By TERRY PUGH
Campers who don’t mind firing up their furnaces can still enjoy another couple weeks in the great outdoors before the Prairie Oasis Campground in Warman closes for the season October 15.
And while the number of visitors to the Prairie Oasis RV facility is down slightly this year from last, Warman Director of Recreation and Community Services Paul McGonigal said the campground has been consistently busy since it opened in May.
“Last year, 20205, was our busiest season ever,” said McGonigal. “We attribute that in part to the large number of northern forest fires, which closed down a lot of campgrounds up north; and so people who still wanted to make use of their RVs decided to camp a little closer to home.
“But, we still had a very good season this year too.”
The Brian King Centre (BKC) campground, meanwhile, saw its numbers shoot up this past season due to several large events at the nearby Brian King Centre hall. The BKC closed for the season October 1.
The seven-site BKC campground had 430 overnight stays in 2026 as of late September, while the 25-site Prairie Oasis Campground had 2,040 overnight stays. Site #4 was the most popular Prairie Oasis Campground site, while Site #3 was the most popular at the BKC campground.
McGonigal said the Prairie Oasis Campground sees many visitors who come for weekend ball tournaments and other special events.
But, there is also a significant percentage of longer-term campers who book for 30 to 60 days.
“It’s a destination campground in many ways,” said McGonigal. “It’s close to everything in town, and the adjacent pond gives you the feeling of being at a lake. It’s quite new, the facilities are excellent and Elizabeth Wiffen, the Campground Supervisor contracted for the season, has done a tremendous job.”
He noted many of the campers return every year.
“There are a variety of reasons,” he said. “Some are visiting relatives here in the area’ others might be staying in their RV while their house is being built. We also get road crews who are working on projects in the area over the summer.”