BC Parks day passes required for three areas in 2022

Summer is officially right around the corner, and if you’re planning on spending any of it in three popular parks near the Lower Mainland, you’ll need a day pass.

BC Parks is once again bringing in day-use pass requirements for Garibaldi, Golden Ears, and Joffre Lakes — what it describes as three of its busiest.

The passes will be required as of June 17.

You’ll be able to book passes starting at 7 a.m. two days in advance of when you want to visit.

“Some of our most popular parks regularly experience high visitor volumes, resulting in crowded trails and facilities, packed parking lots, impacts to park environments and wildlife, local community concerns, and safety issues,” BC Parks writes on its website, adding the program was brought in to address these issues.

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Day-use passes were first implemented at the start of the pandemic, when many people were looking to get outdoors amid lockdowns. The passes provided the province with a tool to be able to manage crowds.

The passes are free and can only be reserved online through the BC Parks website. Each person is required to have their own, though you’ll only need one vehicle pass for a maximum of eight people.

Last year, the program was in place for five busy parks — Garibaldi, Golden Ears, Mount Robson, Stawamus Chief, and Joffre Lakes.

Changes after criticisms

The initial pilot project in 2021 didn’t come without its criticisms, especially when the passes were only available for reservation starting at 6 a.m. the same day. Some critics and backcountry advocates had said the tight turnaround didn’t give people time to plan their trips.

BC Parks said the system could be adjusted if it wasn’t working, with various changes brought in over the years.

In survey results posted by BC Parks, more than 11,000 Discover Camping account holders shared their opinions to help the agency rejig its system.

Overall, 43 per cent of respondents said the booking process was fairly easy to navigate, while 36 per cent said it was somewhat challenging in 2020. When it comes to the same-day booking system in the program’s initial year, 77 per cent of people surveyed said it affected their trip preparations, while only 23 per cent said it didn’t make a difference.