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.

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…

• Camping on Alberta's public lands
• Public Land Use Zones (PLUZ)

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⁾:

• USCrown Land Use Policy Atlas