Cypress Hills still has vacancies for May long weekend

Cypress Hills Provincial Park fills with campers every year during the May long weekend, and with May approaching, visitor centre co-ordinator Katy McFayden says spots are going fast.

“We’re already pretty much filled up for our service sites which include things like power, water and sewage,” she said. “We do still have availability in our non-service campgrounds — there’s still plenty of opportunities in those grounds.”

McFayden says anyone looking for a lot can book one at any time.

“We work with a 90-day window for booking,” she said. “If people are planning on camping that weekend, I would advise them to book ahead. There are some first-come, first-served sites but booking is the safest way to go about ensuring you have a place to camp that weekend.”

With the winter season over, McFayden says the campgrounds have weathered well.

“The park is looking really good right now,” she said. “Before the campgrounds open up for the year we go through them and look for fallen trees and any other damage — this year we haven’t seen too much of it thankfully.”

McFayden says there is one big addition this year, with five new cabins being added to Firerock Campground.

“These cabins are a bit of a pilot project and we do not have a booking system for them yet — we’re really hoping to have them available for booking in May,” she said. “They’re not quite comfort-camping, but they’re not bare bones. The cabins accommodate four people and have the basic things you would expect if you had a trailer — people still need to bring bedding and important things like that.”

All campgrounds in Cypress Hills Provincial Park will have an alcohol and liquor ban from May 18-22, meaning there is an absolute no liquor rule in all camp sites.

“We’re pretty strict about anyone having or drinking alcohol that weekend,” she said.