BC’s Camping Site Got Bombarded By 50K People This Morning & It’s ‘Unprecedented’

Talk about unhappy campers. Prospective campers were in for a rough start this morning when they discovered tens of thousands of others had the same idea. B.C.'s campground booking website was overrun by thousands on thousands of excited locals ready for a weekend out. Even though tons got their bookings, others were left frustrated as the website experienced heavy delays.

A spokesperson from the B.C. Ministry of Environment told Narcity that, as of around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 25, roughly 17,000 people had booked campsites. The website came online at 7 a.m. that morning.

"We've got 17,000 and climbing currently," he said. "They've been processing 10 reservations a second right now. And the demand is unprecedented."

While he didn't say how many people were on the site at the time we spoke, he said there were 50,000 people on the site right when it opened in the morning.

For people who weren't so lucky to get their bookings in time, they were confronted with heavy delays and frustration. Many took to social media, claiming the website had crashed.

"The system did not crash, it has not crashed," said the Environment Ministry. "The system has dealt with an incredible amount of volume this morning and it's experiencing delays."

"BC's Discover Camping reservation system is failing hard right now," wrote one user on Twitter.

"Had a plan, got up early, logged in and spent more than an hour hitting website error after error after error and still haven't been able to make a single booking. Boo!"

You can start booking campsites starting today, but you won't be able to go until after Monday, June 1 when the sites actually start opening. BC Parks recently announced that only B.C. residents will be allowed to camp in the province this summer.

"New reservations made after May 25th found to be made by non-BC residents will be subject to immediate cancellation without refund," reads a statement on their site.

Campgrounds will look different when they reopen. Fewer sites will be available to help with social distancing, according to a statement shared with Narcity, and group campsites and areas like hot springs or communal cabins will be closed for the time being.

But that hasn't stopped people from trying to snag a spot. If your booking gets through, you might find a different world of camping waiting for you.