Online campsite scalper shut down by B.C. Parks

A persontrying to make a quick buck scalping reservations at popular Squamish-area campsites has been shut down.

B.C. Parks says it acted on a tip that reservations for Alice Lake and Porteau Cove provincial parks were being flogged online by a reseller.

"A recent situation of possible reservation reselling ... was investigated and confirmed. B.C. Parks cancelled the involved parties' upcoming reservations," said a statement from the Ministry of Environment.

The ministry said the same person was behind both attempted flips.

A Reddit post under the title "And I was wondering why I could never get a campsite reservation," shows someone offering an Alice Lake campsite for $40, plus the reservation fee, on Facebook Marketplace.

Reservations at both Alice Lake and Porteau Cove public campsites are a hot commodity, especially on summer weekends where demand almost always outstrips supply.

Both campsites are about an hour's drive up the Sea-to-Sky Highway from Vancouver.

B.C. Parks says it places a high priority on maintaining fair and equitable access to reservations and advises that campers only purchase campsite reservations from camping.bcparks.ca or an authorized agent.

"If B.C. Parks suspects a reservation holder of reselling, B.C. Parks will do an investigation to confirm the behaviour. If it's found to be true, the reservation holder will have their reservations cancelled, without refund," said the statement.