It seems a new conservation fee hasn't deterred visitors from heading to Kananaskis Country.

On June 1, the provincial government implemented a new usage fee for the park to deal with a surge of visitors they believe was putting an environmental strain on the land.

According to Alberta Parks, Kananaskis has seen strong numbers, approaching record highs for the season so far.

"However, not quite at the same level that we experienced last year. Because we're not quite experiencing the same overwhelming use that we experienced last year," said Regional Director for Kananaskis, Michael Roycroft.

He said people taking advantage of other provincial or national parks is one likely reason Kananaskis isn't seeing the overwhelming numbers. Roycroft admitted the conservation fee may also be turning some visitors away.

Recent weather patterns such as heatwaves, thunderstorms, and poor air quality are also other reasons Roycroft mentioned.

So how will the rest of the summer fare when it comes to visitors to K-Country? Roycroft admitted it is tough to predict, but believes there could be more visitors to the park in the coming weeks and months,

"As borders start to re-open and we start to get inter-provincial travel and perhaps even international travel later on this summer or early fall, we expect visitation to remain high in Kananaskis region."

The current conservation pass costs $15 a day per vehicle or $90 a year. Those choosing the annual pass can have up to two license plates registered.

All revenue from the conservation fee will help support Kananaskis Country in areas like enforcement, recreational services, and rescue service.

Back in May, Roycroft said he didn't believe introducing the fee would result in lower numbers for the park.