Know Before You Go

Canadian Border

The Canadian border remains closed for recreational tourism, so we are asking our international visitors to dream now and explore BC later when the time is right. While the border remains open for essential travel purposes, any visitor who arrives from outside of Canada must quarantine for 14 days.

While there is currently no date set for the reopening of the border, as soon as we know, we’ll share that info here. We look forward to welcoming you as soon as we can.

See the Canadian Border Services Agency website for the latest updates.

Provincial Border 

BC is in now in Phase 3 of the Restart Plan which means people can take part in smart, safe, and respectful travel within BC.

If you are travelling to BC from another province or territory within Canada, you are expected to follow the same travel guidelines as everyone else in BC and travel safely and respectfully.

For more information about provincial borders and current travel restrictions, please visit the Province of BC’s Travel Affected by COVID-19 website.

BC-Alberta Border

BC is in now in Phase 3 of the Restart Plan which means people can take part in smart, safe, and respectful travel within BC.

If you are travelling to BC from Alberta, you are expected to follow the same travel guidelines as everyone else in BC and travel safely and respectfully.

For more information about provincial borders and current travel restrictions, please visit the Province of BC’s Travel Affected by COVID-19 website.

BC-Yukon Border

BC is in now in Phase 3 of the Restart Plan which means people can take part in smart, safe, and respectful travel within BC.

If you are travelling to BC from Yukon, you are expected to follow the same travel guidelines as everyone else in BC and travel safely and respectfully.

For more information about provincial borders and current travel restrictions, please visit the Province of BC’s Travel Affected by COVID-19 website.

Travellers heading into Yukon via Highway 97 or Highway 37 will be required to produce appropriate identification and sign a declaration that they have not travelled outside of BC, Yukon, Northwest Territories or Nunavut in the past 14 days. Residents from BC, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut who have not travelled outside those four jurisdictions can travel to Yukon without self-isolating. Those who live outside those four jurisdictions or who have travelled outside those four jurisdictions must self-isolate for 14 days.

For more information on Yukon’s strengthened enforcement of travel restrictions, visit Yukon’s Current COVID-19 situation website.

BC tourism businesses are beginning to reopen to local residents to experience in a safe and responsible manner, but it’s still not business as usual.

Right now we recommend that you check with the tourism businesses you are hoping to visit to get the latest on-the-ground information. See What’s Open in BC By Community for a list of community destination marketing organizations and chambers of commerce who are maintaining a list of businesses which are open.

Please visit Indigenous Tourism BC’s website for a list of Indigenous experiences in the province that are currently open to visitors, and familiarize yourself with their valuable tips on how to travel responsibly.

Visitor Centres

If you’re looking to connect with a local tourism expert, there are more than 100 community-owned Visitor Centres and booths across the province that make up BC’s Visitor Services Network. Many of BC’s Visitor Centres opened in early June, with more opening throughout the summer. When you’re exploring BC, drop by into the Visitor Centres for accurate information, local gems, and expertise.

Accommodations

Accommodations across BC are looking forward to welcoming visitors back this summer. Please confirm with the accommodation directly to see if and when they are accepting visitors. See our BC Accommodations listings for a full list of accommodations in BC, including hotels, cabins, resorts, wilderness lodges, bed & breakfasts, and campgrounds.

Attractions

Attractions across BC are looking forward to welcoming visitors back this summer. Please confirm with the attractions directly to see if and when they are accepting visitors. See our Experience Providers listings for a full list of British Columbia attractions, including Indigenous cultural sites, guided tours, golf courses, food & drink, heritage sites, river rafting, fishing, gardens, horseback riding, museums, art galleries, and more.

BC Ferries is operating at a reduced capacity, a limited schedule, and reduction of route service. Safety measures that are in place to support physical distancing include allowing customers to remain in their vehicles during the sailing on all car decks, enhanced cleaning, and screening of travellers.

As they bring service back, they will not be returning immediately to previous levels of service. Service levels will remain lower than customers are used to for the foreseeable future as they seek to find a new normal.

All passengers travelling with BC Ferries are required to be in possession of a face covering that covers their mouth and nose, and asked to wear this covering in situations when a physical separation of two metres cannot be maintained. This directive goes into effect for routes longer than 30 minutes and up. Read their June 8 News Release for full details.

