Go Where Your Spirit Takes You! But Are You Really Camping?

Or, are you simply staying at an extremely expensive,for you, “Real Time”, Modern, U-Supply room facility, high profit-for the government- or more likely as of late, private (more fraudulent, illegal, criminal, government scamming)-RV/Trailer Court/Mobile Motel/Gravelled over Trailer Court; loosely disguised as a federal, or provincial, publicly(all Canadians, young or old) owned park?

Since my original posting,  I have received several E-mails on or about this subject. Please do not get me wrong; I have absolutely nothing against the establishment of parks, national or provincial. But, what was that original concept?

Definition

A national park is a reserve of natural or semi-natural land, owned by the citizenship (supposed, difference between a dictatorship and/or the United States of The Americas' version of  communism as compared to democracy), of a, usually democratic, sovereign state; declared or set aside by their administrative and/or representative government, for human recreation and enjoyment, plus animal and environmental protection. SUPPOSEDLY, they were to be kept, as closely as possible, in a pristine, natural state; restricted from most-especially real estate and natural resource development (commercial fisheries, land development, mining, and forestry).

 While ideas for national parks had been suggested previously, the first one actually to be established (1872), was in the United States of the Americas (Yellowstone National Park).

An international organisation, (International Union for Conservation of Nature), and its World Commission on Protected Areas, has defined National Parks as its category 2type of protected area. The largest national park in the world meeting the originally required definition is the Northeast Greenland National Park, which was established in 1974. There are about 7000 national parks worldwide

Again, A national park was to be used for conservation purposes not exploitation. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or often previously developed land that the citizenship –in a democracy a government does not really own anything)of a sovereign through their elected, civil servant government representatives declares.

Although individual nations designated their own national parks differently, it was, supposedly with one common idea: THE CONSERVATION OF WILD NATURE FOR POSTERITY AND AS A SYMBOL OF NATIONAL PRIDE.

National parks are often but, definitely not always, open to visitors; and most national parks provide outdoor recreation and camping opportunities as well as classes designed to educate the public on the importance of conservation and the natural wonders of the land in which the national park is located: usually however very extensive possibly—likely very dangerous environmentally and to human health-commercial exploitation is hidden from the general public or tourist.

I am trying here to show a cross section of vehicle accessible, tent camping sites; presently available in Alberta, and British Columbia, parks.

the Photos are deliberately, not all of sites in the same park; but, none the less, notice the marked, similarity.

 
 

BC boasts a huge variety of camping facilities: and seven formerly world class national parks, approximately 900 provincial parks and protected areas, more than 1,200 recreation sites,plus hundreds of private, or exclusive, camp grounds and RV parks. Many camp sites are accessible by car or RV (recreational vehicle); others provide a rustic wilderness experience.

In those former times, now, with great MASS ADVERTISED acclaim, ceremoniously, sacrificed, for sake of economic development and growth to EXCLUSIVE"UP-SCALE" PRIVATISATION catering to nobility, North American style, you know the professional actors, professional athletes,  civil servant bureaucrats, diplomats, politicians, people with money, legitimately or just as often illegitimately, gained. Canada's camping facilities, recreational areas and even our park were once dedicated to All average, everyday Canadians and to all (now almost extinct) CANADIAN families. Traditionally, Canadians neither recognised, nor provided, any special privileges for moneyed "CELEBRITY/NOBILITY status within this our country. So far s we were concerned, the Magna Carta (On the 19 June 1215 at Runnymede King John signed the Magna Carta-- means Great Charter--it was the first formal document stating that a King had to follow the laws of the land and it guaranteed the rights of individuals against the wishes of the King and Feudal Style nobility) ended all that BS.

Traditionally, The average Canadian Campers Dream:

A cosy tent, a babbling brook, relaxing around a crackling camp fire, surrounded by stars and the Canadian Rockies.

Or, climbing into your tent and falling asleep to the sounds of the Pacific Ocean.

Combining camping with activities such as hiking, fishing, biking, hot springs or historic sites.

Heading out with a single location in mind or sampling multiple camp sites on a tour.
Reality, "Real Time" Style

 

RVers, take note: members of the world’s largest RV owner’s association, the Good Sam Club, declared BC the “Province to Visit” for eight years running in their annual Welcome Mat Awards (2002 – 2008).

Camp-site preparation.

All tents and vehicles must remain on the designated gravel, or, asphalt, camping pad at all times.

Driving tent-pegs. 

Rail-road or 8 in. "sugared" carpenter's spikes, driven with a framing hammer, or good sturdy axe, work best.

Good luck.

And, good luck with the floor of your tent; I hope, you thought to pack a cardboard under-cushion, and waterproof footprint.

UPDATE: Wonder of all wonders, Yahk Provincial Park offers 26 vehicle accessible campsites. For tenters, four of these campsites (sites 3, 6, 15, and 24) have sand filled tent pads.

