How To Find Campgrounds in Canada

Best Places to Camp in Canada

Pick and Find Camping Areas in Canada

How To Find Campgrounds in Canada - Finding campsites in Canada can be fun and frustrating at the same time. From backcountry rugged set ups to luxury cabins with all the amenities. There is a campsite for everyone's interests! It's just where to find them all, and what is required that can be difficult. I wanted to take a minute to help break down the different places we can book campsites in Canada. Unfortunately, it can be a bit overwhelming and some really good options just don't appear on the front pages of general internet searches. Hopefully this helps you widen your camping options, learn where to look, and you find some potential backup gems for high season!

Finding Different Kinds of Campgrounds in Canada

Most Canadians and international travelers are fully aware of our national parks campsites and where to book them. Banff, Jasper, Gross Morne, etc. on the Parks Canada website of course. Easy right? But where else could you find Canadian parks but on Parks Canada? Simple answer? Almost every National, Regional, Territorial and private park is listed on the ehCanadaTravel.com website. Meanwhile, there are a plethora of Provincial and Territorial campgrounds as well as Municipal and private ones too. This applies to all of Canada. Example- Visiting the province of Manitoba? Riding Mountain National Park is a great option for camping and falls under the national federal website for online reservations. National Park = Parks Canada. Whereas Clear Lake Provincial Park would be an example of a Provincial Campground in the province of Manitoba. And so that would be booked through the Manitoba government website. If you're local, it's quite easy to know the difference and where to book. If you're traveling from outside of Canada, it may be a bit tricky to understand the various ways to book or find some campsites.

National Park Campsites in Canada

National Parks are federally run parks across Canada. Each has its own unique features, and majority, if not all, have at least 1 campground in there somewhere. Every single campsite that falls into a National Park, all across Canada, will be found on the Parks Canada website and the ehCanadaTravel website. Now adays, the majority of National Park campsites are online reservation only. There are still the odd First Come First Serve sites left though. Depending on where you're going, having a reservation at least guarantees you a site. Driving into Banff in August expecting to find an empty FCFS site? Good luck. While it is possible, it will not be easy. National Park reservations for the year open near the end of January annually. It is all released at once. Meaning you can book opening weekend in May and/or the last weekend in the fall at the same time. National Parks will likely be the most booked for foreign travelers, as it's the easiest to find online and covers some majorly popular names in Canada - Banff, Jasper, Yoho and so on.

Provincial and Territorial Parks Offer Camping Options

So here is when it can start to get a bit confusing as you try to figure out how to find campgrounds in Canada. National Parks and Provincial/Territorial Parks are not the same. National Parks are the federal Parks across the country managed by the federal government. Provincial and Territorial Parks are "homebased" to their respective province or territory and managed by the local Provincial government. Example of Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario. There are various campgrounds in that Provincial Park that you can camp at. Another example would be Buffalo Pound Provincial Park in Saskatchewan. Thus each province and territory have their own parks that can be easily found on the specific provinces government websites and ehCanadaTravel.com. You can quickly search Ontario Provincial Parks, or Northwest Territories Territorial Parks and find a full list of available options and ways to book. In Alberta, these types of campsites are generally available to book 90 days in advance for general campsites, and 180 days for group sites or comfort camping. We'll talk more about comfort camping in a bit.

Municipal and Regional Campgrounds Available Across Canada

Similar to the National and Provincial Parks, many towns/cities/communities offer Municipal or Regional Campgrounds. For instance there are a number of small towns that boast some amazing campgrounds. Little secrets really. Many people flock to the major campgrounds and well known parks. These small municipal campgrounds are a lot harder to find online, except many are listed on the ehCanadaTravel.com website. Additionally, a lot are not found online yet anyway. You may see it listed as a campground with no website attached if you do a search in a specific area. Many of these municipal campgrounds are self registration booths with a very small fee per night. Picture Butte Alberta has a cute little campground on a small reservoir for only $10 a night. Taber Alberta has a sprawling nicely treed in campground along the Oldman River. Nelson British Columbia has an awesome local campground close to everything you may want or need. The options for these small community campgrounds are endless. Zoom up close on Google Maps to see if any small towns on your road trip route have a Municipal campgrounds or go to ehCanadaTravel.com. You may be surprised by how many are around. Furthermore, you'll also be pleasantly surprised by some of the amenities available at a few of them. While others are very basic, some are quite the little gems.

Private Campgrounds Are A Fantastic Option For Camping in Canada

Not done with our options for different types of camping available in Canada yet! Now that we have National, Provincial/Territorial and Municipal out of the way, we mustn't forget quite possibly the best ones. The privately owned campgrounds! Your family run, small business campgrounds. However, some will be bigger, perhaps even small private chain resorts. Too many for me to know for sure. But regardless, some of the privately owned campgrounds in Canada are truly amazing. They are also not as likely to be some of the first results you come across on a Google search. In fact, they are typically overridden by the more popular names, if not in an area all on their own. Another direct search for campgrounds in a specific area you're traveling can help narrow it down. Or zoom in on your maps for your route to see some potential options. Ultimately, watching for signs along the highway is another source to find these hidden gems. In the Northwest Territories awhile back that was just the thing to do. Still works everywhere in Canada today, depending on if they have open spots of course.

