April 12, 2012
Campsite Reservation Service to Launch for 2012 Season
The campsite reservation service for provincial park campgrounds will be launched for bookings between April 24 and April 27. Seven provincial park campgrounds will open for the Victoria Day weekend, while the six remaining campgrounds are scheduled to open in late May and early June.
“We are about to embark upon another season for residents and visitors to enjoy the natural beauty that abounds in our system of parks and protected areas,” said the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Environment and Conservation. “We have made a number of investments in our parks system over the past several years to help ensure our patrons have amenities that add to their camping experience, and we also added a recycling program. All of our efforts will certainly contribute to another successful season.”
The provincial parks campsite reservation service will launch at 7:00
a.m. Newfoundland Standard Time on the scheduled dates for each park
outlined in the backgrounder below. The reservation service is available by
calling toll-free 1-877-214-CAMP (2267), or online at
www.nlcamping.ca
. The
campsite reservation service will go offline at midnight the night before
each scheduled launch date and be available at 7:00 a.m. on the morning of
each launch. Once all parks have launched their online reservation
capability, the system will be available 24/7 until the end of the season.
In 2011, more than 11,500 reservations were made in provincial parks through the campsite reservation service.
The Cape St. Mary's Visitor Centre and guided tours, and the Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve guided tours will open to the public on May 12. Guided tours of Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve are scheduled to start on June 11.
The province's network of provincial parks and natural areas includes 13 camping parks, seven day use parks, the T'Railway Provincial Park, Main River Waterway Provincial Park and 10 park reserves, for a total of 32 provincial parks. In addition to provincial parks, there are two wilderness reserves and 18 ecological reserves that protect significant seabird colonies, rare plants and significant fossil sites.
More information about provincial parks and reserves may be obtained by calling 709-635-4520 or visiting www.gov.nl.ca/env/parks
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Media contact:
Melony O’Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
2012 Launch Dates for Campsite Reservation Service
| Launch Date | Provincial Park |
| April 24 (Tuesday) | Blow Me Down Dildo Run Pinware River Pistolet Bay |
| April 25 (Wednesday) | Barachois Pond J.T. Cheeseman Lockston Path Sir Richard Squires Memorial |
| April 26 (Thursday) | Butter Pot |
| April 27 (Friday) | Frenchman’s Cove La Manche Notre Dame Sandbanks |
2012 Opening and Closing Dates for Provincial Parks and Reserves
| Provincial Parks | ||
| Opening | Closing | Park |
| May 16 (Wednesday) | September 17 (Monday) | Barachois Pond Butter Pot Frenchman’s Cove J.T. Cheeseman La Manche Notre Dame Lockston Path |
| May 25 (Friday) | September 10 (Monday) | Sir Richard Squires Memorial |
| May 25 (Friday) | September 17 (Monday) | Sandbanks |
| June 1 (Friday) | September 10 (Monday) | Blow Me Down |
| June 1 (Friday) | September 17 (Monday) | Dildo Run Pinware River Pistolet Bay |
| Ecological Reserves | ||
| Opening | Closing | Reserve |
| May 12 (Saturday) | October 7 (Sunday) | Cape St. Mary’s Visitor Centre and Guided Tours |
| May 12 (Saturday) | October 8 (Monday) | Mistaken Point Guided Tours |
| June 11 (Monday) | October 7 (Sunday) | Burnt Cape Guided Tours |
| Day Use
Provincial Parks |
||
| Opening | Closing | Park |
| April 6 (Friday) | October 9 (Tuesday) | Chance Cove |
| May 18 (Friday) | October 9 (Tuesday) | Arches |
| June 1 (Friday) | October 9 (Tuesday) | Cataracts, Codroy Valley, Deadman’s Bay, Dungeon, Gooseberry Cove |
Note: Dates are subject to change depending on weather and snow conditions at the time of opening.
2012 04 12 10:35 a.m.