If you plan to travel on a ferry this summer, check the service notices, current conditions and the BC Ferries travel advisory. Reservations are highly recommended.

Camping in BC reopened on June 1 with some restrictions in place to ensure safety. While many campgrounds are now open, some will remain closed and could gradually reopen through the summer. Please confirm with the campground directly before making any plans. Reservations are strongly recommended.

For safety tips, see COVID-19 Tips for Camping and RVing.

Private Campgrounds & RV Parks

BC is home to many privately-run campgrounds and RV parks who are looking forward to welcoming you this summer. Contact each campground and RV Park to confirm if and when they’re accepting guests.

To find a complete list of all campgrounds and RV parks in BC, visit the Camping & RV in BC website.

Provincial Parks (BC Parks)

On June 1, BC Parks re-opened most provincial campgrounds and back-country camping, with reservations open to BC residents only. Provincial parks that attract large crowds will remain closed until it is safe to reopen at a later date. Backcountry campgrounds in some parks with high day use will also remain closed.

Please see the BC Parks affected by COVID-19 website for anticipated re-opening dates for specific parks.

Camping reservations at BC’s provincial parks are now open for BC residents only and can be booked on the Discover Camping website. Reservations can only be booked within a two month window from the date of booking.

Additional Resources:

• Visitor Guide to Camping During COVID-19
• Discover Camping FAQs
• BC Parks Re-opening FAQs

Recreation Sites & Trails (RSTBC)

On June 1, RSTBC began to open most recreation sites to camping. To ensure physical distancing, you may notice some changes in campgrounds, including additional spacing between campsites and limitations on the number of guests in campground. Backcountry cabins will remain closed. Recreation sites that attract large crowds may remain closed until it is safe to reopen at a later date.

Before leaving on your trip, check for possible closures, alerts or other warnings that may affect the site or trail you plan to visit. For more information, visit the RCTBC website.

Note: Recreation sites and trails are often accessed by resource roads, also known as forest service roads (FSR). BC’s resource roads are not built or maintained to the same standards as public highways, with many additional hazards such as rough, loose gravel, potholes, sharp corners, large industrial vehicles and other unmarked hazards. High-clearance 4WD vehicles are often required. Remember to check your insurance policy, as some coverage may be void when using these roads. Please read road safety, road use regulations, and road policy information before travelling on forest service roads. For more information, please visit the Government of BC website.

National Parks (Parks Canada)

Camping at some Parks Canada places will gradually begin, starting June 22. Only camping services where health and safety risks can be managed will be opened. This means, your visit will be different this year than in past years.

Reservations for the remainder of the 2020 season will re-open as early as June 23rd at some locations. Please check the Parks Canada Reservations website to see the specific reservation launch date and time for each Parks Canada location, including Pacific Rim (and the West Coast Trail), Yoho, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke, Glacier, and Gulf Islands, as well as oTENTik camping at National Historic Sites such as in Fort Langley and Fort Rodd.

National Parks (Parks Canada)

Starting June 1, Parks Canada will begin a gradual reopening of some of their national park locations, though the openings will vary across the country. Visitors will be permitted to access some trails, day use areas, and green spaces at some locations.

Check the Parks Canada website for the latest updates on BC’s national parks, such as Pacific Rim (including the West Coast Trail), Yoho, Kootenay, Glacier, Mount Revelstoke, and Gwaii Hanaas.

Provincial Parks (BC Parks)

On May 14, BC Parks began to open many provincial parks and protected areas and marine parks, though some will still remain closed. Some areas and facilities remain closed, including playgrounds, picnic shelters and visitor centres. For more information, including a list of open parks, please visit the BC Parks website, or use the BC Parks Map.

On July 27, BC Parks implemented a new free day-use pass program for those wishing to access six popular provincial parks: Cypress, Garibaldi, Golden Ears, Mount Robson, Mount Seymour and Stawamus Chief. These are some of the most popular parks and regularly experience high visitor volumes, resulting in crowding of facilities, packed parking lots, and safety issues. These environments do not easily allow for physical distancing and large numbers of visitors also have increased environmental impacts. The trail systems within these parks can become crowded at narrow pass points and view points which can lead to congestion and difficulties maintaining physical distancing.

