The start of the summer camping season is still months away, but that isn't stopping Manitobans from dreaming of tents and campfires. Elisabeth Ostrop with Manitoba Parks says they have already seen huge numbers in campsite bookings.

Ostrop explains Manitoba Parks has started accepting bookings through its Reservation System. This year they used a phased approach. The first phase opened March 18th for cabins, yurts and group use areas, as well as Birds Hill Provincial Park campground. On April 1st, campsite reservations opened for Winnipeg Beach and all campgrounds within the Whiteshell. And then on April 3rd, all remaining campsite reservations opened, including St. Malo.

Ostrop says more than 26,000 reservations were made on those three days, up 15 percent from last year's opening days. She notes campgrounds should be busy this summer.

"I don't really have an explanation for this year's increase," shares Ostrop.

She says some other years, bookings are up because of an increase to the inventory or because some basic campsites were converted to electrical. Ostrop suggests it could be that people realized this year that if they wait too long they won't get their favourite location or the date they desire.

"I think we've just had a very long winter and people are anxiously anticipating summer," she says. "So when reservations kind of open it's the sign that summer is coming."

If you weren't one of the early birds, Ostrop says there is still plenty of inventory available for campsites. However, she says a lot of full-service sites and long weekend dates have already been picked through.

"It might be difficult to find a cabin or a yurt right now in July or August," she says.

Having said that, Ostrop says it is never a bad idea to keep checking their website for sites that might open up.

"Peoples' plans do change," she says. "Even though they grabbed inventory now for a future date they do change their mind and so camping inventory does become available."

And if your favourite campsite isn't available, Ostrop suggests trying someplace different.

"You might find a new favourite place somewhere else," she hints. "There's a lot of great places to discover in Manitoba parks."