Free Camping On Crown Land In Ontario

Think you can camp anywhere for free on Ontario’s Crown land? We dig into the real rules, the best regions, and the prep that turns a risky guess into a confident adventure. After a quick year-five milestone shoutout, we map out what Crown land actually is, why so much of it sits north of the French River, and how local restrictions shape where you can pitch a tent, light a fire, and stay legally.

We walk through the Crown Land Use Policy Atlas and the 21-day rule, including the must-move 100 metres requirement. Then we tour standout regions with very different vibes: Temagami’s classic canoe routes and remote islands, Algoma’s quieter lakes and fewer crowds, Killarney-adjacent granite shores like Philip Edward Island when reservations vanish, cottage-country pockets near Bancroft that demand careful boundary checks, and the wild northwestern stretch around Dryden and Vermilion Bay where water access and fly-ins raise the stakes. Along the way, we call out the no-services reality—no toilets, no bins, often no cell service—and what that means for wag bags, food storage, navigation skills, and first aid readiness.

This conversation is for campers who crave solitude and can handle self-reliance. We’re honest about who should embrace Crown land now—experienced paddlers, anglers, and backcountry travellers—and who should build skills in managed parks first. Expect practical, respectful advice on fire bans, Leave No Trace, logging roads, and why good etiquette keeps spots open for everyone. If you love freedom, pair it with responsibility and you’ll find the wild corners of Ontario that feel like your own. Subscribe, share with a camping friend, and tell us: which region are you planning to explore next?

Chapters

• 0:00 A Quick Year-End Milestone Recap
• 1:46 What Crown Land Camping Really Means
• 3:10 Where Crown Land Exists In Ontario
• 5:02 Popular Regions And Route Ideas
• 8:10 The Reality Of No-Services Camping
• 9:44 Rules, Fines, And Enforcement
• 11:05 Who Crown Land Suits And Who It Doesn’t
• 12:30 Final Reminders And Ways To Reach Us

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Hello and good day. Hey, welcome to the Super Good Camping Podcast. My name is Pamela.

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

I'm Tim.

SPEAKER_01: 0:04

And we are from Supergoodcamping.com. We're here because we're on a mission to inspire other people to get outside and enjoy camping adventures such as we have as a family. Today we're just going to review our 2025 quickly.

SPEAKER_00: 0:16

Yeah, we're hosted on Buzz Sprout for the podcast itself. And uh we got our year-end wrap-up, and the numbers blow me away every year. Uh we were heard in 108 countries, uh, just shy of I want to say 1198 cities uh we're over the all over the world, which is it's mind-boggling. Uh we're just shy of 16,000 downloads, which is a solid metric for us in the in podcast world. Uh aggregating uh streams is a difficult thing, but you know, it's sort of 10 10 to 25 times the number of downloads. So, you know, that's a boatload, man. This is year five for us, and I think we're just shy of 70,000 downloads all told. So like and I think you said we're in the top 25 percent of the top 25 percent of all podcasts, which is just again, I just who it's not the YouTube people because I wouldn't want to look at this ugly bug. Um I do. It's all hot, sweetie. It's like why why are you sucking up to me? What what chores do I have to do? Uh I it that's it. I just I wanted to shout out to all you amazing people that uh that tune in, that listen, that download us and and take us on your trips with you. It's uh it's it's very humbling, it's very very heartwarming.

SPEAKER_01: 1:39

Yeah, thanks. Keep doing it.

SPEAKER_00: 1:40

Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_01: 1:42

And we'll keep doing it.

SPEAKER_00: 1:43

Uh so today's that was just that was just a side thing. Today's topic is going to be uh Crown Lamping in Ontario in particular. Um do you want to do the intro?

SPEAKER_01: 1:53

Yeah, so we want to talk about some of the most searched, most uh misunderstood topics around Crown Crown land camping. And I think you said that's called diversified camping in the United States.

SPEAKER_00: 2:05

Divers or diversified, yes.

SPEAKER_01: 2:06

Yeah. Uh so if you've heard someone say you can camp anywhere in Ontario for free, that's not quite right. But uh we'll get into some of the details. Crown land camping gives you some freedom, some privacy, and some access to some wild, uncharted territory. It also comes with some rules, some risks, and a certain amount of responsibility for everyone to be prepared for. So we'll walk you through what it actually is, where it exists in Ontario, some of the popular places, although we don't want to out anybody's private spots, and uh what style of camping this is really suited for, who it's suited for.

SPEAKER_00: 2:40

As a side note, that that is outing other people's places that they camp is like, you know, I follow a bazillion uh Facebook camping type groups, and people ask that question and it's just like silence. No, you just tell me. I'm not telling you where I go. I don't want you in my space where I'm going camping, man. I want it to be there when I have time to go. That's it.

