With Canada Day falling mid-week this year, the manager of Golden Ears Provincial Park is expecting large volumes of visitors from Thursday and throughout the weekend.
Stu Burgess, operations manager for both Golden Ears and Rolley Lake Provincial Parks, said they are already trying to keep up with large numbers of visitors to the park, in addition to preparing to implement the campfire ban, that goes into effect at noon on Wednesday, June 30.
“We’ll be increasing patrols to ensure compliance with the campfire ban,” warned Burgess, adding that offenders will be subject to a violation ticket of $1,150 and will be removed from the park for putting so many peoples safety in jeopardy.
Campsites, he said, have been full since last weekend and they have been receiving many more mid-week day-users than usual – even with the record-setting heat.
“We expect to be extremely busy over the coming weekend with cooler temperatures bringing more people outdoors,” noted Burgess.
Over the Easter long weekend more than 10,000 vehicles filed through the gates of the park. The average for the whole month is around 18,000.
And the day-pass system is back for entry into the park.
READ MORE: 2nd year of day passes required for entry into 5 provincial parks launches in B.C.
The B.C. parks pass system, first implemented last year to regulate the amount of visitors, started again on Wednesday, June 23. This year there is an extended booking time where visitors can now book 7 a.m. the day prior to their arrival.
“The day-use passes are going well so far,” continued Burgess.
Staff will be conducting checks for passes on the main road during peak arrival periods, in addition to doing random check in the parking lots at other times.
READ MORE: Starting July 27, visitors must have a day pass for Golden Ears Provincial Park
Burgess also reminded that park visitors don’t need a day-use pass if they arrive at the park after 4 p.m.
BC AdventureSmart will also be in the park over the weekend, he said, to provide safety information to hikers and backcountry campers and promote awareness of how important it is to be properly prepared before heading up the trail.
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