Visitors can now get free passes to access 6 B.C. parks

Cypress, Golden Ears, Mount Robson, Mount Seymour, and Stawamus Chief have a required time of arrival for the visitors, but those who wanted to go to Garibaldi can do so at any time of the day. (File photo: iwona_kellie/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

Those who are planning to visit some popular provincial parks in British Columbia can now obtain a day-use pass through the Discover Camping website.

Taking effect on Monday, July 27, visitors are required to have the day-use passes, which are free of charge, to be able to access the following parks and trails: Mount Robson Park: Berg Lake Trail; Stawamus Chief Park: Chief Peaks Trail; Cypress Park: upper mountain trails, including the Howe Sound Crest Trail, Hollyburn Mountain Trails and the Black Mountain Plateau trails; Mount Seymour Park: upper mountain trails including the Seymour Main Trail, Dog Mountain Trail and Mystery Lake Trail; Garibaldi Park: trailheads at Diamond Head, Rubble Creek and Cheakamus; and Golden Ears Park: all trails and day-use areas.

The free pass system, introduced by the B.C. government last week, is aimed at managing the number of people going to these parks to ensure their safety and meet health and safety guidelines implemented amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“People in B.C. love the outdoors, but some of our most popular parks are experiencing a high number of visitors, resulting in crowded facilities, packed parking lots and safety issues, such as parking along the highway,” Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy George Heyman said in a news release.

The passes are available daily beginning at 6:00 a.m. It cannot be transferred to another date, time or location, and cannot be shared to anyone beyond the group reserved.

Visitors should also carry a copy of their passes, whether printed or downloaded on their mobile phones, at all times while they are in the park.

Cypress, Golden Ears, Mount Robson, Mount Seymour, and Stawamus Chief have a required time of arrival for the visitors, but those who wanted to go to Garibaldi can do so at any time of the day.

Bruce Passmore, executive director of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, B.C. chapter, has previously said they “strongly support” the reopening of the six popular provincial parks, and that they welcome the B.C. government’s pass program as it will help them “manage overcrowding in certain areas and strengthen our opportunity to protect vital ecosystems.”

For further information regarding the pass reservation system, you can visit www.bcparks.ca/reserve/day-use/.

For passes reservation, kindly go to www.discovercamping.ca/bccweb/. Do not forget to create an account first!