Sold out campsites and full parks continue to be reality in Waterloo region

Sold out campsites and conservation areas closing their gates after reaching capacity have become the norm in Waterloo region this summer.

Bingemans campground along the Grand River in Kitchener sold out its seasonal camp spaces — areas that can be booked for weeks or months at a time — in June. That's faster than normal, according to president Mark Bingeman. 

Part of the reason is the number of camp spaces on offer had been cut in half. The park usually has more than 300 spaces, but now only every other campsite is being booked to keep campers distanced.

Since the seasonal campsites are sold out, some campers are being moved to short-term camping areas, although those sites are also sold out most weekends, according to Bingeman.

"Season got off to a slow start because camping was delayed," said Bingeman.  "And once people got more comfortable, it ramped up."

Seasonal camping began on May 19 and short-term camp sites opened June 12 at Bingemans.

Campers are even starting to make a dent in next year's calendar by booking spots for 2021, said Bingeman.

GRCA campsites also full

Grand River Conservation Authority campsites have also been sold out most weekends, according to GRCA spokesperson Cam Linwood.

"When we see our parks hit capacity, it's on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday," said Linwood.

Capacity differs from park to park and is based on how the park is used. For example, parks with beaches can hit capacity more quickly because people are less spread out than at a park that's primarily used for hiking.

Belwood Lake, Rockwood Conservation Area and Pinehurst Lake tend to reach capacity more quickly than other parks because of their beaches, according to Linwood.

'Challenges of the pandemic'

"We're certainly operating at a reduced capacity but that hasn't reduced demand at our parks," Linwood said. 

"Given the relatively warm summer and relatively dry summer we've had, we are seeing a number of people want to get outdoors. And that's probably indicative of the challenges of the pandemic and people wanting to get outside."

Minto Shneider, the CEO of Explore Waterloo Region, has also noticed how busy it has been at parks and campsites this summer. 

But she points out that the hotel industry in the region is still struggling and anybody who's having trouble finding campsite availability should look there.

"We have hotels and they have space and we would love to put people up," said Shneider.

"We're operating at occupancies that are probably 60 to 70 per cent less than what we would be operating at at this time of the year."