MyronL's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: ..., New Mexico
Trailer: 2013 Esc19/'14 Silvrado
Posts: 4,193
A Williwaw ? I'll be right up. Oh wait, there's that border crossing thing, and think they just closed down Utah and Colorado.
Attached Thumbnails
Kissed-off.jpg  
__________________
Myron
"A billion here, a billion there...add it all up and before you know it you're talking real money." Everett Dirkson
MyronL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 02:00 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
barry's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Fraser Valley, British Columbia
Trailer: 2012 Escape "Classic" 5.0 SA
Posts: 554
Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryandLiz View Post
media reports 50,000 of us online at 7:00 am
27,000 reservations made
I'm waiting for a while before I reserve, maybe try reserving for late Aug. into early Sept. If their is a spike in cases then it will be all for nought if they decide to start closing down things again. Hopefully not but the speed in which things were shut down in March leaves me nervous that they won't do it again.
Barry
__________________
Photography website: https://bjustice.zenfolio.com

2012 Escape "Classic" 5.0 SA / 2017 F150, 2.7 EcoBoost 4X4 Supercab
Former trailers: 2005 Escape 17B / 1972 Boler 13'
barry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 03:59 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,728
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
Worth noting again that BC Parks campsites are only open to BC residents.
Good point. Even my sister who lives a few miles from the border in WA can't use the parks, even with her Canadian passport.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryandLiz View Post

not my favourite way to spend Monday morning .... but we hit the road next Monday
Us too, bright and early. Make hay while the sun shines. Who knows if they'll remain open all summer if the anticipated second wave hits.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 04:44 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
amirie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Chilliwack, British Columbia
Trailer: 2008 17B Escape
Posts: 766
Us too, took forever.

Got a few nights at Elk Falls near Campbell River mid July. Wanted Rathtrevor...no go.

Camping with family from Cowichan Bay.

Then we booked a private RV park near Tofino ( not sure when/ if) the national park will be open...and seeing as we were already on the island..smart time to do it.

You can only book 2 months in advance, so my August Manning Park sites aren’t available yet.

Very very frustrating morning for many of us.
__________________
Anna-Marie
amirie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 07:08 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Greg A's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Seventy Degrees"
Posts: 3,494
Having a similar experience in AZ, Ron. Booked a State Park campsite online about two weeks ago for 31st and everything went fine and completed. Campground is showing open. Then received notice first part of this week that they were cancelling my reservation because they booked over restrictions.
Fortunately, caught another commercial campground that just opened and had space.
I guess no guarantees even if they allow for reservations at the moment.
Greg A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 08:59 PM   #10
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: PNW, British Columbia
Trailer: 2013 - 19
Posts: 87
I spent 3 hours and wound up with 2 out of 4 nights for first week of July. Very glitchy!
Pembyescape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 09:05 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SLO County, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21C 2019 Expedition
Posts: 5,207
You B.C. folks are like the NZ'ders and Hawaiians right now. Enjoy this moment of exclusivity before the hordes come back.
__________________
"We gotta get as far away as we can!"
- Russell Casse, Independence Day
Rossue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 09:21 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Whidbey Island, Washington
Trailer: 2020 Escape 17B "Voyager"
Posts: 2,657
We can book after June 30-- but no guarantee we can go. I've had two reservations cancelled already and another coming up in June and then in July. But Washington is telling Canadians not to reserve until the border opens as they will not refund you if it doesn't open in time. (Unless it is already an existing reservation.)
Bobbie54 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2020, 10:42 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
katzam29's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Abbotsford, British Columbia
Trailer: 2017 Escape 19'
Posts: 113
BC Parks Reservations

I was ready and logged into the BC Parks website at 6:55 this morning.....until it crashed at 7:03!
It crashed many more times after that as I had a site ready and then i'd get a message that it was already taken.
After much frustration (I knew it was slow since every Tom, Dick, and Harry were trying to get reservations as well) I managed to book Kekuli Bay and Okanagan Lake for next month. Only took 4hrs and 23 min!
katzam29 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2020, 12:55 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobbie54 View Post
Washington is telling Canadians not to reserve until the border opens as they will not refund you if it doesn't open in time. (Unless it is already an existing reservation.)

