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Transforming the Visitor Experience Through a Paperless Parks Model.
How Ontario Parks reduced congestion, improved operational efficiency, and created a seamless arrival experience for visitors.
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Creating a simpler, more connected experience from reservation to arrival.
Ontario Parks is one of Canada’s largest provincial park systems, managing 340 parks and conservation reserves that welcome millions of visitors every year. With reservations serving as the backbone of the visitor journey, Ontario Parks recognized that a modern, friction-free experience was essential to meeting rising visitor expectations and growing demand.
About Ontario Parks
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92,000 square KM of protected land
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340 Provincial Parks with 116 operating
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Saw over 13.7 million visits in 2025
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Over 27,000 campsites
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Camis partner since 1999
The biggest win is allowing our visitors to get into our parks quickly and safely, so they can start enjoying their visit rather than being stuck in a line. It's allowing them to make the most of their experience.
Nicole Dreyer, Reservation Services Leader - Ontario Parks
The Challenge
When demand outgrew the traditional park arrival experience.
When visitation surged during and after COVID-19, what had once been a manageable check-in process at park entrances became a critical bottleneck. Gatehouses struggled to handle the volume.
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Vehicles backed up onto local roadways
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Congestion at high-visitation parks creating 6-km car lineups
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A popular park’s winter program saw visitors in line for hours only to be turned away
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Paper permits required visitors to physically stop, causing delays
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Additional vehicle permits could only be purchased in person, creating a persistent pinch point
Ontario Parks recognized an opportunity to modernize the arrival experience while improving operational efficiency for staff. Their vision was clear: create a paperless park experience that would reduce congestion, streamline operations, and allow visitors to access parks more quickly and conveniently.
The Solution
From paper and manual processes to a connected,
paperless park experience.
Working closely with Camis, Ontario Parks embarked on a multi-year journey to implement a Paperless Park model across its operations.
The initiative combined several digital tools and operational improvements including:
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Self Check-In by Camis
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Mobile field operations using SideKick by Camis
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Digital permits
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License plate-based validation
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Advanced Day Use Pass purchasing
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Automated visitor workflows
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Together, these capabilities created a connected experience that reduced the need for physical permits and manual check-in processes while providing staff with real-time access to visitor and reservation information.
Rather than requiring visitors to stop at a gatehouse, many can now proceed directly to their site, allowing them to begin their journey in the park immediately.
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Ontario Parks Paperless Visitor Journey
The Results
Driving Measurable Impact Across Operations and Visitor Experience
The impact of Ontario Parks' Paperless Parks initiative has been significant.
Reduced Congestion and
Wait Times
One of the most immediate benefits was a dramatic reduction in entrance congestion. By enabling visitors to purchase passes in advance, self check-In, and provide direct entry into the park, Ontario Parks has effectively eliminated lineups that previously impacted visitors during peak periods.
Greater Operational
Efficiency
The paperless model has also allowed Ontario Parks to redirect staff resources toward higher-value activities.
While maintaining customer service options for visitors who prefer in-person assistance, staff can now spend more time supporting critical park operations such as maintenance, visitor services, and enforcement.
Improved Visitor Experience
Visitor feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. As visitors became accustomed to the convenience of paperless entry, it quickly evolved from a new service into an expectation.
Visitors can begin enjoying their park experience sooner, after traveling for hours to reach it.
Enhanced Field Operations
By providing real-time access to reservation information, occupancy details, vehicle information, and permit validation, staff can quickly verify compliance and assist visitors directly from the field.
License plate validation has become a cornerstone of Ontario Parks' enforcement strategy, replacing many traditional permit verification processes.
Looking Ahead
Building on the success of its Paperless Parks initiative, Ontario Parks continues to expand its vision for a fully connected visitor experience—one that removes friction, empowers self-service, and enables staff to focus on delivering exceptional outdoor experiences.
Future Initiatives Include:
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Extended paperless processes to additional resource types
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Enhancing self-service workflows
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Enabling advanced rental bookings with integrated digital waivers
Built on Feedback.
Improved Every Season.
What made Ontario Parks' Paperless Parks initiative successful wasn't just the technology; it was the partnership.
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Through ongoing collaboration, Ontario Parks shared feedback directly from field staff and visitors, helping shape enhancements season after season. This continuous cycle of listening, improvement, and deployment of new capabilities transformed a pilot initiative into a province-wide operational model.
Self Check-In and SideKick have allowed our staff to spend less time on administrative transactions and more time focusing on critical park operations and visitor support. It's been a significant step forward for both our staff and our visitors.
Nicole Dreyer, Reservation Services Leader - Ontario Parks
Let's build what's next, together.
Discover how a modern reservation and park management platform can help your organization improve operational visibility, streamline processes,
and create exceptional visitor experiences.
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Contact us to explore how Camis can support your organization's
unique goals and priorities.
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