One might think that  some of the larger; or at least better known; Manning Provincial Park for example, would follow suit. But, none do; they just don't show any interest in tenters at all; not enough money, I guess. In Yahk Provincial Park; all campsites are on a first-come, first-served basis – campsite reservations are not accepted. There is a telephone and information shelter at the entrance to this park.

And, Vehicle Accessible Camping Fee: only, $16.00 per party / night. Most other parks, over $20.00 a night.

As an alternative to Trailer Park camping; I could just stay home; and there:

•  pitch a tent; on mowed lawn, that is not going to break, tear, puncture, or otherwise wear out  my equipment; not on a compacted, rock hard pad.
• light my camp stoves, char a bit of cedar, tamarack, and other woods, for the smell of smoke;
• view the mountains,
• panbroil up some trout, or salmon,
• enjoy a camping adventure, in an area with more privacy,and that more closely resembles a FOREST or WILDERNESS setting than any of the MODERN federa/provincial BUS/TRAILER courts.
• a  comfortable meal, probably in more privacy; right in the one block square park, surrounding the the apartment towers in which I live.

Should I so choose I can still sleep indoors, in my OWN apartment, with a comfortable, clean, vermin free bed and insect free environment, carpeted floors, clean, safe, drinking water, full electrical and sewer hook up, refrigeration, all the comforts and luxuries of home, and still have:

• entertainment,
• exercise equipment,
• firewood,
• food, fine dining,
• laundry facilities,
• access to sustainable hatchery/farmed fish products,
• a pool table, 
• deck shuffle board, checkers and chess, playable on a patio surrounded by mowed lawn, benches, picnic tables, and even covered swings.
• lawn bowling,
• horse shoes,
• shared, large screen, television,
• handy and readily available;
• at no extra cost,
• and no reservation fees, travel hassles, disagreeable management,"snarky" employees, or fuel costs.

The following quotes were not written by the same person or persons, and not all the parks are, or were federal/provincial; nor do they necessarily, describe the same park.

 “There are not a lot of positive things about this park. We called them in advance to check if they could accommodate us (34' fifth wheel plus towing truck). We were told that would be no problem. When we arrived it took us half an hour to find a site which was long enough and had space to manoeuvre. The girl at the reception was not of much help. The site had a nice view but was quite muddy because there was heavy rain the days before. We had to share the water and electric with our neighbour. Once the boat traffic on the lake calmed down it was very quiet. Next morning we couldn't dump at the entrance because there was not enough space to get in. The park in general looked a bit aged but maintained. The free Wi-Fi was unreliable to not existent. The value for money is bad. We would not stay there again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.”

 “Everyone staying here seems like they all know each other have been here a long time. They have their RV's parked with elaborate porches, awnings and deck setups built up around them. The tenting sites are terrible. They are basically a tiny patch of grass/gravel with no trees. I felt like all the gypsies staying there were watching our every move. There is a lot of little kids biking around or worse, cruising around in noisy powerwheels. After it got dark they were playing some movie with the volume cranked to the max. There was also some trailer in the middle of the campground that was shooting rainbow lasers everywhere like I was at a rave. The teenage girl in the office was also very snarky when we checked in. Definitely would not recommend this place to people.”

 “Large, well-separated sites on gravel pads, nestled among dense rainforest with tall cedars and hemlock. Campground is near lake and in a beautiful mountain setting. Operator or sponsor is: BC Parks. Unserviced, campsites available. Power campsites available. Tent camping sites are available(gravel). Tables provided at campsites. Firewood available on, or near, campground. Free showers. Tap water available. Pump water available.”

“We are basic tenters with 4 kids that absolutely loved this campground! The tenting sites are non-serviced, well treed, some smaller than others, and others maintained better than some! All in all, there will always be a good site to be had! Kind of different is the locations if the fire pits, but they can be moved, most are on the right so if you backed a trailer in, it would be behind the trailer!

“Resort offers 109 Sites; full hook up and waterfront sites are available. There are no dogs permitted between June 29 & September 28. There is a 3 night min. stay on long weekends. To make a reservation, or phone or fax. Enjoy the outdoor pool or sea side. This RESORT offers a boat ramp, dock, store, and salt water pool with diving board, 3 fire pits on the beach, a playground and a beach.”

“The owner and staff are very pleasant to deal with as with other campers we have met here. I don't think there is a bad spot in the entire campground. There is of course smaller spots, but I'm sure I could fit our 37' motorhome in almost any spot. Wi-Fi in our spot was fast. There is the campground Wi-Fi or there is the option of logging on to Shaw Open. Over all,  the owner has spent a lot of time and money to bring this campground up to modern standards. We are very impressed with the perfect amount of trees to shade the campground, while letting in the sun so it is not a dark, damp and dreary. We booked a return trip while staying here for our first time and plan to return many times. We camped here in a Motorhome."