And, the BC government is saying they don't expect the border to open any time soon and if Canadians head south, they will face 14 days of quarantine when they return.

We get US news up here. We see what is going on in Alabama and elsewhere.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2020, 01:39 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Doug2000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: London, Ontario
Trailer: 2020 Escape 19
Posts: 1,117
Ontario Resident Coming for Pickup!!!

I coming to pick up my trailer hopefully early June. So as an Ontario resident, I understand I cannot camp at BC Provincial Parks, but does that include private campgrounds

Any comment on Alberta? Can I camp at Alberta Provincial Parks or Alberta Private Campgrounds. I really badly wanted to camp at Banff.

I would really like to camp a couple nights to make sure everything is good with the trailer before leaving the area.

I spent a few hours looking at websites, but so much information and it keeps changing. When it gets closer, I'll just have to call the private campgrounds. Any comments would be appreciated.
__________________
Had 2 Escapes, 17b, 19, went back to a pop up that fit in the garage. 2018 Coachman Clipper RBST HW AFrame
Doug2000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2020, 08:28 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Dave Walter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 2013 19' & 2013 15B
Posts: 2,634
Campground reservations in Alberta Provincial Parks can only be made by Alberta residents. You may be able to find a place at a private campground. As of now, National Parks are not open for camping, so Banff is not a choice.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug2000 View Post
I coming to pick up my trailer hopefully early June. So as an Ontario resident, I understand I cannot camp at BC Provincial Parks, but does that include private campgrounds

Any comment on Alberta? Can I camp at Alberta Provincial Parks or Alberta Private Campgrounds. I really badly wanted to camp at Banff.

I would really like to camp a couple nights to make sure everything is good with the trailer before leaving the area.

I spent a few hours looking at websites, but so much information and it keeps changing. When it gets closer, I'll just have to call the private campgrounds. Any comments would be appreciated.
__________________
2013 19' \ 2013 15B, 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Offroad

"It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it." - 1907, Maurice Switzer
Dave Walter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2020, 11:16 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,728
Quote:
Originally Posted by katzam29 View Post
It crashed many more times after that as I had a site ready and then i'd get a
One interesting thing that we learned from this experience is the miserable opportunistic SOB that grabbed that campsite you were trying for was you. Several times after failing to complete the process we went back in and sure enough, someone had grabbed the site, it showed no longer available. Then we discovered that if you log out and back in and check availability for that site it magically was available. So it looks like, even though you couldn't complete the reservation process, it holds your selection as reserved.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug2000 View Post
I coming to pick up my trailer hopefully early June. So as an Ontario resident, I understand I cannot camp at BC Provincial Parks, but does that include private campgrounds
Most private campgrounds followed provincial guidelines for staying closed until June 1st. Whether they accept out of province people may be an individual choice. A few phone calls would clear that up.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-03-2020, 10:35 AM   #18
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 29
I have just completed my booking for a trip to Ottawa in September. Manitoba and Ontario will accept reservations from anyone, Sask .,Alberta and B.C. from residents only.
I have found Private, and Municipal campsites in the 3 western provinces. If you wish to P.M. me, I would be happy to share my info with you.
R.Best is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-03-2020, 10:43 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
emers382's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Emerson, Manitoba
Trailer: 2016 Escape 5.0TA, 2022 F150 2.7EB
Posts: 1,847
Quote:
Originally Posted by R.Best View Post
I have just completed my booking for a trip to Ottawa in September. Manitoba and Ontario will accept reservations from anyone, Sask .,Alberta and B.C. from residents only.
I have found Private, and Municipal campsites in the 3 western provinces. If you wish to P.M. me, I would be happy to share my info with you.
Just be aware that if you camp in MB you may still have to self isolate for two weeks. Coming in from ON or SK only those people intending to pass through our province do not have to self isolate as long as they stop only gas and food passing through, no touring around.

I got out to our closest provincial park last week for a couple of days and it was wonderfully quiet, the birds were about the only noise until the day they cut the grass.
__________________
Adrian (and Beth)
We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.
Robert Louis Stevenson
emers382 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-03-2020, 11:46 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
This could be interesting. A Canadian purchaser picking up their trailer, having to go down to Sumas, Wa for delivery to bypass provincial quarantine rules.....and then having to return to Ontario via US?
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:29 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.