SPEAKER_01: 3:01

Yeah, so Crown Land is is owned by the provincial government, managed for public use, national resources, and conservation. In Ontario, about 87% of the province is Crown Land. So that's a lot of land. Most of it's north of the French River.

SPEAKER_00: 3:16

Which is three and change, push and four-hour drive from Toronto. So that's yeah, that's 80% it most of it being that far away is makes it unavailable for some people.

SPEAKER_01: 3:29

Yeah, Southern Ontario has very little Crown lands for camping, so like you're not gonna find it around Toronto. Yeah. Uh for Ontario residents, Crown Land camping is generally free for up to 21 days in one spot. So after 21 days, if you want to keep camping, you've got to move. Uh, and as long as that's permitted in that specific area. So that last part is critical.

SPEAKER_00: 3:51

And by move, it's not like shift your tent, you know, 10 feet. Five feet. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's it you I think it's a minimum of 100 meters you have to move, which is for for those of you uh using Imperial, it's that's about 100 yards. Uh so where Crown land camping exists in Ontario, one of the biggest misconceptions is that you can simply just drive north, pull over, and camp anywhere you like. Not quite. Uh, in reality, much of Crown land is restricted due to forestry, mining, indigenous land claims, or conservation rules. Uh, some areas do allow hunting or or sorry, hiking or hunting, but not camping.

SPEAKER_01: 4:27

Well, and what you might think looks like Crownland might be a farmer's field or something. So don't you can't just assume that you can't trespass on other people's property.

SPEAKER_00: 4:36

Uh some other places uh prohibit fires or overnight stays entirely. Again, a lot of that's gonna be like sort of conservation type rulings. Uh that's why using Crown land uh use policy atlas is essential is essential before every trip. Uh, as a general rule, Southern Ontario, basically almost no Crown Lamping down here. Uh Central Ontario, scattered pockets, often near provincial park boundaries. Uh Northern Ontario, vast, legal and accessible Crownland. So there's lots of places in northern Ontario to uh to plump down your tent.

SPEAKER_01: 5:08

Yeah, so in general, some popular Crown land camping areas. Tomogamy is one of the most iconic Crown land regions in the province. So massive lakes, pallian and portage routes, remote island and shoreline campsites, and Tim's been in Tamogmy as of this past summer.

SPEAKER_00: 5:24

I have.

SPEAKER_01: 5:25

Yeah. Uh the area is ideal for experienced canoe trippers who want a true backcountry experience outside of the provincial park system.

SPEAKER_00: 5:33

Yeah, although part of Tomogmi is also a, I think they call them, don't hold me to it, I think they call them non-operating, uh, provincial park as well. But it's an area, like it's a massive area. So some of it is provincial park and a whole bunch of it is Crownland. Um, next on that list is Algoma Country, uh, areas around Highway 129, Ranger Lake Road, up by Wawa and Sault Ste. Marie. Wawa. And we have some pals in Sault Ste. Marie, so shout out to Beauty of the Backcountry. Uh, they offer excellent Crownland camping, uh, which Jay and Sherry take advantage of fairly often. Uh, mix of roadside accessible lakes and remote sites, popular for fishing and paddling, less crowded than more southern destinations, you know, sort of central Ontario stuff.

SPEAKER_01: 6:20

Uh Killarney outside of the provincial park. While Killarney Provincial Park is regulated and you have to book reservation, there are crown line areas nearby, such as Roose Lake and Philip Edward Island. Hey, shout out to Philip Edward Island. We were on, what was it? I don't remember what it was called where we were. It was the other end of Philip Edward Island is that we were at. So granite shorelines, which were spectacular, clear lakes, and quiet little alternatives when when Clarni's full.

SPEAKER_00: 6:50

Yes, which is very full often, yep. Uh in and around Bancroft, uh places like Egan Lakes and on Crown Land, just north of what we look at as cottage country, the Muskokas. Uh no, that Coarthas, right? Yes. Yeah. Uh so again, we here in Ontario we we like the granite outcroppings because we have a lot of beautiful. Uh forested lakes. Uh they're popular with weekend campers, but legally must be double-checked carefully because there is a lot of private, privately owned areas up there.

SPEAKER_01: 7:23

Uh, northwestern Ontario around Dryden, Vermilion Bay, and Eagle Lake. There are island and water access crown land sites that feel completely wild. Fly in and paddle in camping. So fly in is cool. Exceptional fishing and extremely remote in some cases. So actually, you need to be prepared for stuff like that too. Like it's not like uh you just on a lark decide you're gonna go to a remote area like that. You need to have some hopefully wilderness survival skills and some first aid training.

