Manitoba campground openings delayed

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This article was published 09/05/2022 (961 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mother Nature has some bad news for Manitoba’s outdoor enthusiasts.

In a release late Tuesday, the provincial government announced many provincial parks campgrounds won’t open on time, due to everything from flooded roads to wet ground to water supply issues.

Travel within Nopiming Provincial Park is also “not advised” at this time. All canoe routes in Nopiming and Manigotagan River provincial parks are closed, along with some trails in Whiteshell Provincial Park.

At the following parks, campground openings scheduled for May 13 have been delayed:

Nopiming and Manigotagan River provincial parks: All backcountry canoe routes and campsites are closed until further notice.

Nopiming Provincial Park: Bird Lake, Beresford Lake, Black Lake, Shoe Lake and Tulabi Falls campgrounds remain closed until at least June 2 due to overland flooding.

St. Malo Provincial Park: The campground opening is delayed until May 20 at the earliest due to soft ground, wet conditions and no washrooms due to frozen water lines.

Turtle Mountain and William Lake provincial parks: Adam Lake, Max Lake and William Lake campground openings are delayed until at least May 20 due to wet conditions and saturated ground.

Whiteshell Provincial Park: Some seasonal sites at Brereton Lake remain closed due to flooding. The Caddy Lake campground opening will be delayed until at least May 20 due to wet conditions and saturated ground. This affects all nightly camping and some seasonal sites as well as the Falcon-Toniata seasonal campground. Falcon Beach, Falcon Lakeshore seasonal sites have some site closures until at least May 20. The same goes for West Hawk Lake including West Hawk Trailer Village. White Lake Campground is closed until at least June 2 due to high water levels and flooding.

Rivers Provincial Park: Some campground sites in low-lying areas will remain partially closed until at least May 20, due to wet conditions.

Stephenfield Provincial Park: Some sites will remain closed until at least May 20 due to water supply.

Lake St. George Provincial Park: The campground is closed until further notice due to flooded access roads.

Campers hoping to escape into the outdoors over May long weekend may also be disappointed.

The “higher elevation” campgrounds slated for a May 20 weekend opening, including those in the Duck Mountains, Porcupine Hills and other campgrounds in northern Manitoba, may also remain closed due to “a substantial amount of snow.”

“Manitoba Parks staff are closely monitoring this evolving situation and assessing conditions daily,” read the province’s release.

Closures in all areas could be extended if flooding and high water conditions continue.

The delayed openings come amid a persistent high demand for campsites. Earlier this spring, Manitobans flocked online to snap up the camp spots, a hot commodity amid a quickly-dwindling supply. Provincial parks and campgrounds became a refuge for lockdown-weary city-dwellers and those just looking for a change of scenery during the pandemic. The trend has not abated.

The province says those with cancelled reservations will get their money back.

“Reservation holders and seasonal campers will be contacted and their fees refunded if their campsite is affected by a closure,” reads the release. “Campers should not pre-emptively cancel reservations before being notified of a site closure, otherwise cancellation policies will apply.”

The release notes: “services such as drinking water and washrooms may also be limited or reduced in some areas as a result of late spring conditions which are delaying the seasonal setup and operation of water lines.

“Campers are advised to plan accordingly for potential service reductions and pack adequate drinking water.”

the province plans to issue an update next week for campgrounds scheduled to open May 20.

Park visitors are encouraged to report significant trail flooding or maintenance concerns to the local park office. Park visitors should also check www.manitoba511.ca for road closures and detours before heading out.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca