A blanket of snow may cover local campgrounds, but that hasn’t stopped outdoor enthusiasts from planning ahead for the warm months to come.
Some area residents hoping to secure a seasonal spot at various Manitoba campgrounds – including Bakers Narrows, Gyles and Weksusko Falls – have submitted application forms and are now waiting for the draw.
Manitobans have until Friday, Feb. 6 to submit their application in hopes of securing a spot for the 2015 camping season. A draw is held for each campground as there are often more applicants than available sites.
Bakers Narrows offers 28 electrical seasonal camping sites, but Flin Flonner Tamara Johnson says there are usually well over 100 families vying for a spot.
For the past three camping seasons, Johnson and her family have put in applications for the Bakers Narrows and Cranberry Portage campgrounds.
The mother of two says the family was lucky in their first year as they were selected 19th in the draw.
This year, the family hopes to secure a spot again.
A draw will be made around Feb. 20 to determine who will be camping seasonally at Bakers. A campsite selection meeting will be held at the Conservation Office in Flin Flon on Mar. 17 for those who were drawn to choose a site.
Campsites are selected based on the draw numbers. The Johnsons, for instance, were drawn 19th, so they were 19th to select their spot.
The process continues until all 28 spots have been selected.
At Gyles Campground, the draw date will be similar to that of Bakers Narrows, but the selection meeting will be held at the Cranberry Portage Legion Hall on Apr. 8. There are 25 basic seasonal spots available at Gyles.
The Wekusko Falls selection meeting will be held in Snow Lake at the Seniors Centre on Apr. 15. Wekusko Falls has nine basic and 25 seasonal campsites available.
Whether or not her family gets a seasonal campsite, Johnson says they will be camping this summer.
For those who put a bid in for a seasonal campsite but do not get drawn, camping is still an option at Bakers Narrows as well as other provincial parks.
Campers are not entitled to stay in the same campsite location for the entire summer, but campers and equipment can be moved from site to site in two-week increments.
Johnsons is most looking forward to the outdoors and being with her family – “sitting by a fire in the evening with the kids, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs.”
Manitoba campgrounds are open from May 15 through to Sept. 7.
On the Saskatchewan side, draws for the 21 provincial parks will be made today as the deadline for applications was last Monday.
