BANFF NATIONAL PARK — “It’s probably better if you stick your marshmallow above the coals, not the flames,” suggests Brennah McKirdy.



The Parks Canada summer staffer is giving a rundown of fire safety, which I — the Torontonian — manage to cap off with a flaming ball of goo.

“Try not to wave it around too much!” she says gently as I fling my sticky torch near a pile of dried pine needles.



McKirdy, a geology student from Quebec, is my friendly, capable guide for an overnight at the park’s new Equipped Camping site.

For $55, campers are given some training along with almost anything you’d need to rough it in the woods: a stove with propane, an electric lantern, a tarp tied over your picnic table, an already set up tent for four, sleeping mats, a fire pit with wood to chop and an axe.

“It’s a chance for people to reconnect with nature and appreciate such a special part of Canada,” says Judy Glowinski, Parks Canada product development specialist.



“We welcome anyone, from international travellers who camp to those who’ve never done this before.”

I’ve camped once in the past 10 years. While I recall taking in fresh air and seeing the sunset over a pristine lake, I also remember waking up in a waterlogged sleeping bag covered in mosquito bites, desperately craving an espresso.

So when Parks Canada approached the Herald offering a free overnight, my editor thought this city-slicker intern would be the best choice.

Before trekking out with enough food for six meals, I called my parents back home in Toronto to let them know I’d be roughing it in the Rockies.

They both laughed. My father suggested I not get killed while “camping among the grizzlies.”



Much as he tried to get me to appreciate the outdoors through years of scouting, I take after my mother in packing too much and yearning for wifi.

Equipped camping comes a year after Parks Canada launched “oTENTik” cabins, which match fire pits and lakeside views with the convenience of bunk beds and flush toilets.

Detractors slag programs such as this as “glamping,” a form of glamorous, bourgeois outdoor adventures for wussies like me. But Glowinski says it’s about making camping accessible to more people.

“It’s to diversify our existing camping offer,” she says, adding that many baby boomers who used to camp now want a convenient adventure with their grandchildren. “The needs of Canadians are changing, so we look at how we can broaden our appeal.”

She says the idea came after initiatives such as Authentic Canada, a partnership with a Calgary immigration group that took newcomers on their first camping trip.

Visitors to the new equipped campsites get a pile of brochures and maps, a deck of Banff playing cards and a nearby host who can explain everything from safe storage practices and preparing bannock to finding the park’s best views. “A key part of it is education; showing people what we have to offer,” she said.

The initiative comes amid the federal government’s heavy belt-tightening that has the agency trying to boost revenue. Equipped Campsites launched this year at nine parks across Canada. In Banff, it runs Thursday through Monday nights from July 10 to August 18. While the spots are full for most weekends, not as many spots are taken on weekdays.