Jasper National Park is planning to have camping availability next summer as Parks Canada works to restore the wildfire-damaged sites.
Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, who is also ministerial lead to Jasper, announced at a Thursday (Nov. 15) event most Jasper frontcountry campsites and all backcountry campsites will be open in 2025.
“These grounds host thousands of people, and that will bring much-needed income into the town and, quite frankly, activity to the town again,” Boissonnault said. “And just like we’re prepared to work with Parks Canada and the town to fight forest fires, we’re just as prepared, committed and ready to rebuild and reopen.”
Major frontcountry campgrounds reopening include Whistlers, Miette and several self-registration sites. Wapiti Campground will operate at reduced capacity, while Wabasso and Whirlpool group campgrounds will remain closed for ongoing restoration.
Backcountry camping will be available for booking via the Parks Canada reservation system. Some trailheads, such as Astoria and Wabasso Lake, remain under review for safety assessments.
Jasper National Park is Canada’s second most visited national park, receiving more than 2.4 million visitors annually.
Since last summer’s wildfire, Parks Canada has been steadily reopening areas of the park and will continue to open more when safe to do so. An interactive map is available for real-time updates on open facilities and sites.
Dylan Verbruggen, acting asset manager for Jasper National Park, said a lot of FireSmart work had been done at Whistlers Campground, which helped the site avoid more serious wildfire damage.
“It’s gonna be a little different,” Verbruggen said. “We won’t have that infrastructure of the trees around anymore. In some cases, we are going to try to leave as much as we can and still give some privacy to what people look for when they come.”
For Whistlers alone, Parks Canada will need to replace damaged or destroyed oTENTiks, which are a cross between a tent and an A-frame cabin. It will also remove thousands of damaged trees and replace six garbage cans, 400 picnic tables, 250 campground signs and 84 highway signs.
Although work will slow down in the winter, Verbruggen noted the snow would provide coverage that would limit the damage to the ground.
“The amount of effort that’s been put in is unreal,” he said. “We have teams reaching out across Parks Canada and other groups to help us out. We’ve beefed up our internal trails team and maintenance teams almost to two times what they are.”
Reservations will be available starting in January. Visitors are asked to reserve their campsite ahead of time and plan their trip in advance.
