The unofficial start of summer arrives in Saskatchewan on Thursday, when campgrounds open in provincial parks in advance of the Victoria Day long weekend.
“That’s kind of the fun part about this weekend,” Larry Schiefner, the executive director for the visitor experience branch with the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, said during an appearance on 980 CJME’s Greg Morgan Morning Show.
“It’s the opening weekend for our provincial park campgrounds and our day-use areas, so it’s an exciting time for the campers who want to get out there and have that first camping experience for the year.”
Campers can camp at a discounted rate for the next five weeks, too.
From Thursday’s opening day until June 24, campers can save $5 a night on the rental of any electric, non-electric or economy site. It’s the first time that offer has been made.
According to the ministry, campsites are still available in many provincial parks. Nightly reservations can be made here.
The province once again has issued a ban on alcohol in campgrounds for the long weekend, but there is a change this year. For the first time, cannabis also is being banned.
“The alcohol and cannabis ban applies to all campgrounds and picnic areas within the provincial parks and recreation sites,” Schiefner said. “This ban is also in effect for several regional parks.”
Cottages, rental cabins and businesses are exempt from the ban. More information about it can be found here.
Mother Nature could have something to say about campers’ experiences this weekend. Schiefner noted that the weather so far this spring may have an impact on the services available in different parks around the province.
“Some of the parks will be quite open and ready to go, especially in the south,” he said. “Maybe some of the more northern parks won’t have as many services open.
“There may even still be ice on the lake in some of those northern parks, so there will be varying degrees of services available just based on the weather.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a corrected version of this story. It reflects the $5 discount on the normal costs of sites during the long weekend.