Verify Your BC Parks Account Before the 7am Day-Pass Release
BC Parks requires a verified account for day-use passes. Set it up early, then check current rules for Garibaldi, Joffre Lakes and more.
If you plan to book a day-use pass for Garibaldi, Joffre Lakes, Golden Ears or Mount Seymour, create and verify your BC Parks account before booking morning.
The requirement took effect September 22, 2026. You can create a BC Parks account using a BC Services Card account, or use an email address and password if you do not have one. In either case, complete the verification email: BC Parks says a reservation cannot be made until the associated email has been verified. The province introduced the change to reduce interference from bots and other misuse; it did not replace the 7am release time. (Government of B.C.)
The practical booking sequence
- Create your account ahead of time. Do not leave registration until 6:59am on release day.
- Open the verification email and follow its instructions. Check spam or junk folders if it does not appear. Creating the account alone is not enough.
- Open the BC Parks day-use booking site shortly before release. New passes appear at 7am Pacific Time, two days before the visit. A Saturday pass, for example, opens Thursday at 7am.
- Refresh at 7am and select the correct park, trailhead and time slot. Once you select an available pass, BC Parks gives you 15 minutes to complete the booking.
- Save the emailed pass offline. Download it, take a screenshot or print it before leaving, because cell service is limited in these parks.
Passes are free and available online. There is no first-come, first-served option at the park when a pass is required. A sold-out release is not necessarily final: cancelled passes return to the inventory, so it can be worth checking again. (BC Parks booking guidance)
Which parks need passes now?
These are the published positions as of September 27, 2026:
| Park | Current position | What the pass covers |
|---|---|---|
| Garibaldi | Required at Cheakamus, Diamond Head and Rubble Creek from Friday through Monday and on holidays until October 12 | One vehicle; Cheakamus has AM and PM slots, while Diamond Head and Rubble Creek passes are valid all day |
| Joffre Lakes | Park closed to visitors through September 30; passes resume October 1 and run daily through October 25 | One pass per person, with up to four passes per transaction; accompanied children 12 and younger do not need one |
| Golden Ears | The 2026 day-pass season ended September 7 | During the season, vehicle passes covered parking lots beyond the Spirea trailhead |
| Mount Seymour | No pass is currently required; the published 2025–26 winter period ended March 29, and new winter dates were not yet listed | In the published winter program, vehicle passes applied to P1 and Lower P5 |
BC Parks publishes the detailed day-use schedule and park-specific rules. The temporary Joffre Lakes closure was also reported by the Chilliwack Progress. Check the official schedule again before committing to a drive: requirements vary by date, weekday, trailhead and parking lot.
At Mount Seymour, distinguish the provincial park’s backcountry parking rules from the adjacent Mt Seymour Resort’s tickets and parking arrangements; they are not interchangeable. Our Mount Seymour access guide explains the split.
What verification does—and does not—change
Verification adds a prerequisite. It does not reserve a pass, extend the two-day window or guarantee availability. Some visitors responding to the announcement argued that verified accounts would not eliminate the 7am rush. (Daily Hive)
The practical response is simple: finish verification on a quiet day, then treat 7am two days before your hike as the pass release time. That keeps an unread email from derailing the booking attempt.