Surf Alberta campground reservations before pitching tent

Campers can now reserve campgrounds in Alberta through a new provincial online service.

Starting May 1, people can book reservations for more than 2,800 campsites in 25 popular campgrounds in the province. They can also research nearby trails, fire pit locations, proximity to washrooms and see a 360-degree panoramic view of each campsite and campground.

The service is part of Alberta's 10-year plan for parks that was unveiled earlier this month.

"For this first year, we chose some of our most popular campgrounds, many of which are close to major cities and highways. We plan on adding more campgrounds to the online service in the future," said Tourism, Parks and Recreation Minister Cindy Ady on Wednesday.

It cost $8.4 million to set up the first phase of the online reservation service, and a contact centre for online support, said the province. The first year of operation and maintenance will cost about $1.8 million. Phone reservations will still be available.

Harry Chase, the tourism, parks and recreation critic for the Alberta Liberals, raised potential problems with the online service.

"While the $10 fee charged for reserving a camping spot at these sites provides peace of mind for the camper reserving the site, it could be viewed as exclusionary by others," he said on Wednesday. "What is in place to prevent someone from turning a publicly subsidized campground site into their own season-long weekend retreat?"

A provincial survey in 2007 found that almost 80 per cent of Alberta campers said they prefer to use the internet to research campsites.