Athabasca County has finally approved a long list of changes to its camping fees policy.
The list, which was approved during council’s Mar. 26 meeting, includes a requirement that reservations for all long weekends be pre-paid via credit card in case of no-shows and limits the number of adults allowed per campsite.
Other changes will see the fee rise to $25 per night for campers at Forfar Recreation Park, Hope Lake and Jackfish Lake while seniors will be charged a discounted rate of $20.
Campers at Narrow Lake, Long Lake, Ghost Lake, Island Lake, Baptiste Lake and North Buck Lake Narrows will be charged $15 per night.
A second campsite will cost an additional $15 per night.
Each campsite will be allowed two vehicles, including motorized recreational vehicles, However, each additional vehicle will be charged $5 a day and must be parked at a designated parking lot.
A maximum of three vehicles will be permitted, two of which must be sleeping vehicles such as RVs.
The number of campers staying on one site has also changed.
Campsites will only accept a maximum of six adults with their dependent children.
Those choosing to stay at group sites – that feature up to 13 sleeping units – will pay an extra $40 for one- and two-night stays, that raises the cost to $240 and $340.
Three-night stays rose $25 to a total of $400.
The cancellation policy also underwent changes.
Cancellations must be made 72 hours before noon of the scheduled arrival date. Failure to check in by 9 p.m. or to provide notification of a late check-in will result in the reservation being cancelled without a refund.
The maximum stay of 14 consecutive days at non-seasonal sites remains in place, at the discretion of a campground manager.
The changes are expected to bring in approximately $27,000 in additional revenue.
