Camping

This feature now available on our Backroad GPS Maps!

From roadside parks to remote wilderness campsites the Backroad Mapbooks are your source for camping in Canada. Clearly no other source, whether it be a map or guidebook, offers as many camping options as our books do. Not only do we list every Provincial and National Park, we also list bigger Regional or County Parks, BC Recreation Sites and Alberta Recreation Areas. If that is not enough, our maps include these sites as well as virtually everything in between and beyond.

Interested in Crown Land camping in Canada? No problem, our maps show countless opportunities from scenic beach sites to those ever popular island sites. Looking for private or city roadside camping areas in the prairies? No problem, we have that covered too. In fact, we show many camping areas other maps do not. So let the Backroad Mapbooks be your guide to exploring the Canadian Great Outdoors.

What to look for

Line Style/Symbol on the maps

Look for these symbols on our maps to find your perfect camping spot.

Symbol in the writing

Look for this symbol in our refernece to see where you can stay along the way.

Write-up in Reference

Look for the Recreation section in our books to find the most popular spots.

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains BC: Lizzie Bay Recreation Site (Map31/B4)
At km 15.5 on the In-Shuck-Ch Forest Road, this is probably the nicest site on Lillooet Lake. The access road is a bit rough so RV's probably want to avoid it. There are 15 enhanced sites here, spread out along next to the beach but tucked back into the forest enough to create a sense of complete privacy.

Manitoba: Riding Mountain National Park (Map 23, 31–33)
The 3,000 square kilometre park (1,863 square miles) Riding Mountain National Park hosts one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife in North America. The park is bisected by Highway 10 from which visitors will find five picnic areas along with five hiking trails. For those just stopping overnight, the Wasagaming and Moon Lake Campsites are right off Highway 10. They are open from the May long weekend until the Thanksgiving weekend in October. The alternate entrance to Riding Mountain Park is at the east gate or Whirlpool entrance (Map 33/G7), which is a National Historic Site of Canada. The gate is a significant example of the Rustic Design tradition of the 1930s in Canada's National Parks. This entrance is on Highway 19, which has a 10% grade between the park entrance and its junction with Highway 10. Outdoor enthusiasts find Riding Mountain an enjoyable destination year-round. Summer activities include fishing, boating, horseback riding, swimming and bicycling. In winter, downhill skiing and cross-country skiing are popular pursuits. Nature lovers will find an extensive aquatic ecosystem that includes more than 900 lakes. The wildlife includes black bear, beaver, elk, moose and numerous others such as a herd of bison. There are 260 types of birds, which can be sighted at various times throughout the year.

- Deep Lake Campground (Map 32/A4) is the most remote campground in Riding Mountain National Park. It requires self-registration and offers well water, pit toilets, canoeing, swimming and fishing.

- Lake Audy Campground (Map 32/G6) is a remote campground that also requires self-registration. Amenities include well water, a campfire circle, kitchen shelter and pit toilets. The area features a swimming area close to the picnic area, several hiking, cycling and horseback riding trails as well as the nearby Bison Enclosure.

- Moon Lake Campground (Map 33/C5) is a smaller campground with self-registration only. It features Moon Lake Beach, which is a short 100 meter (330 ft) walk from the nearest parking lot to the water. Many people carry a boat or canoe down to the lake to try their luck fishing.

- Wasagaming Campground (Map 23/B1; 33/B7) is the only Riding Mountain campground with serviced sites. It features 578 sites, with sites 1-86 fully serviced with sewer, water and electricity. The remaining sites range from no services ideal for tenters to limited services for smaller camping units. It has drinking water, fire pits, flush toilets, showers and sewage dump. The beach on Clear Lake and the interpretive programs are popular with summertime visitors.

- Whirlpool Lake Campground (Map 33/E7) is a small campground with walk-in access. Amenities at the self-registration site include well water, a campfire circle, kitchen shelter and pit toilets, while activities include hiking, swimming and canoeing.

Reservations for Riding Mountain National Park campgrounds may be made online at www.pccamping.ca or toll-free at 1-877-RESERVE.

Northern Alberta: Musreau Lake Recreation Area (Map 6/A3)
The word Musreau means young moose. It also means something noisy or devil-like. The lake probably took its name from the latter, as pockets of gas bubble to the surface from the bottom of the lake. In the winter, the pressure from the gas builds, causing the ice to fracture with a loud crack. Musreau Lake is located 80 km (48 miles) south of Grande Prairie on Highway 40. There are 67 campsites here, as well as a large day-use area. The recreation area provides canoe rentals, while fishing, hiking and ATVing are other popular activities in the area.

Northeastern Ontario: Killarney Provincial Park (Map 4/D1–10/D7; Inset Map 87)
Killarney Provincial Park is a pillar of the provincial park system in Ontario. The 48,500 hectare park has long been the inspiration for famous Canadian artists such as A.Y. Jackson of The Group of Seven and more recently, Robert Bateman. The most striking feature of the park is the white and pink mountains that dominate the landscape. At over 2.3 billion years of age, Killarney's hills were once a great mountain range that was higher than the Rockies. The highest peak in Killarney is now found at 539 metres (1,768 ft). Today, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy a wide range of activities and programs. In addition to beaches and a campground, there are rentals and a park store. For interior trip planners, Killarney offers some of the most scenic canoe route opportunities in the province. Kayakers will also find Killarney's Georgina Bay coast very peaceful and beautiful, while trail enthusiasts can explore the elaborate trail system year round including the famed La Cloche Silhouette Trail.

There are five interior access points into Killarney:

- Bell Lake Access Point (Map 10/F7)
Located at the end of Bell Lake Road off Highway 637, this access area is very busy during most weekends in July and August.

- Carlyle Lake Access Point (Map 4/E1)
Found at the western corner of Carlyle Lake, not far off Highway 637, Carlyle Lake has a number of cottages along its southern shore and is usually busy during summer weekends. Permits must be picked up at the George Lake Access Point.

- Charlton Lake Access Point (Map 9/G7)
The only access point on the western side of the park, it lies outside of the boundaries of the park, near the community of Willisville off Highway 6. Paddlers can enter Killarney by travelling east on Charlton Lake and then up Howry Creek or, by paddling along the east arm of Frood Lake to Cranberry Bay. This access is one of the least busy access points, but provides access to some of the most remote sections of Killarney.

- George Lake Access Point (Map 4/D1)
The site of the main park office, the vehicle campground, as well as an interior access point, this is the busiest access point in the park, although is also the most scenic from its outset. There are 126 campsites, a day-use area, boat launch, park store and canoe rentals available here.

- Johnnie Lake Access Point (Map 10/F7)
Found along the Johnnie Lake Road off Highway 637 at the western corner of the lake, this access is also very busy on summer weekends, especially in August. Permits must be picked up at the George Lake Access Point.
The park can be quite busy throughout the summer, especially on weekends. It is highly recommended to make reservations to ensure your Killarney adventure goes as planned. For reservations call (888) ONT-PARK.

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