You'll soon need to book a day pass to access these B.C. provincial parks
Joffre Lakes in B.C. is seen in this undated image. (Shutterstock)
Anyone looking to get the perfect shot of Joffre Lakes for their Instagram this spring has only two weeks left to make an unscheduled visit to the popular provincial park.
Beginning May 6, day-use passes will once again be required to access the internet-famous park and its turquoise blue lakes.
Two other provincial parks – Golden Ears Provincial Park in Maple Ridge and Garibaldi Provincial Park between Whistler and Squamish – will also be subject to the day pass system beginning on June 14.
The program was first introduced as a pilot in 2020 to reduce the number of people visiting some parks during the COVID-19 pandemic. It initially applied to seven popular parks, but was reduced to five when it returned in 2021, and then to three last year.
May 6 is the earliest the day passes have ever been required for a B.C. park. Previous years' programs began in June or later.
HOW TO BOOK A DAY-USE PASS
BC Parks makes day-use passes available for free on its website, starting at 7 a.m. two days before a scheduled visit.
Prospective park visitors are encouraged to print or download their passes onto their phones, as cell service is limited in some parks.
"Cancelling passes is possible and encouraged if people do not intend to use them so others can access the benefits of time in nature," the provincial government said in a news release Thursday.
Passes for Garibaldi and Golden Ears parks are issued by vehicle, with different passes for specific trailhead parking lots – Diamond Head, Rubble Creek and Cheakamus – in Garibaldi park.
Passes are not required after 4 p.m. at Golden Ears park.
At Joffre Lakes, passes are issued for individual trail users.
According to the province, more than 203,000 free passes were booked between June and October of last year.
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