The May long weekend marks the start of camping season
As the first long weekend of the summer arrives, so does the start of camping season in Ontario.
At Calabogie Lakeside Camping and RV Resort in Calabogie, Ont, they are fully booked for the Victoria Day weekend.
"All the transit sites are fully booked, our seasonal sites are fully booked, so we're looking forward to a good season," says owner Sylvain Goudreault.
In 2021, weekend campsites were booked through the entire season before the warm weather even arrived. Despite travel restrictions easing in 2022, the demand for camping remains high.
"I know Labour Day we're fully booked," says Goudreault. "Canada Day I would assume we're fully booked. But again, we get cancellations so it's always a good thing to check in."
Driving two hours from Clarence Creek, east of Ottawa, Christine and Serge Page managed to secure a spot for their RV in Calabogie this weekend.
"This year actually was a challenge to book camping for weekends," says Christine. "It's busy and a lot of the campgrounds were booked solid."
The Page's say they tour around the province, visiting a new campground most weekends. But due to the sky-high price of fuel they are deciding to dial back the road trip.
"We will be doing less camping this summer because of the cost of diesel," Christine tells CTV News. "But we're still going to do it and we're still going on our summer holidays."
At Bayview Resort in White Lake, the cost of an overnight campsite is $70, making it $210 to stay over the long weekend. That's a cheap weekend for the Williams' who are not worried about gas and hauling their trailer from Stittsville.
"Because we're so close to home it's not too big of a deal, and that's why we picked this park instead of going somewhere that's two hours away," says Julie Williams.
Bayview Resort has 180 seasonal camping spots, 11 overnight sites, 12 cottages, and four chalets for rent. Campground owner Walter Geisser says all of them are booked up for the May long weekend.
"They didn't want to pull their trailers too far, and we have that advantage," Geisser tells CTV News. "We're close to the city. Kanata is 40 minutes from here."
With their camper now parked, the only thing the Williams will have to worry about burning through is logs on the fire and burgers on the grill.
"We're very excited," says Williams. "We're here to relax, have some fun; we're meeting some friends here in a couple hours. It's going to be a great weekend."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.