Sask. campsites fully open in time for hot weather, to campers’ delight

There’s sure a lot of happy campers around Saskatchewan this weekend.

Campsites opened to 100 per cent capacity Friday, making it a great weekend to pitch a tent when combined with forecasts of sunshine and highs of 30 C.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the province’s campgrounds were closed to overnight campers until June 1. When the campgrounds opened, they were limited to 50 per cent capacity.

That changed on Friday.

Sophia Brown turned nine in May. In honour of her birthday, her parents took her and her friend, Alexa Morse, to camp at Echo Valley Provincial Park.

The girls said they’ve had lots of fun so far.

“We went for bike rides and went to the beach,” Brown said.

“And went to the park, most of the time,” Morse added.

Sophia Brown (left) and Alexa Morse play on the swings at the campground in Echo Valley Provincial Park on June 26, 2020. (Libby Giesbrecht/980 CJME)

The girls’ favourite part of camping so far has been the beach. They said the water there has been cold.

“But we went in anyways,” Brown said, grinning.

Olena Kirton and Warren Rooks decided to take a week of summer vacation. After venturing from Manitoba to British Columbia, the two decided to stop for a few days to enjoy Echo Valley Provincial Park.

Kirton, who has family in Regina, said the two have been going between the city and their campsite every day.

“We wanted to be somewhere nice to enjoy camping,” Kirton said. “It’s been nice.”

Kirton and Rooks noticed that campsites near the on-site washroom facilities were blocked off until Friday. They’re looking forward to seeing camping sites slowly reopen further in the coming weeks.

“It’s not as busy as regular camping would be but it’s still fun … You still hear all the kids playing, which is what camping’s about,” Kirton said.

The two also had a chance to visit the beach near their campsite.

“I did get to the beach,” Rooks said. “(The water was) a bit chilly at first but I warmed up to it.”

Kirton said she was especially glad to see restrictions slowly lifting and life returning to some kind of normal.

“I understand the seriousness of it … but at the same time, I believe that it shouldn’t shut down life. And this is part of living for us,” Kirton said.

“I wish we could’ve stayed a bit longer,” Rooks said.