Backcountry Camping Available Inside Parks Across The Country

Backcountry camping can also be a bit confusing to navigate as you try to select the best option for you to set up camp. Some of our Provincial and National Parks offer designated backcountry campsites. Of course, these are sites you cannot generally drive to, and require some hiking to find. The designated backcountry campsites are a combination of reservation required, as well as first come first serve sites. Conveniently, they tend to offer a few amenities such as fire pits, food lockers, tent pads, etc. It varies from campsite to campsite and this information can be found on the National or Provincial parks pages. Some are starting to offer unique and fancy backcountry accommodations. Depending on what province or territory you are camping in, the fees are drastically different. B.C offers a lot of free camping in recreation areas but many backcountry campsites require a reservation and the fees change based on where you're camping and everyone's age. ehCanadaTravel.com lists many of these free backcountry campsites. Where as Alberta requires permits and/or fees again based on where you're going to be. Then Ontario is a mix of permits and fees depending where you're going and where you're from. Once you have an idea of where you're going and want to camp, it's easy to find the direct information you need on the parks websites for backcountry campgrounds.

Random Camping - is also referred to as Crownland Camping, Wild Camping, Wilderness Camping, and Backcountry Camping

Alternatively, you can do what they call Random Camping. Random camping is allowed on Crown land and is confusingly also referred to as many other terms including backcountry camping by many. Not all Crown Land is open for campers to set up. So be sure to check that the areas you're interested in allow it. Random camping is a common practice all across our beautiful country. In Alberta, crown land, Public Land Use Zones (PLUZs), and some Wildland Parks are where random camping is generally allowed. Random camping is where you head into the forest and find your own space to set up camp. No amenities, no signs, no neighbours, and just purely wild camping. Where one can practice their trumpet skills. Or enjoy their music and evening festivities without worries about a "quiet time". There are general rules depending where you are headed, such as you must be 1 km away from any Provincial Parks and recreation areas, possible fire bans, distance from water, and things like that. If you're looking to random camp in Alberta, as of 2021 a pass is required- annual or a 3 day passes are available as well. Ontario requires non-residents to acquire a camping permit in certain areas. British Columbia does not require permits for residents random camping, but non residents need to get a permit. As you can see, random camping falls under the local Provincial guidelines like a Provincial Park would. Any further specific information required would be found on that selected Provinces or Territories website. Little tip - Backroad Maps are a great help for finding crownland across Canada. On the other hand, there are also backcountry campgrounds scattered throughout the crownland. Here you'll find drive up campgrounds with basic amenities such as pit vault toilets, fire pits, designated camp sites, and sometimes even sheltered cook house pavilions. Usually on a first come first serve basis for these types.

Comfort Camping-also Known as Glamping

Comfort camping is how it sounds. Your accommodation should have you feeling quite comfortable in comparison to a simple tent set up. The official Comfort Camping spots are found on the Provincial Parks websites if any sites are available in the area. Many parks now offer neat comfortable places to stay like gigantic tents with queen size beds. Mini cabins with lights! A fun variety of these options are popping up more and more in campgrounds across Canada. Beaver Mines Campground has some nice small cabins with fantastic views. Furthermore, Cactus Lake Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada, offers adorable accessible cabins that sleep up to 5 people. Hopefully everyone who wants to enjoy camping these days can do just that.

Far from the Provincial comfort camping options, there are of course endless privately owned cabin rentals across Canada. You will certainly find any level of comfort camping your heart desires, from rustic to luxury. For privately owned cabin and cottage rentals, it's best just to do a web search for the area(s) of interest and go from there. Some have direct websites, and a lot go through various different platforms and sites. Bearberry Cabins have their own website, whereas a search for "Cottages for Rent in the Kawarthas" will yield plenty results leading to many different rental pages. Be weary of scams on booking sites, as with anything ever online these days. Always best to book directly with the business or through the owner.

Camping Options in Canada for Families

Well, I think that covers all of the different types of camping available in Canada. As a recap and to sum it up, we have National Parks, Provincial Parks, Municipal Campgrounds, Private Campgrounds and Random camping. As the snow continues to fall over most of our country, many people here and around the world are getting ready to book their sites for the upcoming camp season in Canada. Ehcanadatravel is a fantastic travel planning resource if you're interested in one with great tips and amazing hidden gems across the country. Parks Canada - The National Parks - Are opening up their bookings for the year soon. It's a pretty big deal. Those are the Jasper, Banff, Kootenay, Bruce Peninsula, Gros Morne National Parks across the country. Very popular destinations. But don't worry if you don't get a spot in the big popular parks, as you can see there are so many great options to choose from. Just remember, there is never no where to camp!