Scott Hayes | [email protected]
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Jasper National Park has been providing free camping to those people escaping wildfires in the Northwest Territories and southern British Columbia.
This is not a new offer.
"This offer was also extended to the displaced residents in Yellowhead County during wildfire evacuations there in the spring of 2023," said Janelle Verbruggen, Parks Canada communications officer with the Jasper Field Unit.
In the last two weeks, 27 evacuees have camped in local campgrounds as the evacuations began. A vehicle count at the gates revealed 80 families (equivalent to one family per vehicle) and 20 individuals for a total of 100 vehicles came through Jasper National Park from Aug. 18 until Tuesday.
"The most important thing we'd like to get across is free stays are based on availability in Jasper National Park,” Verbruggen said.
“Many campgrounds are booked months in advance, especially in August and September. Also, as the nights begin to get cooler, campgrounds that remain open through September really do have high occupancy rates in those coveted electrical and full hookup sites. Those are going to be the hardest to come by for sure."
People are encouraged to check online for vacancies including JasperNow. There, people can learn about first-come, first-serve sites.
“It'll let you know the occupancy on those so that's a great one to check before making the trip,” Verbruggen said.
For those who can't find a site or otherwise wish to be closer to major evacuee centres in Edmonton and St. Albert, Elk Island National Park is also an option.
Verbruggen reports that nobody has taken up on that offer yet.
"It's nice to have a free campsite but it's also great to have meal services and other things that are offered through the evacuation centres."
Otherwise, Jasper National Park is a great choice for proximity to those coming in from Yellowknife, she said.
"We're happy to help. This is the least that we can do for people that are in probably one of the most stressful periods of their entire life. There's a lot of unknowns, and we really want to open our doors."
Any evacuee wishing to take advantage of the free space at any national park should check the reservation system and JasperNow to learn further information on the availability of services.
Verbruggen added that anybody who wishes to cancel their existing reservation (in any national park in British Columbia and Alberta) to make room for evacuees can do so through the Parks Canada reservation system. A full refund will be provided.
