SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A miserable start to summer, along with higher fees, are the most likely reasons for numbers showing fewer people staying in campgrounds near the city this year, according to an official with the Department of Industry, Tourism, and Investment.

Rod Connell, left, and Aaron Toole braved this year's unseasonably cool spring to camp out at Fred Henne Park at the start of the camping season May 15. The number of campers were down overall between the three campgrounds outside of Yellowknife this summer. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

While the overall number of campers staying at Fred Henne, Prelude Lake, and Reid Lake territorial campgrounds wasn't down by much over last year – in fact, a slightly higher number of permits were sold for Reid Lake this year -- there was a sharp drop in the number of nights people stayed.

Last year, there were 3,404 camping permits issued, representing a total of 15,663 nights spent camping at the three parks. This year, there were 3,284 permits handed out and 11,382 nights of camping.

"Partly it's the lousy weather we had in May and June, and partly probably a reaction to higher prices," said Kevin Todd, North Slave regional superintendent for Industry, Tourism, and Investment.

The department hiked fees for non-powered sites to $22.50 this year from $15 in 2008. The ballot draw seasonal campsites at Prelude and Reid Lake, meanwhile, were cut to two months at the shoulder ends of the season while staying at the same $500 the department charged the year before for a full four months.

That move in particular generated a great deal of anger among Yellowknife's RV camping community, who felt they were being over-charged under the new fee schedule, and that by breaking up the 40 available full-season campsites into two month blocks their chances of enjoying the short summer was greatly reduced.

The department argued that there weren't enough seasonal sites to go around during the ballot draw each year, and that previous fee prices weren't enough to cover its costs.

This year, now with 80 two-month camp sites, the department sold 27 permits for Reid Lake and 24 at Prelude Lake. With the low turnout for the ballot draw this year, the department allowed people to book sites for the full four months for a cost of $1,000.

Cheryl Wourms, who regularly took part in the ballot draw for years, boycotted it this year and left her family's RV parked in the driveway most of the summer.

She said they won't be using the RV for any more camping in the NWT because of the changes.

"We'll be going to southern Alberta and making our way up, and I think we'll probably leave our camper in the High Prairie area because it's on our way south and we can just pick it up the following summer as well," said Wourms.

Todd said the department is considering whether to offer some full-season camp sites next year.

"We'll be looking at (that) over the next few months," said Todd.

"There's no reason why you couldn't have a mix of some full-season and some half-season."