UPDATE: Parks Canada Suspends Vehicle Access to Parks Canada Locations Across the Country
Parks Canada will be temporarily suspending all visitor services in all national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas to aid Canada’s effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Parks Canada will limit its activities to basic critical operations effective 12:01 a.m. Thursday, March 19, 2020, until further notice.
WHAT IS CLOSED:
- Visitor facilities will be closed temporarily, including washrooms and day-use facilities.
- Some conservation activities will also be temporarily suspended, including projects with external researchers.
- Overnight accommodations and camping facilities, including backcountry camping, are closed until April 30, 2020
- Parks Canada will cease taking new reservations until April 30, 2020. All existing reservations for this period will be refunded in full.
WHAT IS OPEN:
- You can still visit National Parks, as visitors can use the front country and backcountry areas as well as accessible green spaces. Before planning a trip, please visit Important Bulletins on the Parks Canada website to keep up to date about safety warnings and site closures.
- Parks Canada will continue its critical function operations like highway management and snow removal, fire response, dam operations, and water management on historic waterways, as well as avalanche forecasting and control.
- All tourism businesses and operations within Parks Canada places will be open subject to provincial restrictions, like those in Banff National Park. But visitors should check with them before visiting to ensure that there has been no change to their services.
Search and rescue operations will be limited. Hence, visitors should be aware of area closures and are responsible for their own safety.
Parks Canada will be publishing a complete list of Parks Canada places that are closed and the parameters of these closures on the website.