Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | [email protected]
If you鈥檙e looking for the country鈥檚 best camping, Scouts Canada says you don鈥檛 have to look far.
A survey of more than 46,000 of its Scouts volunteers, Scouting youths and their parents resulted in 39.5 per cent of them voting Jasper National Park as the 鈥榤ost epic鈥� camp destination in Canada.
鈥淲e are all in need of a solid summer getaway this year, why not try something different like camping with front-row seats to panoramic view?鈥� said Mike Eybel, a volunteer Scouter of seven years, in a prepared press release from Scouts Canada.
鈥淲ith camping emerging as an adventurous and affordable option for many Canadians, we wanted to make sure that every Canadian knows where the most epic campsites in the country are, and which criteria they should consider when searching for a spot.鈥澛�
The second spot on the list was Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island with 34.6 per cent of the poll. Ontario鈥檚 Algonquin Provincial Park came in third with 32.9 per cent, followed by Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and Labrador with 27.3 per cent and 22.5 per cent for Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.聽
Jasper鈥檚 top spot status was further enhanced by the fact that it came in at only second on the list of where survey respondents had actually camped. Algonquin Provincial Park was first at 42.9 per cent, while Jasper National Park registered 32.6 per cent.聽
The survey was prepared as camping increasingly has become the most viable vacation option for summer 2022, the release indicated. It also explored some of the reasoning behind what people are looking for in order to find the best campsite for any level or type of adventure.
As for what makes a campsite most ideal, the Scouting community responded that getting a view 鈥渨orthy of a screensaver鈥� was overwhelmingly the most important criteria at nearly 85 per cent.
That was followed by proximity to water at 63.9 per cent, activity options available (such as fishing, paddling, hiking, biking, etc.) at 57.0 per cent, wildlife at 39.3 per cent, absolute quiet at 39.3 per cent and availability of washrooms 26.4 per cent.
Part of the survey was to help promote Scouts Canada鈥檚 online tools to get more families and youth groups out into the great outdoors before school starts in September.
鈥淥ur seasoned Scouting community has named the most epic places to camp; now Canadians can also challenge themselves to visit as many of them as possible with our interactive map, Camping Dream Destination Guides and the Canadian Camper鈥檚 Bucket-List,鈥� Eybel said.
Canadians can view comprehensive information on Canada鈥檚 top camping locations, pictures and booking information by visiting Scouts Canada鈥檚 website at .
