Metro Vancouver could add dozens of new overnight campsites as demand grows

British ColumbiaFinding a campsite anywhere near Metro Vancouver in the summer can feel like a competitive sport. Now the regional district is looking to explore opportunities to add more campgrounds to the area. Recent report has identified up to 19 new camping areas as demand surgesCBC News · Posted: Nov 06, 2025 1:16 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesMetro Vancouver is considering expanding its camping locations to meet the demands of a busy season. (CBC)Finding a campsite anywhere near Metro Vancouver in the summer can feel like a competitive sport. But now, the regional district is looking to explore opportunities to add more campgrounds in the region.On Wednesday, the district’s parks committee signed off on a plan to work on adding new campgrounds across the region, after staff identified 19 potential sites in a report studying camping opportunities in Metro Vancouver.“Campgrounds are extremely popular, often booked out within the day that the camping is open,” said John McEwen, chair of the regional parks committee. “Between 2022 and 2024, demand has increased from 65 to 85 per cent.”The report says camping in Metro’s existing regional park campgrounds was effectively sold out on weekends from March through September last year, with staff reporting “many turnaways” at group sites. According to Metro Vancouver, between 2022 and 2024, demand for campgrounds has increased from 65 to 85 per cent. (CBC)More Canadians are also staying closer to home and shifting away from traditional tenting toward RVs, cabins and “glamping”-style stays with more amenities, the report adds.McEwen says that’s colliding with how the region itself is growing.“It makes sense with a lot of the new homes being created in the Metro Vancouver region, apartments and condos and those that don’t have outdoor space,” he said. Metro Vancouver currently offers overnight stays in eight regional parks, including two multi-type campgrounds that serve both tents and RVs.WATCH | Will Metro Vancouver add new camping spots?:Metro Vancouver considers expanding overnight camping locationsMetro Vancouver is considering expanding its overnight camping locations across the region in response to high demand. As CBC’s Shivani Joshi reports, it could mean camping spots are made available right in the suburbs. The new study looks at significantly broadening that footprint. It outlines three potential wilderness camping areas, 12 potential group camping sites in parks such as Pacific Spirit, Burnaby Lake, Kanaka Creek, Crippen on Bowen Island among others and four multi-type sites at three other regional parks. McEwen says this could bring camping much closer to where many people actually live, including on the city’s west side at Pacific Spirit and in urban pockets around Burnaby Lake.He says the hope is to give more residents affordable options that don’t require long drives.“Our rates are about $30 a night for campgrounds, and that’s affordable,” he said. “A lot of people aren’t able to go long distances or have the equipment to go long distances.”Conservation groups say that could also take pressure off nearby provincial parks, which have been swamped by demand since the pandemic. “We’re seeing a significant increase in park use and camping … and so the more we can sustainably connect [people] with nature, the better,” said Jesse Zeman, executive director of the B.C. Wildlife Federation. He says the Lower Mainland’s population density means the region has to be considerate when setting aside space.“So figuring out as many spots that they can set aside so that people can engage in nature is going to be really important going forward.”The study by regional district staff outline three kinds of camping that could be expanded: wilderness camping accessed by foot or boat, larger group camp areas and mixed sites that can accommodate tents and RVs. It points to 19 possible locations across Metro Vancouver (CBC)Youth groups also see the expansion as a way to lower barriers for families who might never otherwise camp.“Allowing for people who might not have been camping before or people who don’t have the means to go out of Metro Vancouver, it’s gonna give a great opportunity for them to get involved and get to see our regional parks and fall in love with the region,” said Adam Heffey, board chair with CTS Youth Society.Despite unanimous support for the plan from the regional park committee on Wednesday, residents shouldn’t expect new tent pads to pop up overnight.McEwen stresses that every potential site still needs extensive work, including environmental studies, consultation with First Nations and municipalities and assessing wildfire and flooding risk.“Certainly infrastructure would have to be created, washrooms, that sort of stuff. We’d also need to make sure traffic concerns are addressed as well.”The study also flags challenges such as theft and vandalism, existing use of parks by unhoused people, sensitive ecosystems and, in some places, the impacts of Fraser River flooding and sea-level rise.Metro staff will now move on to conduct feasibility tests and to begin estimating the design, development and operational costs to make an “informed decision on expanding camping opportunities.”With files from Shivani Joshi and Shaurya Kshatri