Campers have asked for it for ages, and fall camping is now officially happening. In a press release dated Aug.28, Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Tom Nevashonoff announced the news. “The public has told us they want more time to explore the great outdoors in many parts of our province and we want to find ways to make that happen,” Minister Nevakshonoff said. “We know that fall can offer beautiful weather and scenery, so we want to give hardy campers an opportunity to extend their camping season.”
The new fall camping has been added on a trail basis in different locations across the province including Paint Lake Provincial Park. Service is said to vary by location, and campers should be prepared to bring their own firewood and drinkable water.
Linda Horner, District Park Supervisor for Conversation and Water Stewardship says the fall camping season is great, since many campers have wanted one for years now. She hopes to continue being full service until the end of the season. “I can see it being very weather dependant. Fall is sometimes beautiful, and then snowing the next day. We’ll see how it goes.”
Horner noted because of this announcement she will have to quickly hire some more staff. “A lot of the staff I have, have gone back to university. They’re going back to school, which is understandable, so I need to find some more people to work.”
Steve Ashton, MLA for Thompson says this has been a long time coming. “The key message from a lot of people has been that we have really great camping facilities, and the weather is certainly been pretty decent well into September. A lot of people wanted an extension, and that’s what’s going to happen.”
Ashton says Nevashonoff recognized the fact that we do have colder weather in the north, but camping is still a possibility in the fall, which Ashton is happy about.
The main campground will be open until Sept. 20, while the Lakeview campground will stay open until thanksgiving.
