Are you ready to book? At the time of this publishing there are 18hrs left until bookings open for the season. It will most likely be a zoo online with many Albertans trying to book for the May Long weekend and beyond into June. Since my first trip will be to a first come first serve campground, and my second booking is outside of the 90-day window I will not be participating in opening day. I think that is a first in many years. I wish those of you that are participating the best of luck and the least amount of frustration.  Here are a couple of last-minute tips to try and smooth out your booking experience.

 

• Login now to ReserveAlbertaParks and ensure that your profile is up to date and that your account is working.
• If you have not done so, scope out several sites and secondary locations in case your first choice is booked.
• Login early. Tomorrow before the booking window opens login to ReserveAlbertaParks
• Setup your booking prior to the opening time.
• Attempt to book at the opening time.
• Keep repeating until you get your booking.

From here on in, it is the luck of the draw. If you have multiple computers, you can try logging in and booking on all of your devices. I have done this with some success, using two laptops one desktop and a tablet. Volume will be the killer tomorrow. I predict that all 2mil+ Albertan campers will be looking for a site all at the same time tomorrow. So be prepared for delays, lags, freezes, and of course the frustrating boot out or not responding error.

It will be the worst at the opening times and the congestion could last upwards of 20min based on experience. So, unless you’re lucky I would suggest that you have a second or even a third or forth option in case your first hope is booked.  The demand for camping this year will be worse than last year. It is already being seen in other areas of Canada like Ontario. Demand is outstripping supply, so expect to see a lot of “Campground is Full” signs this year.

Your best friend will be perseverance and flexibility. Try picking spots that are off the beaten path and maybe not the popular lake by Red Deer. If your open to exploring, you should hopefully find a spot to call your own for your summertime trip.

 

Happy Trails

 

The Glampurs