Five popular campgrounds west of Harrison Hot Springs are now closed due to safety reasons.
All of the sites, including Chehalis River and Weaver Lake, are managed by the Sts’ailes First Nation, but the nation works in partnership with the province, which it says is responsible for conducting yearly assessments and any removal.
Recently, the province identified potentially dangerous trees, leading to the closure of the campgrounds until they are dealt with.
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In an open letter, the nation says this is just the latest blow, pointing to ongoing financial struggles and a lack of support from the province.
One camper, who recently stayed at two of the sites, says the closures came as a shock to the community.
“For this to happen all of a sudden, a lot of people woke up and checked their social media and found out this was going on, it just seems like poor planning,” Ross Felling said.
“The people that do have reservations coming up, they’re not going to find reservations for campsite availability for the next several weeks.”
The provincial government says it expects work to mitigate the trees to begin next week.
“As with anything out in the remote wilderness, with weather changes we cannot predict everything that’s going to happen within those sites and trails,” said Tamara Davidson, the B.C. environment and parks minister.
Anyone who has a booking while the closures remain in effect will be refunded.
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