Camping season might be several months away from reality currently, however, the dates to book provincial sites were released earlier this week.

Sask Parks announced on Wednesday morning they'd open portal reservations starting on April 18 for seasonal campsites. That date is closely followed by nightly bookings in 22 provincial parks staggered to open from April 19 to 26.

Minh Truong, the director of park experiences with Saskatchewan's Ministry of Parks, Culture & Sport, said the dates chosen are a reflection of what most campers wanted.

"At the end of every camping season, we actually do a post-season survey with our campers and we ask them what is an ideal time for reservations," he explained. "This year we're actually doing our reservation launch after Easter, which is what the majority of the folks on that survey responded with."

Last year Sask Parks logged their busiest season on record and to build on the experience for campers, they've added three new features; the compatibility to comparing campsites before booking, being able to save favourite campsites on their profiles, and waitlists.

"That's something we think people will really appreciate, especially given how busy we were last year," he said.

Campers looking to visit Buffalo Pound Provincial Park can begin booking their spot on April 25.

"They'll launch on different days to give people the opportunity to book on those days without worrying about having to book on both parks on the one day," he said. "We were very purposeful around what parks would launch on each day to give everybody a fair chance to book sites in their favourite park."

For more information on the provincial campsite booking, click here.