Long weekend procrastinators, it's not too late to go camping

It's not too late to plan a May long weekend camping trip in southern Alberta.

Many sites have been booked for months but Brad Tucker of Alberta Parks has a few tips and tricks for weekend procrastinators.

"You're going to have to work a little bit harder than the people who reserved some 90 days ago, and some of the most popular sites, of course, they go very fast," he told theCalgary Eyeopener.

Tucker said go toreserve.albertaparks.ca and there should be a few available camping spots. He checked Wednesday night and found spots at Crimson Lake Provincial Park and Brewers Campground in Aspen Beach Provincial Park.

Other spots were open at Firerock Campground in CypressHills Provinicial Park and at CastleviewCampground in Oldman Dam Provincial Recreation Area, he said.

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Also, he said to watch for cancellations. People can cancel up to three days before their reservation begins, so you might even snag a spot at the more popular sites, such as Dinosaur Provincial Park, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park or in Kananaskis Country.

• Listen to Brad Tucker's best tips for finding a last minute campground:

Of the province's more than 250 campgrounds, more than 100 actually don't take reservations, he said. They're first-come, first-serve.

"You can get in to Badlands type areas like Dinosaur or some mountain areas like Peter Lougheed(Provincial Park) and still find some," he said.

There are two parks just north of WatertonPark, Castle Provincial Park and Castle Wildland Provincial Park, that were recently upgraded and have some first-come, first-serve spots.

You can also try the rustic camping option. You can apply for a permit to park your camperalong Castle's roads, for example, he said.

Alberta Parks also has alist advisories online, such as for construction or closures, as well as active liquor and fire bans, which are in effect at a sprinkling of sites around the province.

Banff and Lake Louise Tourism also offer tips for getting around during the busy May long weekend, such astools to plan your transportation and parking needs.

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With files from theCalgary Eyeopener.