SPEAKER_00: 7:53

Well, yeah, the north northwest Ontario is. I mean, it's yeah, I'm sure you've heard the joke where it's like, you know, I drove for 18 hours and I'm still in the same tunnel. That's because of northwestern Ontario. Uh what Crown Land camping is really like, um, it's it's not serviced camping. So there are no toilets, no garbage bins, no drinking water, no staff. Uh often there's no cell service.

SPEAKER_01: 8:17

Not even thunder boxes, too, by the way.

SPEAKER_00: 8:19

Like uh not only not toilets, but yeah, you're you're often you're often digging your own pit um or wag bags. Or wag bags, yep. You're fully responsible for waste management. Wag bags, wag bags, wag bags and and your garbage and stuff. Don't don't leave it lying around. We I we've seen we've driven past some some crown land areas that are popular, and I'm usually fairly unhappy by the time we've passed them. Uh just garbage and stuff everywhere, and and people trashing the places and cutting down live trees, which is totally useless. Um, sorry, you're back, you're fully responsible for waste management, uh, fire safety, food storage, navigation, and emergency planning because there's nobody around to help you out, man. Uh, that's where freedom meets the reality.

SPEAKER_01: 9:05

That's the thing. We all like freedom, but it needs to be a certain amount of responsibility with the freedom.

SPEAKER_00: 9:10

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 9:11

Uh rules and responsibilities. Key rules include a maximum of 21 days in one location, as as Tim said, you can't just like shift five feet over and then you're in a different location. Campfires must follow local fire regulations and bans too. So even if it is an area where fires are allowed, if there's a fire ban in the particular county that you're in, which you have to be aware of, then you can't have a fire. Fires should only be built where they are permitted. All garbage has to be packed out, and you have to move at least 100 meters when you're staying. So that's that 21-day rule. 100 meters. Um, ethically and practically, leave no trace is not negotiable. Any poor behavior on Crown Land directly leads to restrictions and closures for other people. So you're messing it up for everybody else if you're not being responsible.

SPEAKER_00: 9:56

Yeah, and there are some pretty hefty fines and stuff, which they because it's becoming more and more popular, uh, as there are fewer backcountry, there are fewer in-park backcountry availabilities anymore. Uh people are turning towards crown uh camping. Uh, and the uh the rangers are out enforcing stuff like conservation uh officers, you know, uh if you're not moving after 21 days, like if you plunk your, you know, you use a um like a uh uh logging road and drive in, which you can do. Again, there are different rules for different places. Um if you use uh you use that as your access and you take your trailer in and then you pull it off into the bush where you know it says you're you're all good, but but then you pluck it there for the summer, not gonna play out. They're going to if somebody complains, they will find you. Just just say it.

SPEAKER_01: 10:50

Well, and I've been on logging roads before. It's not fun driving on logging roads. I don't recommend. Um, also, just wanted as an aside, Crown Land Camping Wise, our friend Martin Pine um teaches people how to build a winter shelter like igloos. And he has said, like, you could build your igloo on on Crown Land, you go there and you sleep in your igloo, and then you can go back throughout the winter as long as you don't get a melt, then your your shelter is still there. So it's kind of cool.

SPEAKER_00: 11:18

Yeah. I'm not sure how that plays with you have to move your igloo after 21 years. I don't think so.

SPEAKER_01: 11:25

As long as you don't stay in it for the whole thing.

SPEAKER_00: 11:26

Hey Martin, got a question for you.

unknown: 11:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 11:29

Um yeah, so uh Crown Land camping is best for you know experienced campers, canoe trippers and paddlers, uh uh anglers and hunters, uh, people comfortable with self-reliance and problem solving, you know, campers seeking solitude over convenience. Because it is, man. It's you're you're digging a hole to go to the bathroom and stuff. It is not ideal for first-time campers, uh families with young children, unless you uh rank yourself in the very experienced camper area, uh, canoe trippers, that sort of deal, then then I'm sure that you're probably fine with that young children. Um, but you'll probably have exposed them to some outdoor sort of stuff so that they're used to it. Just just saying. Um anyone relying on facilities or cell service and people uncomfortable navigating or handling emergencies. And there's there's another thing. I mean, even a simple, you know, knowing how to use a compass as opposed to your GPS on your phone, because it doesn't, it's not always right. Just saying, or or and how to use a map.

SPEAKER_01: 12:33

So crown line camping offers something increasingly rare, true freedom when you're out in nature, but that freedom only works when campers respect the land, respect the rules, and assume the responsibility that comes with it. And that's it for us for today. And we will talk to you again soon. Please do reach out to us at any time. We are at Hi at Supergoodcampaign.com. That's H I at Supergoodcampaign.com. Like, subscribe, share, follow, do all of the things. By merge. By merge. And we'll talk to you again soon.

unknown: 13:04

Bye.

SPEAKER_00: 13:04

Bye.