Site-saving still a problem at Yukon campgrounds, says ombudsman

The Yukon government says some new initiatives seem to have made a dent in the number of people breaking campground rules by saving sites days before they intend to use them.

But the territory's ombudsman says more still needs to be done to make sure things are fair for all campers.

The territory adopted a new rule a few years ago, saying that occupied campsites in territorial parks can't be left unattended for more than 24 hours. The rule was meant to prevent people from trying to reserve sites by doing things like pitching a tent and then leaving it for days until they return to actually camp.

For years, that sort of site saving was common, especially at campgrounds close to Whitehorse and in the days preceding a summer long weekend. And according to a recent report from the Yukon ombudsman's office, it's still an issue.

"If anecdotal comments by the public are to be believed, then site saving is a long-term irritant, exists 'everywhere', and is not enforced very well," the ombudsman's report, released last week, reads.

"Site saving continues to be a problem, especially in the context of not enough campsites and too much demand."

The ombudsman's decision to investigate the issue was prompted by a complaint received last year, and "due to broad public interest."

Site saving, according to the ombudsman, is unfair in that it ignores the territory's "first come, first served" approach to campsite reservations, and it prevents other people from actually using a site.

The ombudsman's office found that despite the territory's 24-hour rule for unoccupied campsites, people aren't always observing that rule. Part of the problem, the report says, is a lack of effective monitoring and enforcement by the territory's parks department.

"The department's inability to comprehensively track site saving is problematic in the context of accountability, transparency, and consistency, thus creating a climate of unfairness," said deputy ombudsman Tara Martin, in a statement.

The ombudsman made a series of recommendations for the parks department, including the adoption of a new system for tracking complaints and monitoring enforcement. The new system, called the Authorization, Inspections, Monitoring, and Enforcement System (AIMES), is already being developed by the government and the ombudsman says it should be rolled out by next summer.  

AIMES is intended to make it easier to keep more accurate data about campground use, and issues and complaints. 

"What that'll do is allow our rangers and officers to put information in real time into a system so we'll be able to track something that's going on in the campgrounds, including site saving," said Shannon Trott, director of Yukon Parks.

The ombudsman also highlighted some changes that have already been implemented since 2023, when it received the formal complaint — including a new site-reservation system being piloted at some campgrounds, and a "visitor operator program" which has people serving as parks representatives while stationed at the Wolf Creek, Marsh Lake or Pine Lake campgrounds.

"'Eyes on the ground' apparently discourages this practice [of site saving]," the report notes.

According to Trott, both those new initiatives, launched last year, are having an impact. She said that the number of site-saving incidents dropped from around two dozen per year to just six last year.

"Putting that [reservation system] into action, into pilot, we believe is a huge factor in lowering the amount of site saving that we are now seeing," Trott said.