# Guides: how camping in BC actually works

Short answers to the questions people ask after a park is full: the booking rules, the other places to camp, and what the words on the reservation site mean. Every fact is checked against the official page it comes from, with the date we read it.

## When the park is full
- [Where else to camp near Vancouver when BC Parks is full](https://parksopen.ca/guides/where-else-to-camp-near-vancouver) — Six things to try, in order: a watch, the nearest park with space, first come campgrounds, rec sites, regional and BC Hydro campgrounds, a backcountry permit. Checked 10 Sep 2026.
- [Rec sites: free or cheap, first come, cash](https://parksopen.ca/guides/rec-sites) — 1,505 Recreation Sites and Trails BC campsites never show up in the BC Parks booking site. What they are, the rules, and the ones near Vancouver and Victoria. Checked 10 Sep 2026.

## Booking BC Parks
- [How BC Parks booking works: the 7 am window and the rest](https://parksopen.ca/guides/bc-parks-booking-rules) — Three months ahead at 7 am, online booking closed two days out, $6 to book and $6 to cancel. The rules that explain why sites vanish and come back. Checked 10 Sep 2026.

## Words and basics
- [What the words mean: reservable, first come, walk-in, backcountry](https://parksopen.ca/guides/camping-terms) — The words on the reservation site and the park pages, in BC Parks' own definitions where they exist, with a link to each source. Checked 10 Sep 2026.
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Page: https://parksopen.ca/guides · Every number above is read from the official reservation system and stamped with the time it was observed. Parks Open never books on anyone's behalf. Tools for agents: MCP https://parksopen.ca/api/mcp · REST https://parksopen.ca/openapi.json · index https://parksopen.ca/llms.txt