Manitoba Camping Association

10 CAMPINGINMANITOBA May 3, 2014 By Jim Timlick For the Free Press D espite enduring the worst winter in more than a century, Manitobans don't appear to have lost any of their love for the great outdoors. Tracy Elbourne, head of recreation programming for Manitoba Parks, said online reservations for provincial campgrounds this spring have been comparable to those from other recent years and are indicative of a trend that has seen reservations steadily increase since the mid-1990s. "It continues to be a positive trend. We have to make sure we have a product people value and I think most Manitobans do value provincial parks," Elbourne said. Visitors to Manitoba's more than 50 provincial campgrounds will notice plenty of upgrades this summer, including everything from new, state- of-the-art yurts to electrical outlets and flood-proofed washrooms and change facilities. Provincial officials say it's all part of an effort to continually improve Manitoba's aging network of provincial campgrounds. "There has been a renewed focus (on improvements) in the last couple of years. We have a very old parks system and it requires a lot of care and attention. We know parts of our system need additional work," Elbourne said. That was never more obvious than in 2011 when flooding caused severe damage to half a dozen camp sites including Kiche Manitou in Spruce Woods Provincial Park and Watchorn Provincial Park on the eastern shore of Lake Manitoba. Following three years of exhaustive rehabilitative efforts, the lower portions of those two campgrounds are set to reopen this summer. Watchorn is scheduled to reopen to the public June 20 while Kiche Manitou will reopen June 27. "We're very pleased to be able to bring these campgrounds back and offer them to our campers. There has been a lot of public interest (in both)," Elbourne said. Visitors to will notice plenty of changes to the campgrounds at Watchorn including new washrooms and change rooms. In addition, some campsites have been reconfigured to allow trailer access to the water and walk-in campsites have been added to provide campers with more privacy. Tulabi Falls campground in Nopiming Provincial Park, regarded as an entranceway to Manitoba's wilderness, will welcome some modern technology this summer. Electricity is now be available at a number of campsites in the park. "Certainly, a lot of people want a power source. Even tenters want an electrical source for their coffee pot or to charge their cellphone," Elbourne said. "For many years we simply couldn't extend hydro into the park. It was only in the last few years we were able to bring in sufficient power to offer (electricity)." One of the most talked about upgrades to Manitoba provincial campgrounds is expected to be the addition of six new yurts – circular, one-room dwellings that are a cross between a house and tent – on the shoreline of Child's Lake campground in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. The yurts were opened to the public late last year and have already received rave reviews, according to Elbourne. "The reaction was very positive," she said. "It's a beautiful setting. You are basically on the shore looking out on a beautiful lake and trees. "Yurts are an extremely popular facility. Our occupancy rate during the camping season is well over 90 per cent. They're hugely popular across all groups of campers." While some of these improvements will be hard to ignore, Elbourne said many others that are part of Parks Manitoba's regular maintenance program aren't likely to be noticed by campers. "We work very hard to keep the product fresh and appealing. There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes most people will not notice and these improvements are ongoing," she said. "Our regional staff work very hard to make sure our campgrounds are well maintained." Regardless of the changes happening at provincial campgrounds, one of the things that remains the same is who is using them. Elbourne said familiescontinuetobetheprimaryusergroupofprovincialcampgrounds and that bodes well for the future when many of today's youngsters will have their own families. Many upgrades unveiled this spring at provincial campgrounds Clockwise from above: Spruce Woods Provincial Park; Child's Lake yurts in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. The yurts became available to the public in August 2013; Spirit Sands Trail in Spruce Woods Provincial Park. Manitoba Parks photos

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