May long weekend camping a no-go in all national and Alberta parks

For all the May long weekend dreamers, the hope of national and provincial park camping has officially been dashed.

All national park reservations up to May 31 are being automatically cancelled and Parks Canada won't be taking any new reservations until at least June 1, according to a news release.

On Friday,Alberta Parks followed suit and announced that it would automatically cancelall pre-booked camping until after the Victoria Day statutory holiday, which is on May 18. People with bookings through May 19 will receive emailednotification of cancellations.

A Parks Canada spokesperson said Canadians typically viewthe May long weekend as the start of the summer season.

"There's lots of people that want to come to their places and it's sort of a right of passage for them," Ed Jager, director of visitor experience,told CBC on Thursday. "We feel their disappointment."

Refunds for both national and provincial park bookings will take weeks. Alberta Parks adds that refunds may be done through multiple transactions, with reimbursement of camping fees done separately from reservation fees.

Canada closed its national parks to visitors on March 25 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highways through national parks have remained open but all parking facilities and associated services for visitors including washrooms, day-use areas, visitor centres, and mooring are closed until further notice.

All camping facilities are affected by the ban, including backcountry camping, oTENTiks and other roofed accommodations.

Alberta's provincial parks and public recreation areas have been under similar restrictions, with vehicle access suspended to parking lots and staging areas on public land and visitor services, such as washrooms, closed.

No guaranteeof June camping, either

Jager said there is no guarantee that parks will reopen in Juneand stressed that when things do reopen, it will be done on an incremental basis.

"There's not going to be an instantaneous moment where everything's closed and the next day it's all open," hesaid. "There's going to be a shift in what is no longer closed and what is open to visitors and can be used."

The Friday announcement from Alberta Parks was similarly hesitanton future plans, which itsays are dependant on the province's assessment of health and public safety risk from COVID-19.

But Alberta hasn't entirely shut the tent door on eager campers.

"Dispersed random camping on public land is currently permitted, but further restrictions may be necessary in the future as the COVID-19 situation continues to unfold," Friday's new release said.

There are current fire and recreational off-highway vehicle bansin place in the Forest Protection Area.

The news release also notes that random campers must follow the COVID-19 prevention directions, including physical distancing and no mass gatherings.