Celebrating Parks Day with family fun, upgrades

Happy campers celebrate Alberta parks.

Canada’s Parks Day is being celebrated nationwide July 21. More than 30 parks across Alberta will host pancake breakfasts and barbecues for the public as well as fun activities such as sandcastle-building competitions, scavenger hunts, obstacle courses and nature walks.

“Parks Day is a day to celebrate the incredible opportunities our parks provide for Albertans, whether it’s hiking, biking, camping or just getting out of town for some peace and quiet. Our provincial parks also play an important role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem and protecting critical wildlife habitats. This Parks Day, I’m so pleased to announce our government is continuing to invest in Alberta’s provincial parks system to ensure Alberta families and visitors have an amazing and quality outdoors experience for generations to come.”

The Government of Alberta is investing $37 million in capital upgrades to provincial parks in 2018-19. This ongoing investment will support improved and expanded campsites, more full-service RV sites, new recreation options and trail redevelopment, as well as creating more accessible experiences for visitors with limited mobility.

Capital upgrade projects

• Loop expansion at Boulton Creek Campground in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.
• Recreational day use and trailhead development at Barrier Lake Dam in Bow Valley Provincial Park.
• Trails redevelopment at Cypress Hills Provincial Park.
• Accessibility upgrades at William Watson Lodge in Peter Lougheed Park.
• Campground upgrades at Gregoire Lake Provincial Park.
• Redevelopment at Pinehurst Lake Campground.
• Upgrade and expansion to the group recreation use space at Beaver Lake Provincial Recreation Area.
• Beaver Mines Lake boat launch refurbishment and Bovin Lake huts in Castle Provincial Park.

Funding for this year also includes $20 million for maintenance and renewal funding, which supports upgrades and refurbishments on existing projects across Alberta, including roads, water and sewer line upgrades, visitor centres, and new showers and washrooms.

As Alberta continues to invest in parks renewal and new parks experiences, more and more visitors are choosing Alberta as their outdoors destination. Camping reservations have jumped by roughly 17 per cent in recent years, from 100,345 reservations in June 2015 to a record 117,340 in June 2018.

In honour of Parks Day, Albertans are invited to download the I Love Alberta Parks template, write a message, snap a photo, and then share it with Alberta Parks on social media using #ILoveABparks. Alberta parks will be sharing the photos on Facebook and Twitter throughout the summer.

Visit the Alberta Parks website for a complete schedule of Parks Day events.