Manitoba closes some provincial campgrounds and trails amid flooding issues

Nopiming Provincial Park. Photo by Brian Barkley.

The Manitoba government is informing residents that it has closed some campgrounds and trails amid flooding issues around the province.

In a Tuesday news release, the province said it advises against travel in Nopiming Provincial Park, adding that canoe routes in Nopiming and Manigotagan River Provincial Parks are closed. Some of the trails in Whiteshell Provincial Park are also closed.

Some of the park and campground openings, which were originally scheduled for May 13, have been delayed. These changes include:

• All backcountry canoe routes and campsites are closed until further notice at Nopiming and Manigotagan provincial parks;
• The Bird Lake, Beresford Lake, Black Lake, Shoe Lake and Tulabi Falls campgrounds at Nopiming Provincial Parks are closed until at least June 2;
• The opening of the St. Malo Provincial Park campground is delayed until at least May 20;
• The openings of the Adam Lake, Max Lake and William Lake campgrounds in the Turtle Mountain and William Lake Provincial Parks are delayed until at least May 20;
• Some of the seasonal sites at Brereton Lake at Whiteshell Provincial Park are closed;
• The opening of the Caddy Lake campground is delayed until at least May 20;
• Some site are closed at Falcon Beach, Falcon Lakeshore seasonal sites and West Hawk Lake until at least May 20;
• The White Lake campground at Whitehsell Provincial Park is closed until at least June 2;
• Some of the sites in low lying areas at Rivers Provincial Park campground are partially closed until at least May 20;
• Some sites at Stephenfield Provincial Park will be closed until at least May 20; and
• Lake St. George Provincial Park campground is closed until further notice.

Closures could be extended if the flooding continues. Those with reservations, as well as seasonal campers, will be contacted and their fees will be refunded if there are affected by a closure.

Manitoba said campers should not pre-emptively cancel their reservations before they are notified of a closure, because they will face cancellation fees.

Provincial park services, including drinking water and washrooms, could also be limited or reduced due to spring conditions delaying the setup and operation of water lines. Campers are asked to plan accordingly for possible services reductions.

The Manitoba government noted that some campgrounds that are expected to open over the May long weekend, particularly those in higher elevations, still have a substantial amount of snow and may also experience delays.

Visitors are advised to check the conditions before heading to provincial parks this spring.