Table of Contents

Camping in Canada

Lands owned by the nation of Canada are called crown lands. Lands owned by the provinces1) are called provencial lands (including provencial parks).

Note: in Canada and the northern states in the U.S., boondocking may refer to cross-country snowmobiling.

crown lands

Alberta

Public Land in Alberta breaks down in to 2 sub-categories – Agricultural Public Land and Recreational Public Land. With some small caveats, you can use either for camping…

Ontario

In Ontario, crown land is most prominent in Northern Ontario, and scarcer in Southern Ontario due to densely populated urban centres.2)
Ontario's Crown land represents 87% of the province.3)

Foreigners may camp on crown land4) by purchasing a Non-Resident Crown Land Camping Permit

Lands “north of the French and Mattawa Rivers” require the permit5); it is not clear if the permit is required to the south.

Crown lands are free for Canadians to use at a given location for up to 21 days6) in a calendar year7), after which they must relocate at least 100 meters. Failure to relocate can result in a fine up to $10,000.8),9):

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1)
states
6)
except where posted