The busy summer camping season launched last week with a new passport program that offers British Columbians - especially families - one more reason to visit B.C. parks this summer, Environment Minister Terry Lake announced.
The BC Parks 100 Passport - available free at participating provincial parks and visitor centres -offers kids of all ages a chance to collect stamps and win prizes by visiting provincial parks.
The passport program, which runs until Sept. 30, is the latest incentive for families to get out and enjoy B.C. parks. On May 3, the Province eliminated parking fees in all provincial parks to help make them more accessible.
Along with the chance to collect stickers and win awards, the passport includes advice on trip- planning, special offers and information about events and activities taking place in B.C. parks this summer.
Two new on-line tools are also now available to help people plan their park experience. The Discover Camping system (www.discover camping.ca) lets you book campsites in advance and a new Google Maps overlay at www.bcparks.ca links you directly to individual park websites. The passport also includes a high-tech feature linking directly to parks information on-line.
Smartphone users can scan an embedded barcode, called a QR code, on the back cover to go straight to the BC Parks 100 webpage.
"BC parks are an affordable, convenient way to get out and explore B.C. this summer," said Lake in a news release. "We made parks more accessible for families by making parking free, and now we're giving families another incentive to visit one of the 999 parks and protected areas across the province."
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