peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
I was killing time and went to look at the BSP reservations pages for this summer. Getting rid of opening day was only part of the changes.
The big change from the last few years is this general announcement.
Reservations for these sites must be made by phone, mail, or in person:
the merry month of May
Chimney Pond and Russell Pond campgrounds
Davis Pond and Wassataquoik Lake Island lean-tos
Bunkhouses
Group Sites
Previously most of the sites in the park were available online. It was handy for last minute trips as unless things have changed, getting through to the office on the phone from Memorial day on is a hit or miss couple hour event or multiple redials. It took me a couple of days this past summer to get through. Given they shut down opening day this year, they could be as much as 20% increase in reservations on the rolling reservations which means that unless they increased reservations staff the phones will probably be busier.
I wonder why the change?. If they had in phone or in person that makes sense if they want interaction between the park staff and guest but not sure what the difference between online and mail is ? It makes sense for park staff interaction for Davis as it requires reservations at Russell (or outlying sites) or Chimney. My understanding at Wassataquoik Island is there is nearby loon next that has to be clear before they allow campers access so it too requires interaction. I also could see requiring staff interaction for bunk houses just to ensure that folks understand the reservations are for one space and they may end up sharing with other groups. Group sites also make sense for staff interaction to make sure the leader is aware of the rules. The reality was on opening day booking a group site or a bunkhouse were treated by the staff just like a tent site. They did check that I had a site the night before or after for Davis Pond.
It going to be interesting to see if and how the usage changes in the park. Many of the folks I met over the years at opening day worked for organizations that required vacations to be booked long in advance of the 4 month window. They were there on opening day to get specific site on specific date early in the year. I talked to news reporter 2 years ago who was there personally to book a site and she mentioned that the 4 month rolling reservations window was long after she had to get her preferred dates in. I expect unless there are special exceptions made for groups with connections that it will impact group reservations at the popular Bear Brook and KSC, most groups would book a major trip to BSP long before four months.
There have been concerns expressed in the last few years that the usage of the park is leveling out and trending down with fewer long term campers mostly offset by folks staying just a couple of nights with heavy weekend usage. I would expect that means more traffic on the park roads and more work for the staff as a longer term camper usually requires less interaction with staff then a short term camper.
.
Given my new flexibility for time off and my appreciation for camping after labor day week I expect it will not impact my usage significantly. Just another hurdle for a first timer trying to wade through a complex system.
The big change from the last few years is this general announcement.
Reservations for these sites must be made by phone, mail, or in person:
the merry month of May
Chimney Pond and Russell Pond campgrounds
Davis Pond and Wassataquoik Lake Island lean-tos
Bunkhouses
Group Sites
Previously most of the sites in the park were available online. It was handy for last minute trips as unless things have changed, getting through to the office on the phone from Memorial day on is a hit or miss couple hour event or multiple redials. It took me a couple of days this past summer to get through. Given they shut down opening day this year, they could be as much as 20% increase in reservations on the rolling reservations which means that unless they increased reservations staff the phones will probably be busier.
I wonder why the change?. If they had in phone or in person that makes sense if they want interaction between the park staff and guest but not sure what the difference between online and mail is ? It makes sense for park staff interaction for Davis as it requires reservations at Russell (or outlying sites) or Chimney. My understanding at Wassataquoik Island is there is nearby loon next that has to be clear before they allow campers access so it too requires interaction. I also could see requiring staff interaction for bunk houses just to ensure that folks understand the reservations are for one space and they may end up sharing with other groups. Group sites also make sense for staff interaction to make sure the leader is aware of the rules. The reality was on opening day booking a group site or a bunkhouse were treated by the staff just like a tent site. They did check that I had a site the night before or after for Davis Pond.
It going to be interesting to see if and how the usage changes in the park. Many of the folks I met over the years at opening day worked for organizations that required vacations to be booked long in advance of the 4 month window. They were there on opening day to get specific site on specific date early in the year. I talked to news reporter 2 years ago who was there personally to book a site and she mentioned that the 4 month rolling reservations window was long after she had to get her preferred dates in. I expect unless there are special exceptions made for groups with connections that it will impact group reservations at the popular Bear Brook and KSC, most groups would book a major trip to BSP long before four months.
There have been concerns expressed in the last few years that the usage of the park is leveling out and trending down with fewer long term campers mostly offset by folks staying just a couple of nights with heavy weekend usage. I would expect that means more traffic on the park roads and more work for the staff as a longer term camper usually requires less interaction with staff then a short term camper.
.
Given my new flexibility for time off and my appreciation for camping after labor day week I expect it will not impact my usage significantly. Just another hurdle for a first timer trying to wade through a complex system.
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