The Government of Yukon is delaying the opening of territorial parks and campgrounds and sale of camping permits until June to protect the public, staff and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All campgrounds and facilities that were open, but un-serviced, are now closed until further notice.
The Government of Yukon will continue to work with the office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and reassess the situation in May to determine if opening parks and campgrounds is in the best interest of Yukoners’ health and safety.
People may still use park trails and green spaces for recreation while practising physical distancing and following other requirements of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
Please use significant caution engaging in any activities that could put you at risk of not following physical distancing or put you in a position that requires outside assistance.
Backcountry activities are strongly discouraged in order to keep rescue and safety resources available during this time. Yukoners are being asked to avoid popular recreation areas where physical distancing may not be possible or where people may find themselves in a gathering greater then 10 people.
Yukoners are also reminded to remove all garbage when using trails and green spaces.
We know camping and being in our parks is beloved by Yukoners and delaying the opening is a tough decision to make. We need to put the health and safety of users and staff first and will carefully reassess the situation in the coming weeks. My hope is that the efforts being taken now to curb the spread of COVID-19 will put us in a position to open campgrounds later this year.
Minister of Environment Pauline Frost
Yukon’s system of territorial parks includes wilderness parks, campgrounds, recreation sites and others.
The Government of Yukon maintains 42 campgrounds with more than 1,000 campsites, 12 recreation sites and six larger wilderness parks like Tombstone. Campgrounds are normally fully serviced from May 15 to September 13, and 12 select campgrounds from May 8 to September 27.
The use of territorial parks has more than doubled in the past decade. Use of campgrounds increased 103 per cent and backcountry camping in Tombstone territorial park increased 137 per cent.
The Government of Yukon is working to finalize the Yukon Parks Strategy. The strategy will outline strategic actions and priorities for the next 10 years.
Stewart Burnett
Cabinet Communications
867-332-0480
stewart.burnett@gov.yk.ca
Scott Cameron
Communications, Environment
867-667-8299
scottcameron@gov.yk.ca