SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Camping season is still going strong, and all indications are that Yellowknife-area campgrounds are doing more business than last year.

Fred Henne campground saw a three percent increase in day pass sales from this time last year, and Reid Lake saw sales jump by 3.3 per cent according to Kevin Todd, regional superintendent for Industry, Tourism and Investment. Day pass purchases remained steady at Prelude campground, but that park saw extended stay pass sales jump by 90 per cent. Reid Lake's extended pass sales climbed by 32 per cent.

"We view it as a positive," said Todd, who added that his department has "done improvements to the parks, which I think helped."

Some of those improvements include rebuilt showers at Fred Henne, as well as a new boat launch and new sand on the beach at the territorial park. But a major investment, Todd said, were the shower buildings constructed at Reid Lake and Prelude. Those parks had lacked such facilities previously.

Todd sees the increased figures in sales as evidence that people are satisfied with the sites.

"We get both positive and negative feedback from people, but there has definitely been much less negative feedback this season," he said.

The government has spent $1.4 million on improvements at the three parks, including 600,000 on shower facilities, which will be completed for next season.

But Mother Nature deserves some credit as well, he added.

"It has been a very good year, from a weather standpoint."

With the improvements in infrastructure, each campground has its own characteristics, according to one camper.

"All the different parks have different good things about them," said Paula Letemplier, who gets out camping with her husband and three children nearly every weekend of the summer.

The Yellowknife family tends to frequent Fred Henne, simply due to its proximity to the city. But Letemplier emphasized that the most important part is going together as a family.

"You actually get to spend time together doing things," she said as she watched her children toss beanbags at the camp site.

One thing she would change about local campgrounds is the lack of a water hook-up for mobile homes. Letemplier pointed out that many campgrounds in the provinces feature such facilities for campers.

But she has no real quibble with her experience, not even with those who come out for a noisy party.

"They're camping. It's fine," said Letemplier, adding it's to be expected. "I don't find it noisy, I just tune it out."

There's still time to get out to the parks, as the last day for camping is Sept. 15.

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