To ensure the health and safety of BC Parks’ visitors and staff, to meet health and safety guidelines, and as part of a pilot project, free day-use passes are required to access these trails and parks. The free day-passes are available for reservation through the “day-use passes” tab on the discovercamping.ca website. For full details about the day-passes, visit the BC Parks website.

Recreation Sites & Trails BC (RSTBC)

On May 14, RSTBC began to reopen the majority of recreation sites and trails to day-use activities only. For more information, please visit Recreation Sites and Trails BC.

Note: Recreation sites and trails are often accessed by resource roads, also known as forest service roads (FSR). BC’s resource roads are not built or maintained to the same standards as public highways, with many additional hazards such as rough, loose gravel, potholes, sharp corners, large industrial vehicles and other unmarked hazards. High-clearance 4WD vehicles are often required. Remember to check your insurance policy, as some coverage may be void when using these roads. Please read road safety, road use regulations, and road policy information before travelling on forest service roads. For more information, please visit the Government of BC website.

Regional & Municipal Parks

Not all parks fall within national or provincial jurisdiction; many are managed by regional or municipal parks boards, which set their own rules, regulations, openings, and closures to ensure visitor safety. Always check with the park’s website before planning your visit to learn about the latest updates.

All travellers who are visiting BC and begin to feel ill can seek medical attention at local hospitals or urgent care centres.

Note: In suspected cases of the coronavirus, it is important to call ahead to the hospital, doctor or urgent care centre first for advice. Where language may be a barrier, tour operators, accommodation providers, and other tourism businesses can provide support by offering to contact a health-care professional on their behalf. (Symptoms of a coronavirus infection include, but are not limited to, fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue and difficulty breathing.

For travellers who suspect they might have coronavirus symptoms, you must provide health-care professionals with the following info (via phone):

• Symptoms;
• Where you have been travelling, working or living;
• If you had close contact with a sick person, especially someone with a fever, cough or difficulty breathing

International mobile phones on a Canadian network should be able to access the following phone numbers:

• For non-emergency situations only, call 8-1-1 (or 7-1-1 for the deaf or hard of hearing). This is a free-of-charge provincial health information and advice phone line operated by HealthLink BC. Translation services are available in more than 130 languages.
• In the event of an emergency, call 9-1-1.
• Find the nearest hospital or health centre in British Columbia here.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is working with provinces, territories, and international partners, including the World Health Organization, to actively monitor the situation. Public health risk is being continually reassessed as new information becomes available, with updates being posted to the government’s COVID-19 Updates page. The current risk to Canadians is considered high. This does not mean that all Canadians will get the disease. It means that there is already a significant impact on our health care system. If we do not flatten the epidemic curve now, the increase of COVID-19 cases could impact health care resources available to Canadians. The current assessment also indicates that there is an increased risk of more severe outcomes for Canadians:

• aged 65 and over
• with compromised immune systems
• with underlying medical conditions

There are also increased health risks for Canadian travellers abroad. Because of these risks, the Government of Canada advises you to avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada until further notice, including cruise ship travel.

Canada’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak takes a whole-of-government approach, based on plans and guidance related to pandemic preparedness. For an overview on the national response to the virus outbreak, including national updates, travel advice and links to official sources of information, visit PHAC’s Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Canada’s response page.

For detailed information about Canada’s response, including the measures already taken to respond to the outbreak, new investments to limit the spread of the virus and prepare for its potential impacts, and more, on the Government of Canada takes action on COVID-19 page.

For any questions, call the Health Canada COVID-19 information line: 1-833-784-4397, or email: [email protected]

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have issued a joint statement on international cooperation as key to the containment of COVID-19. Read it here.

• Visit Health Link BC’s website.
• Call the Health Canada 2019 COVID-19 information line: 1-833-784-4397. Interpretation services are available in multiple languages. Or email: [email protected]
• Visit the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)’s website for the latest outbreak update on COVID-19.
• Visit the Health Link BC website for detailed information on COVID-19, including FAQs.
• Visit the BC Centre for Disease Control (BC CDC) website for the latest on how to prevent the transmission of diseases. Follow BC CDC on Twitter for regular updates: @CDCofBC
• Follow Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, on Twitter: @CPHO_Canada
• Learn more about the British Columbia Pandemic Provincial Coordination Plan.