Alberta Parks Will Soon Charge More To Change Campsite Bookings & Here's How Much It'll Cost

Camping season is almost upon us and as one of the most scenic places in the world, camping in Alberta is likely to be super popular this year.

However, with more people travelling to the province, Alberta Parks has reminded visitors reservation change fees for campsites will be going up from March 31, 2022.

In a statement to Narcity, Bridget Burgess, Communications Advisor for Environment and Parks, said the reservation change fee would double from $5 to $10 to help "recover the costs of no-shows and last-minute cancellations."

“In the past, the hoarding of reservations and last-minute cancellations and no-shows prevented many Albertans from securing campsites," she explained.

"In 2021, the number of campers booking longer stays increased by 154%. However, almost 50% of those campers later made changes to their reservations, often at the last minute."

Any changes to reservations made before March 31 will be at the original fee of $5.

The reservation fee itself will stay at $12 per campsite reservation.

Alberta Parks began changing its processes in January when it rolled out a new year-round online reservation system that would allow individual campsites to be booked 90 days in advance. Group or comfort bookings can be booked 180 days in advance.

The new system also reduced the maximum consecutive nights for a reservation from 16 nights to 10.

Burgess said by improving the reservation system and reducing the number of nights people can book for, Alberta Parks will be able to welcome more Albertans to its provincial campsites this summer.

If you're planning an Alberta camping trip, there are a ton of cool spots to check out at Banff National Park.

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.