Campgrounds in our province are expected to be packed this weekend. And, according to Elisabeth Ostrop with Manitoba Parks, that is a sign of things to come.

"I think it's one of those years where every weekend is booked pretty solid," she says.

Earlier this week, Ostrop announced that more than 110,000 reservations have already been made so far this year, which is an increase of 41 per cent over the same period a year ago.

"For those that haven't booked ahead, they might be out of luck," she says. "There is little to no vacancy for Friday or Saturday."

Mantario TrailNot only are campgrounds full, so too are hiking trails. The province noticed a spike last summer in the number of people using trails in Manitoba. Ostrop says it has not really slowed since.

"Summer, winter, doesn't matter, trails have been extremely busy," she notes.

Ostrop suggests that if you show up to a trail and the parking lot is full, to rather try a different one.

"If the parking lot is full, avoid parking on the roadways, because it can be dangerous and congest traffic," she warns. "So maybe continue on and find a different trail system to use or a different time of day to go for your hike."

Ostrop says while on the trail, it should not be too difficult to keep physically distanced from other parties that are hiking. She recommends keeping within your own group.

Meanwhile, when our province introduced new public health orders last Saturday, the changes had a direct impact on campgrounds. Ostrop says two households can now share a single site, but are still required to use separate camping units.

"Think of the campsite as your yard, and the camping unit as your house," explains Ostrop. "You can have people in your yard but you are not supposed to have them into your house at the moment."

According to Ostrop, camping sites are always limited to two units. And, even though public health orders now allow up to 10 people to visit a household, Manitoba Parks rules allow only six people to occupy a site.

Another change within the public health order that will impact campgrounds has to do with public group gathering sizes. Within public areas of a park, groups of up to 25 people can now gather. Ostrop asks campers to make sure they are abiding by COVID-19 protocols by physically distancing with those, not in your household.

And finally, Ostrop urges campers to know their limits while swimming. She suggests leaving inflatables for the swimming pool instead of the lake, noting if the wind catches hold of an air mattress it can quickly push it further than what might be comfortable to swim back. And, at campsites, Ostrop asks people to be considerate of fellow campers by keeping noise levels down, which includes the playing of music.