Beginning today, Nickle Lake Regional Park is open for the 2022 season.

Seasonal campers moved in last week, and even with the cooler weather this long weekend, they're happy to be out enjoying their campsites. Read more HERE.

Park Manager Sandra Popescu said while the paddling pool won't be open just yet, patrons can find the Canteen open, as well as the mini-golf course.

"The online booking started February 1st," she noted. "We do have a lot of people who book actually the entire season out here. Even non-seasonals. Especially with gas prices nowadays, people want to just kind of find a place and park it, because pulling a camper is not going to be as easy."

With around 350 campsites, 251 of those are seasonal sites, and 13 sites are designated as monthly sites that can be booked by the month.

Popescu said seasonal campers, and those who booked in for the long weekend, don't necessarily expect good weather on May long weekend.

"But they just they just want to be out," she commented. "They come out, start their bonfire, get together with their friends and just enjoy being out of the city and outside, and knowing it'll get better."

She said no longer being restricted, they have big plans this season for a variety of activities, including Movies in the Park, Glow Golf, Nickle Lake Days, Halloween in the Park, and all the favourite Canada Day events with a new addition - a smoker cook-off happening July 1st and 2nd. 

The seasonal campers, she noted, got there last week and will spend almost every night of the summer at the park. 

"The nice thing is you can commute. So if you live in Weyburn, or work in Weyburn, it's perfect. We also have people who may live somewhere else, but they're working in the area so they come and spend the summer here because it's better than a hotel for the summer." 

Popescu said Nickle is close enough that, for those who maybe aren't sure about camping, their bed is still only 10 minutes away.

Anyone having trouble booking through their online site, she noted, can call their office to find what they need for campsites.

"We're here now from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and the girls can definitely help out and look around and see what they can find," she said. "If it's a longer term, you may have to move around a couple of times, but we can do some juggling and get you in." 

With a years-long waitlist to get a seasonal site, their seasonal campers have formed a true community.

"It's a very big community so everyone is always kind of walking around saying hi to everyone walking out to coffee cups and stopping to chat and bonfires going and music," she shared.

And they're not just Weyburn people who love to visit Nickle Lake Regional Park.

"We have people from all over. It's mostly Saskatchewan, but we do have a seasonal from Manitoba. And now in non-COVID times we actually get a lot of from the States coming through and stopping by, too." 

When you purchase a Regional Park pass, the $50 gives you admission into any Saskatchewan Regional Park for the entire season. The funding from any Regional Park pass purchased at a particular Regional Park stays at that Regional Park. 

NickleThe water level at Nickle Lake has the beach a little shorter than in recent years.

 

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