In anticipation of spring and all that nature has to offer, Sask Parks has released the dates for provincial campsite reservations.

Minh Truong, Director of Park Experiences with the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sports with the Government of Saskatchewan, said that reservations for Saskatchewan Provincial Parks for the 2023 camping season are set to begin April 3rd for seasonal campsites, and April 4th to 12th for nightly Camp-Easy group campsites.

April 11th is the reservation day for Buffalo Pound, Bronson Forest, Duck Mountain and Moose Mountain.

Truong had some tips on how to be prepared well in advance of the online booking registration.

"So, the first thing you would want to do is to create a new account if you don't have one, if you do have an account, make sure you log-in and reset your password if you need to. You know, always having your password handy and ready to go, that's always a quick tip."

He said to do your research on the parks and campsites beforehand. 

"There's a couple of features on the system that you can use. You can use the campsite comparison feature and that allows you to compare up to three sites online. To see which sites best suits your needs, and you can also create a list of favorite campsites that will be saved to your online account and you can just "favorite" the ones that you know that you think you, your friends and family would enjoy staying in our parks throughout the summer."

Truong said that they have added 37 new seasonal sites this year across the provincial park system: eight electric sites at Buffalo Pound, new full-service sites at Good Spirit Lake, and added sites at Meadow Lake and Moose Mountain in terms of new Camp-Easy Yurts.

As well, he said they have Camp-Easy sites being launched "at Pike Lake, Good Spirit Lake and Green Water Lake provincial parks. We're also replacing some of the old Camp-Easy tents at Crooked Lake."

Park entry fees have also increased for 2023. The government said it was mainly due to the “growing number of park services provided year round.”  

The annual vehicle entry will jump from $75 last year to $82 this year, while weekly vehicle entry will cost $42. As well, the daily vehicle entry price will be a dollar more this year at $11, and, according to the government, Camp-Easy sites and the Mongolian Yurt at Great Blue Heron will also have fee increases.

To stay up-to-date on the 2023 camping season and fee changes, visit saskparks.com.