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Opening of some N.S. provincial parks pushed back to at least June

No provincial parks will be open for camping on the Victoria Day long weekend. (Paul Palmeter/CBC - image credit)
No provincial parks will be open for camping on the Victoria Day long weekend. (Paul Palmeter/CBC - image credit)

The latest rash of COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia has forced the provincial government to delay the opening of some provincial parks.

In a news release Wednesday morning, the Department of Lands and Forestry announced the opening of provincial parks that were set to welcome campers on May 21 is being pushed back to at least June 1.

The announcement means no provincial parks will be open for camping on the Victoria Day long weekend.

Campers with reservations between May 21 and 31 will be contacted by email to cancel and refund their bookings. The release stated campers should not cancel their own reservations.

The provincial campsites that were scheduled to be open in May 21 include:

  • Blomidon Provincial Park.

  • Cape Chignecto Provincial Park.

  • Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park.

  • Graves Island Provincial Park.

  • Porters Lake Provincial Park.

  • Rissers Beach Provincial Park.

  • Thomas Raddall Provincial Park.

Mira River Provincial Park in Cape Breton was scheduled to open May 28. The remaining 12 provincial camping parks are scheduled to open June 4, depending on COVID-19 restrictions.

Recent travel restrictions that do not allow Nova Scotians to travel out of their own municipality caused many people to cancel their camping plans.

The view of Porters Lake from one of the trails in Porters Lake Provincial Park.
The view of Porters Lake from one of the trails in Porters Lake Provincial Park.(Paul Palmeter/CBC)

Campers who have already cancelled their reservations since May 7 for the May 21-June 1 period will receive a refund within two weeks. Those refunds will include their cancellation fee.

Day-use parks and day-use areas of campgrounds continue to be open for outdoor recreation. But people should only visit parks in their own community.

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