Visitors to Wasaga Beach Provincial Park must now book day trips in advance

Visitors hoping to head to Wasaga Beach's provincial park will need to book their trip ahead of time.

The Ontario government announced Friday the expansion of its advance reservation service to reduce overcrowding and guarantee visitor access upon arrival.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts
• Get the latest updates sent to your email

So far, 57 Ontario Parks require visitors to pre-book their day trips up to five days in advance.

In 2021, the province launched the pre-booking pilot program.

"Building on the success of the last two years, we are pleased to announce the expansion of the advance day-use registration service to even more parks, including Wasaga Beach Provincial Park," said John Yakabuski, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Ontario Parks says more than 80 per cent of visitors preferred being able to reserve their daily vehicle permit in advance.

The advance permit service is also expanding this spring to the following provincial parks: Awenda, Rondeau, MacGregor Point, Sauble Falls, Frontenac, Inverhuron, Bronte Creek, Fitzroy, Murphys Point, Oastler Lake, Petroglyphs, Port Burwell, Rideau River, Rock Point, Chutes, Esker Lakes, Ivanhoe Lake, Neys, and White Lake.

Visitors need to reserve their spot online, including anyone with seasonal vehicle permits.

Walk-up permits will continue to be sold, but there is the possibility of being turned away if the park is already at capacity.