“I have never been so disappointed in a campground before. I had some people come in for dinner and they were charged $15.00 for 3 hours. The bathrooms were really dirty, the pool was not very clean. They seem to have problems keeping track of reservations and if people have paid. I was accused of not paying. I heard a lot of other people complaining about not getting the site they had booked. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel."

“While both the park itself and lake are without question stunning and worth the trip, I can't say the same for the government run Provincial camp grounds. I had planned on staying at the site for three nights, but cut my trip short after an awful single night. I encountered rampant drug use, drunkenness, loud music, fighting, swearing, firearms, dogs off the leash barking, etch. It all started at about 4:00PM that day and the partying went nonstop all night and well into the next morning. When I asked one of the apparent ring leaders from the main party, a prominent local real estate agent, to turn things down for the evening as it was after curfew, I was threatened with an assault. I did report this immediately to one of the Provincial Camp Hosts as she drove through on patrol. She responded by saying that there was nothing that she could do, because the local R.C.M.P. refused to drive all the way out there to back her up. She recommend that if I felt in danger that I should leave, and that is what I did a short time later. What a waste of time and money! Needless to say, my written follow-up complaint with the park operator received no response. Definitely not family friendly, relaxing, inviting, or safe. Hopefully in future the government will clean this place up, but until that time I would strongly advise that you avoid it at all costs!”.

National Parks of Canada are "protected" (just how, other than to assure corporate/industrial, political profit, has never been clearly stipulated)natural spaces throughout the country that represent distinct geographical regions of the nation. Most but not all, National Parks allow for public enjoyment without compromising the area for future generations, including the management of some but all,(deemed profitably advantageous)wildlife and habitat within the ecosystems of the park. Within Parks Canada and/or Provincial administration are a wide range of protected areas, encompassing Historic Sites, Marine Conservation Areas, and Park Reserves.

Technically, Canada’s federal and provincial parks are also Canadian Crown  be great and I'm sure there would be no objections Corporations, and operate under the representative administration of Parks Canada, a government bureaucratic branch. As Crown Corporations, they are (supposedly) 100% owned by the Citizens of Canadian, as represented by the (civil servant/ politicians) Government of Canada, who are the sole shareholders in CANADA. Originally, it was thought that in order to best serve public interest, designated parks should be mandated to operate “in anticipation of profit”, meaning they would function in a commercial manner and not rely on taxpayer support to fund its operations. This could be great; and I'm sure there would be no objections; if, politicians were held accountable and required to show were said profits  were used(other than to send those same politicians on a six month long holiday, every six months- or to pay for the exorbitant pension they have made them selves  eligible for after one term in office.

Surprisingly, Canada’s first national park, located in Banff, was established in 1885, when most people,  even politicians, and corporate tycoons, were, seemingly, much less greedy than they are today. 
Tourism and commercialisation dominated early park development, followed closely by resource extraction. Commodifying the parks for the profit of Canada’s national economy as well as conserving the natural areas for public and future use became an integrated method of park creation. The process of establishing National Parks has included the often forced displacement of self-identifying, First Nations/indigenous and non-indigenous residents of areas within the proposed park boundaries. The conflicts between the creation of parks and the residents of the area have been negotiated through co-management practises, as Parks Canada acknowledged the importance of community involvement in order to sustain a healthy ecosystem.

Fortunately, a transition towards developing parks as a place of preservation began with the National Parks Act of 1930. This event marked a shift in park management practises. Further revised in 1979 under the National Parks Policy, the Act placed greater emphasis on preserving the natural areas in an unimpaired state through ecological integrity and restoration, moving away from development based heavily on profit. Acting as national symbols, Canada's National Parks exist in every province and territory representing a variety of landscapes that mark CANADA’S NATURAL HERITAGE.

Creation and Development

On July 20, 1871, the Crown Colony of British Columbia committed to Confederation with Canada. Under the union’s terms, Canada was to begin construction of a transcontinental railway (which has now illegally, been sold by our Federal Government to the United States of the Americas) to connect the Pacific Coast to the eastern provinces.

 As construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway got underway in 1875 and surveyors began to study the land, the location of the country’s natural resources sprouted further interest, especially from the United States of the Americas. Evidence of minerals quickly introduced foreign investment, the construction of foreign owned mines, and largely illegal(example, Us involvement in the Klondike Gold rush)resource exploitation in Canada’s previously untouched wilderness areas

 Such exploration led to the discovery of hot springs near Banff, Alberta and in November 1885, the Canadian Government made the springs public domain/property, SUPPOSEDLY, REMOVING THEM FROM THE POSSIBILITY OF PRIVATE OWNERSHIP AND EXPLOITATION. This event, again, supposedly, brought about the beginning of Canada's movement towards preserving land and setting it aside for public usage as National Parks. By the late 1880s, Thomas White, Canada’s Minister of the Interior, responsible for the administration of publicly owned federally managed, land, Indian affairs, and natural resources extraction, began establishing a legislative motion towards establishing Canada’s first National Park in Banff.

