Some of our favourite camping spots south of the border are on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) public land. There is a lot of information online and the they are fairly easy to find. Boondocking (dry camping) in Ontario, or more to the point, finding Boondocking spots in Ontario is not easy for beginners.
There is a sense of freedom in this type of camping, hence the name freedom camping in New Zealand and Australia.
In Canada, there is an abundance of these camping spots, but they are hard to find, and generally kept a best-guarded secrets by people who find them.
We shared a guide for using the Land Use Atlas, but it’s easier said than done, so when we set out on this northern trip, one of our goals was to check out some of these locations.
How to find them? Well, you need to do some legwork yourself!
We checked some areas along Highway 144. Most had very passable dirt roads
leading up to a lake, in many cases with a boat launch.
and a few pleasant beaches.
Some of these places were very scenic.
Many had no signage, but some had very clear signage stating where you can or cannot camp.
Some places had not a soul in sight/site,
while others looked like a compound of regulars that may not welcome you in their midst.
The atlas can’t tell you what or who you’ll find at the end of the dirt road. It only gives you general information about land use for the entire tract of land.
You will need to take your time and explore on your own. Drive down those dirt roads and keep track of locations that you liked. Talk to the locals and you may find some willing to part with some information We did and got a few good tips on places to check out. Use Google Street to identify exits off the highway. Join a few Facebook groups such as this one (but don’t expect to be handed locations).
Go searching, and you may end up spending the night in a place like this one.
Or not…
This post offers some more options for finding a camping spot in Ontario.
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Both of your posts are gorgeous. This is my kind of country. Loved the flowing streams in the other post. This post with its dirt roads and calming wilderness is spectacular.
Thank you! Interesting observation about the contrast between the two! We really enjoyed the waterfalls, but there were a lot of people there, who just like us, wanted to enjoy nature. Even though some of the other places we visited were less spectacular, we really enjoyed the serenity. Maybe a little bit more…
Very understandable. Love to enjoy nature without other people around.
Yep. Canadians like to keep these places secret. Here’s one hint: find logging routes. In all cases these are great areas to boondock. Mostly in the northern areas where caribou are introduced. These areas are cleared of heavy brush with open lands for the animals to migrate and some forest left behind for moose. The lakes are stunning!
We’re deciding to visit Pickle Lake next month, and most of the region is crown.
Also you might bump into grumpy hunters if you set up camp next to them during hunting season. Although they don’t own land ownership on crown land, they pretend that they do. In tat case, invite MNR (Ministry of Natural Resources) to have a friendly chat with them. However if hunters are hankered down, the polite thing to do is to MOVE ON. Remember, your boondocking…social distancing!
Thanks for the tips! The state of boondocking in Ontario is getting more tricky than running into grumpy hunters. The MNR is closing down some crown land areas because people have no respect and leave their trash behind and cut down trees. It was quite shocking to see some of the places. This is why this post is part one, I have a post coming up about this.
Great info. An empty beach is so inviting.
It is!
In a world where everything is only a click away, it’s good to know that some of these places remain a secret. I can understand why some of the locals may not want this information to get out. It’s like going on an outdoors treasure hunt.
I love the idea of an outdoors treasure hunt! Yes, keeping some of these places a secret may prove even more important now that more people are looking for alternative options of travel. I have a post coming up about some of the things we encountered during our last trip.
I think if you have to work to find a spot to camp, you are more likely to enjoy it…
Possible, but mostly because it may be more hidden, not because of the work part 🙂
yes, people like feeling like they are part of a secret club… 🙂
Great posts! We had a road trip in Northern Ontario this August, and pleasantly surprised RVers can park overnight in municipal parking lots (where it’s not stated otherwise). Hopefully we can get one, one day🙂
Thank you! We love finding free spots for the night, especially when we are on the go and not planning to stay and use amenities of any kind. I hope you can get one too, it’s a lot of fun and opens up a lot of opportunities!