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Visitors to Mount Seymour Provincial Park in North Vancouver will once again need a free day pass to access the area this year.
The pass system takes effect on Dec. 15.
B.C. Parks rolled out the passes as a pilot project last year, in an effort to address congestion and limited parking lot space at the top of the mountain.
On weekend days with good weather, it was not uncommon for a traffic jam to form on the road up the mountain, with some people left waiting for hours to be let up.
The Ministry of Environment says more than 1.1 million people visited the park in 2020, a 20 per cent increase over 2018.
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People can book a pass up to two days in advance, and select either a morning (7 a.m. to noon) pass, an afternoon (noon to 4 p.m.) pass, or both if they plan to stay all day.
People with lift passes for the Mount Seymour Resort downhill ski area will not need one of the day passes.
Read more: Day pass program returns to three B.C. parks to manage summer traffic
The province has been increasingly turning to free passes in recent years to manage surging demand at its most popular parks, generally within easy driving range of the Lower mainland.
This summer BC Parks implemented free day passes for Golden Ears Provencal Park, Joffre Lakes Provincial Park and three trailheads in Garabaldi Provincial Park.
