Dates to know for 2021, so you do not lose out on the booking frenzy that will surely happen on opening day. Campdown is on is your game plan? Are you ready to book? Well, here are the dates you need to be aware of out here in the west.
Alberta will be the first to open bookings this year and has set opening day for March 4th, 2021. There will be staggered openings based on region much the same way it was done last year. The first region to open at 9am is the South region, followed by Kananaskis country at 11am. Expect this region to be the most popular and the busiest. Then the Central region will open at 1pm and followed by the Northern region at 3pm.
British Columbia is expected to open for bookings in April 2021. Not much more information has been made available yet from BC parks. I expect it will be very similar to last year with restrictions placed on out of Province visitors.
Saskatchewan will be having opening day in April 2021. The first day will be on the 12th for seasonal reservations, followed with a staggered opening based on parks. Expect the 21st to be very busy as that is the day that Cypress Hills will be open for bookings. Other busy days will be on the 14th, 16th, and the week of the 19th to the 23rd. Saskatchewan Parks is launching a new booking system this year, and links to the system have not been made public yet, but here is a link to their home page.
Federal Parks – Parks Canada: Parks Canada will open its parks in Alberta to reservations starting in April. Jasper will open first on April 9th @ 8am MDT Followed by Banff on April 12th @ 8am MDT. Elk Island, Waterton, and Wood Buffalo open on the next day April 13th @ 8am MDT.
The other date to be aware of is March 1st the unofficial start to RV buying season. If you were in the market for a new or used RV then you have probably missed the best time to get a great deal on a RV. The winter months are the best time to negotiate on a RV new or used. With that said if you move quickly then you may avoid the buying frenzy that will most certainly continue from last year. If you’re in the market for an RV new or used now is the time to make your move. The dealerships have stock and there is a modest used inventory in the system based on my searches in AutoTrader, but I predict that will not last. Buying an RV is an exciting and yet worrying activity to undertake. We all hear the horror stories about unforeseen issues, massive repair bills, and rigs being stuck in the shop for months. Yeah, that stuff happens but if you do your homework and don’t allow emotion to overtake your senses, then you stand a good chance of finding a good RV. The trick is to be prepared! Know what you want, have a floor plan in mind, and of course have a budget. Take a look at Tips to buying a used RV. Here you will find some great common-sense tips to buying an RV whether it is used or new. Another thought when purchasing an RV is your style of camping. If you’re planning on doing a lot of boondocking (off grid camping), then take a look at this article Boondocking – What you need to know. These two articles will definitely have influence on what kind of RV you are wanting to buy. In the end doing your homework on any rig that you are interested in is worth the effort and will put you in a good place to negotiate on your new rig and enjoy your camping future.
Happy Trails,
The Glampurs
