Weather whiplash opens camping season, as snow gives way to fire bans

Those planning to camp this weekend may want to double check their packing lists and campgrounds, as Saskatchewan’s weather switches from one extreme to the next.

Less than two weeks ago parts of the province were buried under snow, but now a growing number of fire bans are popping up.

It’s a “jarring” switch in weather, according to Matthew Siemens, who runs the SaskLakes webpage. The site provides the latest information on lake conditions and fire bans.

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According to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, by 1:45 p.m. Thursday, 50 bans were in place, including a provincial park, 33 rural municipalities, and 16 urban municipality fire bans.

Siemens’s website, which updates throughout the day, had the number of active fire bans at 57.

In terms of what that means for a packing list, Siemens said there isn’t a hard-and-fast set of rules because municipalities and parks all have different standards for what’s acceptable.

“So, the real takeaway is you really have to look at the source of where you’re going in general,” he said.

Normally, a contained barbecue or camp stove is fine to bring, according to Siemens. For provincial parks, specifically, he said self-contained gas heating or cooking devices, like fire-pit barbecues, pellet barbecues, and smokers, are fine.

The fire bans may take more of a toll on what you get around the parks in.

“ATVs and UTVs and like off-road vehicles, they aren’t universally banned, but a number of the fire bans will call them out directly,” he said, noting that the hot exhaust from vehicles can create dangerous conditions in areas with tall grass.

While fire bans continue to be posted, some campgrounds haven’t even had their water turned on yet because everything was still frozen so recently.

“You can’t even get water out of the taps,” Siemens said.

“You’re either like boiling water or you got to make sure you’re bringing your own,” he continued, calling it a “weird situation.”

While Siemens didn’t want to say that camping conditions have been ruined just weeks after starting, he admitted that having fire bans changes the experience, from logistics about boiling water and meal-planning to losing the classic end-of-night campfire experience as the sun sets over the lake, Siemens said.