SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Fred Henne Territorial Park was recently chosen by RV West magazine readers as one of the best RV destinations in North America, but this honour comes amidst worries that the park can't meet its growing demand.

The park, which accounts for nearly a third of all NWT campground permits, was voted as third best RV destination, ranking behind Arizona and the Oregon Coast but ahead of Overton, Nevada.

Compared to its southern competitors, though, the park faces unique challenges in terms of expansion and promotion, leaving some visitors frustrated. The lack of expansion at Fred Henne means the two other nearby campgrounds most used by Yellowknifers, Prelude and Reid Lake are filling up. The added pressure led the territorial government to double fees and cut extend stay campsites – available only at Prelude and Reid -- down to two months from four at the two Ingraham Trail campsites two years ago.

"The demand was far greater than the supply at Fred Henne, so what they did, they didn't increase the number of sites that were available, they just doubled the price (for extended stay campsites), and they didn't increase the services," said Cheryl Wourms, a Yellowknifer who began boycotting the ballot draw for extended stay campgrounds after the government started charging $500 for two-month permits that used to be good for four.

Fred Henne still has a leg-up on its Canadian and American competitors, according to Tracy St. Denis, North Slave regional superintendent for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

"Fred Henne is in an enviable position," she said, "because it's a beautiful park, it's got a beautiful lake and we've got the midnight sun. It has a cache that other parks don't have."

The Fred Henne park currently has 104 campsites – 54 sites with electricity and 50 non-powered sites – and has undergone some changes in recent years. The park has also upgraded some of its facilities to better serve visitors, according to St. Denis.

Wourms said the Yellowknife RV community was outraged because they wanted to be actively consulted on changes made and felt they weren't. They wanted to see an increased capacity in the park that is chronically overbooked to give them more options for camping.

"Reid Lake has a whole bunch of new campsites, but that's not where the expansion needs to take place. There was never a problem at Reid Lake," Wourms said.

St. Denis said an expansion of Fred Henne Territorial Park may still be in the cards if the GNWT can secure funding.

"We would have to assess the need, how to do it and then ensure we can get funds to do it," she said.

"We've got an election coming up so I guess what we would do is work with the government to see what their priorities are."

Fred Henne is one of 18 campgrounds and 34 parks in the NWT and received a portion of the $7.8 million allocated to park improvements by the GNWT over the last four years.

The money also went toward a new visitor centre at the 60th Parallel Territorial Park and Visitors Centre at the NWT/Alberta border, renovations of the Western Arctic Visitor Centre in Inuvik and the visitor centre outside Fort McPherson, new shower buildings across the NWT and the creation of solar electricity in some parks, as well as other park upgrades.

A report released by the territorial government last year titled Naturally Spectacular – A Northwest Territories Parks Perspective, outlined the need for considerable park investments in order to remain competitive in the tourism industry.

"Parks are also important for the local economy. They bring visitors. There's economic benefits. There's employment opportunities," St. Denis said.

Campgrounds in North Slave are slated to open May 13.

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