May 1911 marked one of the most significant events in the administration and development of National Parks in Canada as the Dominion Forest Reserves and Parks Act were granted royal assent. This law saw the creation of the first administrative body, the Dominion Parks Branch, now known as Parks Canada, to administer   National Parks in Canada. With the Branch in place, the parks system expanded from Banff eastward, combining both use and protection as the foundation to national park management.

The major motive behind the creation of National Parks in Canada was monetary profit-money, preservation, of anything, a distant second. National parks are; and, always have been a prime example of Public Funds being used to enable, to facilitate and to finance, the existence of Privately, often Foreign, owned, very Exploitative, Corporations. 

 Inspired by the establishment and success of Yellowstone National Park in the United States, Canada at least tried (as much as Canadian politicians ever have really tried anything constructive unless given very firm direction) to blend the conflicting ideas of preservation and commercialism in order to satisfy its natural resource needs, conservationist views of modern management, and the ever growing public interest in the outdoors and getting back to nature.

 This growing interest to escape the hustle and bustle of the city brought about ideas of conserving Canada's unspoiled wildernesses by creating public, not trailer/mobile motel parks. As a country, not at all dependent on, owning, most of the world’s most valuable natural resources, Canada’s National Parks supposedly, now represent an example of a compromise between the demand for profit from the land’s resources and tourism, with the need for preservation and sustainable development.

While conservationist ideas and a common Canadian movement towards getting back to nature were evident in the early development of National Parks in Canada, a greater role was played by chambers of commerce, local governments, promoters of private ownership, privileged type tourism and recreational groups who advocated highly profit-driven, commercial development, while incorporating some wildlife preservation(when driven by public demand, profitable, and deemed economically prudent). Canada’s National Parks allowed THE PUBLIC an avenue into nature, while also integrating ideas of preserving some of Canada’s publicly owned, scenic landscape and wildlife populations in an era of development and major resource extraction/exploitation.

Tourism and Commercialisation

The integration of public visitation in the National Parks of Canada heavily contributed to the beginnings of public constituencies for certain parks. The parks who mobilised with a public constituency tended to prosper at a faster rate.

 As a tactic to increase the number of people travelling to and through National Parks, members of each constituency surrounding National Parks began to advocate the construction of well-built , publicly owned and maintained, roads, including the development of the Trans-Canada Highway. As the main highway travelling through the Canadian Rockies, the Trans-Canada Highway has provided accessible visitation and, especially highly profitable, privately owned, commerce, to the area. The highway is designed to provide a heavy flow of traffic, while also including some rather obscure, but accessible, pull-offs, picnic areas, and high end, private, resorts. With a high-frequency of travellers and many such destinations to stop, tourism boomed after the Trans-Canada Highway was established. As the highway travels through Banff and the Bow Valley area, it includes amazing views of most of the mountains, and an environment rich in wildlife.

With an increase in tourism to Rocky Mountain Parks, growth and prosperity came to the town of Banff. The Banff hot springs were made more accessible after a tunnel was blasted in 1886. Horse-drawn carriages were replaced by buses and taxis, and by the 1960s small cabins had been largely replaced by high end exclusive, luxury, hotels and motels as the community became geared towards building the national parks as strictly for the moneyed elite, often foreign owned highly exploitative, tourist trap destinations.

 In 1964 the first visitor service centre was established at Lake Louise Station, which included the development of a campground, trailer park. Cave and Basin Springs were forced to rebuild their bathing pools in 1904 and then again in 1912, because of growing public interest in the hot springs. By 1927??? campground accommodations at Tunnel Mountain were adapting to include room for trailers as well as tents. Due to increased demand the campground was extended, and by 1969 it was the biggest campground in the national park system (Othello Tunnels BC also became very popular). Banff, Alberta, became a year round recreational centre as the growth of winter sport activities provided still more added incentive for tourism. The implementation of T-bars and chairlifts on Banff's privately owned ski hills helped develop Banff into a ski and winter sports destination.

Since the inception of Canada’s National Parks, business and monetary, financial profit have been the major element to their creation and development. Although the EXPLOITATION of natural resources such as coal, lumber, and other minerals  was the first source of profit in the National Parks, tourism became another major area of revenue. All such profitable resources; plus many more, yet unconsidered, were found in abundance in the Rocky Mountains.They were, and are, interpreted as being INEXHAUSTIBLE???© Al (Alex, Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.