Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Visitors are encouraged to visit the Parks Canada website dedicated to camping during COVID-19, plan ahead and be well-prepared for their visit.

The health and safety of Canadians, visitors and Parks Canada team members is our top priority. We are only opening places and activities where risks can be managed, according to the advice of public health experts.

Please plan ahead by checking this webpage regularly.

For your safety, at all times, avoid all places, green spaces, day use areas and trails that are closed.

Update for July 30, 2020 – Non-medical masks and face coverings

We strongly encourage all visitors to wear a non-medical mask or face covering when visiting indoor public spaces at any Parks Canada place. See below for details.

Update for July 13, 2020 – Re-opening of some national historic sites

As of July 13, some national historic sites will re-open with limited visitor services. Locations may reduce the number of visitors allowed to enter at one time, to ensure physical distancing. Some areas, rooms or buildings may remain closed for health and safety reasons.

Plan ahead by checking the location’s website before you travel.

Update for June 17, 2020 – Camping resumption

Starting June 22, 2020, Parks Canada will begin to offer some camping services at select national parks and national historic sites across the country. Initially, camping will be available only to visitors with existing reservations. Parks Canada will gradually begin to accept new online reservations for some campgrounds over the coming weeks.

Visitors are encouraged to visit the Parks Canada website dedicated to camping during COVID-19, plan ahead and be well-prepared for their visit.

Update for June 1, 2020 – Gradual reopening of Parks Canada places

Being outdoors and in nature brings a number of health and wellness benefits. It is important that people have access to natural spaces where they can go to get exercise and fresh air in settings that facilitate physical distancing.

Starting June 1, you may be able to access certain Parks Canada locations near you.

This means:

  • Access to some trails, day use areas, and green spaces at some locations will be permitted.
  • Group activities and public events are suspended until further notice.
  • Highways and roadways, which pass through Parks Canada places, remain open.
  • Many trails across the Parks Canada Network are closed for public safety, for the protection of ecological or cultural resources, because of human-wildlife interaction concerns, or limited search and rescue capacity. Please respect these temporary closures.

We will continue to deliver services critical for Canadians, including highway maintenance, fire response, dam operations and water management on historic waterways, avalanche control, among others.

How to visit during COVID-19
Camping during COVID-19

Specific Parks Canada locations

Below, please find the links to specific Parks Canada locations that have special instructions.

Western Canada

British Columbia
Alberta

Canadian Prairies

Saskatchewan
Manitoba

Ontario and Quebec

Ontario
Quebec

Atlantic Canada

Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador

Northern Canada

Yukon
Northwest Territories
Nunavut

Is it safe to visit a Parks Canada place?

Your health, safety and precautions to follow when visiting

The health and safety of visitors, employees, and all Canadians is of the utmost importance. Parks Canada will be following the advice of public health experts and implementing measures for cleaning, hygiene, and physical distancing at all places open for visitation. Only those places where measures can be implemented to minimize healthy and safety risks will be open to the public.

At all times, follow personal public health practices consistently such as frequently cleaning your hands with soap and water, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your sleeve, and respecting physical distancing.

If a Parks Canada place is within a jurisdiction where wearing a non-medical mask or face covering is mandatory, visitors will be asked to follow this requirement.

We strongly encourage all visitors to wear a non-medical mask or face covering when visiting indoor public spaces at any Parks Canada place. An indoor public space is any space with walls and a roof that can be accessed by the members of the public.

Additionally, enjoy parks and sites responsibly:

  • Avoid contact with frequently touched surfaces as much as possible. Carry your own supply of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, toilet paper, and a cover for picnic tables.
  • Let others know of your intention to pass on pathways or trails, so that you can maintain a 2-metre distance from others. Signal others using your voice or a bell. Remember to be kind and considerate of others.
  • Yield to oncoming users where space is narrow. Let others move out of bridges, platforms and other narrow spaces before entering.
  • Step off trails to let others pass where possible. But please try to avoid stepping on vegetation and stay on trails unless letting others pass.
  • Slow down on trails. Speed increases user conflicts and risks of injuries. Adjust your distance from others based on their speed to maintain physical distancing.
  • Be respectful of others. Keep prescribed 2-metre distance from others while lining up, and respect the maximum use capacity in facilities.
  • Pack in and pack out. Keep our places clean, pick up your litter and dispose of it by using appropriate garbage containers or take your waste home.
  • Leave no trace when you visit outdoor spaces. Please take all your garbage with you and help keep our places clean.
  • Abide by all travel advisories.
What is the current situation in Parks Canada?

This is an evolving situation. Visit the Public Health Agency of Canada Coronavirus disease page and the Twitter page of Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, for the latest information.

How to visit during COVID-19

Will there be refunds in light of closures?

Reservations

The camping experience at Parks Canada will be different than in previous years. Visitors are required to have a reservation in order to camp at a Parks Canada place. 

Given current limitations on international travel, existing reservations from international visitors, including visitors from the United States of America, up to and including August 7, 2020, will be cancelled and automatically refunded in full. 

Canadians who plan to travel outside of their home province to camp at or visit a Parks Canada destination must follow the applicable provincial or territorial travel restrictions including any requirements for self-isolation. It is not possible to self-isolate at Parks Canada campgrounds. 

Roofed accommodations such as yurts and oTENTiks will only become available at select locations later in the season. Visitors will have access to some trails, day use areas, green spaces, and some recreational boating. 

Visitors are encouraged to visit the Parks Canada website dedicated to camping during COVID-19, plan ahead and be well-prepared for their visit. 

 

Fees, passes and permits

For current pass holders, Parks Canada will automatically extend the end date of Discovery Passes for the full duration of the suspension period. That means that for each month or part of a month that visitor services are not offered due to Parks Canada's efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, a full month will be added to the end date of the annual pass.

You are encouraged to purchase a Discovery Pass online before your visit as admission fees may be collected at the Parks Canada place you plan to visit.

We are working to ensure that measures are in place to safely collect fees while protecting health and safety. Please plan accordingly and check the pages of Parks Canada places near you for more information.

With increased volume to mail and package delivery services during this global pandemic, shipping timelines cannot be guaranteed. Parks Canada will temporarily accept printed email confirmations that show a valid entry pass or permit. The printed email confirmation can be used until one month from date of purchase or until you receive your pass in the mail.

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Parks Canada and COVID-19

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