Campers in British Columbia can now opt-in to be notified about campsite availability.

The ‘notify me’ feature allows prospective campers to receive email notifications when a previously booked campsite becomes available, the province said in a news release Friday (June 30).

The feature allows for signing up to receive as many as five alerts for any dates at reservable campsites. Once a desired site becomes available, a notification that it’s ready to book is sent.

‘Notify me’ is one part of the ongoing improvements being made to the digital services for B.C. parks. In 2022, more than 300,000 reservations were booked, alongside 60,000 cancellations—most of which occurred within two weeks of the reserved date, the province said.

READ MORE: Grab your weenie-roasting sticks, BC Parks’ campsite reservations are up for grabs

“British Columbians have told us how disappointed they are when a campsite in their favourite campground is not available, and we – and they – also know there are thousands of cancelled camping reservations each year,” Environment Minister George Heyman said.

For the 2023 season, campsites can be booked up to four months in advance, and to meet demand, eight additional campgrounds that were not previously reservable have been added to the system. Campers can now reserve at Gwillim Lake Park near Chetwynd, Yahk Park near the Kingsgate border crossing and Allison Lake Park near Princeton.

“We’ve worked hard to find a fair way to give people a second chance at their first choices. Receiving a notification email does not guarantee a campsite, but it does provide a simple way for people to keep track of desired camping opportunities when cancellations occur,” Heyman said.

Reservations can be made on the B.C. parks website.