Planning a Trip to Assiniboine? B.C. Adds $20 Surcharge for Albertans

British Columbia will begin charging out-of-province visitors a $20 surcharge and raising camping fees at some of its most popular provincial parks starting May 15, as the province responds to record visitation, aging infrastructure, and climate-related damage.

Under the updated structure, fees at developed campsites in 59 of B.C.’s most popular parks will increase by an average of about 40 cents per night in the off-season and $13.29 per night during peak summer months, resulting in new nightly rates ranging from $30.81 to $42.91 depending on the season.

Backcountry camping in Garibaldi Provincial Park, Golden Ears Provincial Park, Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park will rise by an average of $13.62 per night. With 2026 fees currently ranging from $17 to $25 per night, the hike represents roughly a 54% increase, pushing some sites to about $38 per adult.

In addition to the increased camping fees, non-BC residents, identified by the home address provided at the time of site booking, will be required to pay a $20 surcharge. The non-resident fee will apply to reservations made for frontcountry and backcountry camping, cabin rentals, and the use of mooring buoys and docks. The goal of these targeted increases are meant to keep parks affordable for B.C. residents while ensuring popular provincial sites generate enough revenue to maintain its infrastructure.

The surcharge is likely to affect Bow Valley residents, as several of the impacted parks are near the Alberta border and frequently visited by locals, including Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, which borders Banff National Park. However, the updated fee structure does not apply to the Berg Lake Trail in Mount Robson Park, located roughly an hour’s drive from Jasper National Park.

Overall, the changes are intended to create a more sustainable operating model for the province’s parks system. B.C.’s parks now see over 27 million visits annually, up roughly 30% over the past six years, placing added pressure on aging infrastructure and compounding the impacts of extreme weather events.

Since 2017, the province has invested approximately $200 million in campground expansions, accessibility upgrades, and trail improvements. It has also allocated an additional $27 million to repair infrastructure damaged by severe weather, including work on the Berg Lake Trail in Mount Robson Park. Despite those investments, the province continues to face these challenges, and officials say the updated fee structure is intended to support the long-term protection of its natural spaces.

When Bow Valley Insider asked about the Government of Alberta’s position on the policy, the Office of the Minister of Forestry and Parks said the province regularly reviews camping fees to ensure they reflect provincial priorities and remain comparable to similar jurisdictions.

“Camping and reservation fees are regularly reviewed to ensure they align with provincial priorities and remain fair and comparable to campgrounds with similar services in other provinces and national parks,” said Michael Plenits, press secretary in the Office of the Minister of Forestry and Parks.

At the time of publication, Plentis had not indicated whether the Government of Alberta plans to undertake a similar restructuring or implement comparable measures for out-of-province visitors at its 470 provincial park sites.