Campers' spirits at Paul Lake Provincial Park were a little dampened with the news a campfire ban would curtail plans for roasting weenies and smores over an outdoor pit this weekend.

The ban, which covers the entire Kamloops Fire Centre except Clearwater and came into place at noon Friday, was a surprise to some.

"What?" said Paul Lake camper Brandon Seneer.

His friend Guy Raymond half-joked, "They should reduce the price of the campground."

Tenter Rob Macleod said the ban "definitely impeded my bacon feast I was planning on having. I've got cooking with tinfoil down to an art."

The Ontario man said instead of chowing down on some sizzling bacon, he would probably eat "broccoli, fruit and yogurt" for dinner.

In all seriousness, Macleod, an elementary school teacher, said he would have camped at Paul Lake regardless. He's on an impromptu 10-day trip across the country, visiting friends along the way. Friday was the fifth day of his journey.

Campground manager Larry Carrel said people are usually pretty understanding about campfire bans because they know it's dry.

Campground staff won't be opting to try to enforce the maximum $345 fine for campfire-ban defiance, he said.

"If somebody has a fire tonight, we'll just put it out."

All 90 sites at Paul Lake have been booked solid every weekend since the start of July, said Carrell. He anticipates this weekend won't be quite as full due to the ban.

"There's dollar loss," he said. "It's hard on the operators for sure.

"A fire is part of the camping experience."

Camper Kailee Cornelsen, one of a group of about 15 gathered for a family reunion trip, said they'd had a fire Thursday night and she wasn't aware of the Friday ban.

"I want smores," she said.

Not all campers were of the same mind, though.

"Just what I needed today was a fire," joked Ken Goodman, referring to the 30 C weather. "We definitely don't need a fire for heat, that's for sure. It's just fun to sit around one."