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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It's time to pitch a tent or park an RV at one of the territory's many campgrounds.

Most locations, including Fred Henne, Reid Lake and Prelude Lake, opened for the season May 15.

Users of the parks are changing, and Drew Williams, communications officer with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), said the differences were noticeable at the ballot draw for extended stay sites at Prelude and Reid Lake.

"There's a lot more families with children than there used to be," he said.

The ballot system drew criticism four years ago when the season was split in two and the rates doubled to $500 for two months.

"The ballot system used to be based on a full season," said Benji Straker, manager of parks operations with ITI. "It was changed to half-season passes in order to give more people a chance to stay at the parks."

Tracy St. Denis, ITI's regional superintendent, said the ballot change was brought on by public demand.

"We had a lot of people that were using the sites for a full season," said St. Denis. "By splitting the permits more people have been able to camp."

Half-season sites are available at Prelude Lake and Reid Lake territorial parks, full-season sites are available at Reid Lake. The 2012 park season introduces a multi-park day-use pass for the North Slave region. For $50, users gain unlimited access to all day-use areas at Fred Henne, Prelude Lake and Reid Lake.

"We're hoping it will make it a little cheaper for families," said Williams.

The multi-park pass goes hand-in-hand with a redesigned website, offering online site reservation, interactive maps and photo galleries.

"Our parks and campgrounds attract thousands of visitors every summer," said ITI Minister David Ramsay stated in a news release. "These improvements will enhance the NWT parks experience for all users, whether they be local residents getting away for a weekend or travellers seeking to discover and experience the beauty of our North."

According to Straker, attendance at parks across NWT has remained fairly steady since 2009. "We've had around 25,000 visitors to the parks each year," he said. "We're not expecting this year to be any lower."

St. Denis said in the North Slave Region there has been a steady increase in visitors at all three parks.

"There's a lot more people with young families," she said. "We've been noticing an increase in tourists and there's definitely an increase in local use."

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