**** CNS Media Release
Provincial Campsite Bookings Open in April; New Projects Make Parks, Beaches More Accessible
—————————————————————-
People planning a summer camping adventure can make reservations at Nova Scotia’s provincial parks starting April 5.
“For those who love spending time in the great outdoors, Nova Scotia’s provincial parks are the perfect places for families and friends to come together to make memories that will last a lifetime,” said Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton. “From camping near the Atlantic Ocean or one of the province’s lakes, to other fun outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing, paddling and so much more, Nova Scotia’s beautiful parks and beaches offer something for everyone. That’s why we welcome more than a million visitors to our provincial parks each and every year.”
Most day-use and camping parks are scheduled to open Victoria Day weekend in May with others opening in June.
Because of the anticipated high demand on the reservation system, bookings at the province’s 20 campgrounds will open over three days – April 5-7. A schedule of which campgrounds open their campsite bookings each day is posted on the Nova Scotia provincial parks website at: https://parks.novascotia.ca/make-reservation
People who have not booked through the reservation system before will need to create a username and password. The campsite reservation system is at: https://novascotia.goingtocamp.com/
Before booking, campers are encouraged to make sure their usernames and passwords work and look at additional campgrounds and dates as options in case their first choice is not available.
The Department continues to make infrastructure upgrades to provincial parks, beaches and campgrounds to make them more accessible to more people. Recent improvements include:
— two new accessible campsites and an accessible campers’ shelter at Amherst Shore
— a new accessible park office building with a gender-neutral washroom at Blomidon
— improvements to several comfort stations, washrooms and vault toilets so that they are accessible and gender neutral, including facilities at The Islands (Shelburne), Battery (St. Peter’s), Gulf Shore Beach (Pugwash), Port Maitland Beach, Ellenwood Lake (Deerfield, Yarmouth County), Heathers Beach (Port Howe, Cumberland County), Lake O’Law (North East Margaree) and St. Anns (Baddeck)
— a new accessible fishing dock, picnic shelter and toilet were also added at Lake O’ Law
— accessible toilets and change houses at Clam Harbour Beach
— accessible toilet, change houses and platform at Lawrencetown Beach
— roll-out beach mats and adaptive equipment have been provided at both Caribou-Munroes Island and Melmerby Beach in Pictou County.
Provincial parks will continue to follow all public health guidelines that may be in place.|
Quick Facts:
— 2021 was a record-breaking year for camping at Nova Scotia provincial parks, with more than 91,000 campsite nights booked
— in addition to the 20 camping parks, there are more than 100 day-use and beach parks in Nova Scotia
Additional Resources:
Nova Scotia provincial parks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NSProvincialParks/
Natural Resources and Renewables on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NS_DNRR
