Upcoming trip through Canada up to Alaska. I will try and camp each night in Regina, Edmonton, Charles Lake, Mucho Lake, Johnsons Crossing and Beaver Creek. Looking for camp site ideas in these areas...can be anything from provincial parks to full blown RV parks. Any ideas will be appreciated. Jim
Steer clear of large cities and ride until dusk where ever that takes you. Ride through the cities if you must see them but never camp within their limits! Also the family owned sites are usually much better than provincial sites. This is less true so to speak the further you get north. Each province has their own price range and emmenities if that's the right word to describe what you will get from the provincial parks. Many RV sites will also have good tent sites within them. They will usually have better services or more services. Ontario has to be the worst province from what I have found for costs and services in their provincial camp sites.
If stealth camping is what you seek, we usually look for the red flashing lights on top of the radio towers as they have usually remote locations away from people and also have a good flat parking lot for the work vehicles for you to drop a tent onto. Some even have port a toilets for their workers too. As said before, when stealth camping, if anywhere near people, don't use a fire. Leave the area as you found it so as not to get it closed down for others.....common sense stuff really. Plus if you are found 99% of the time you won't get evicted.
Forest Lake Recreation Site. Andy Bailey Provincial Park. Howard Lake near Mahood Falls in Wells provincial Park. All free and stunning places to wake up in the morning. Try the book 'camp free in BC'. Its a bit pricey but well worth it as it suggests some incredible places to camp.
Hi Jprism, I use freecampsites.net when camping in North America. I camped or stayed with ADVriders on the tentspace list on my latest adventure since I can't afford anything above 10 bucks a night for accomadation. Highly recommend those two options. Check them out. Kindest regards, John Downs
FYI, & to just take a look with an eye for my future use at the campsite link posted above, I looked at my area(and I know it very well!) which is in the middle of Daniel Boone Nat. Forest. There were a couple of forest campsites listed. There are many,many others besides those so my point is to say that the list seems it's limited by who posts a new campsite so not a very broad listing. JamieZ also seems to have a knack for finding the freebie sites, see the sticky. A lot of the freebie/low cost sites boil down to shower vs. no shower but also give more likely privacy plus being truly in the woods as many RV'rs will avoid them because they lack the "nice" stuff.
When you cross at Beaver Creek, there is a RV camp on your left side with a really big but very rocky parking lot. Its right after you cross, it could actually be called border campground. Cant quite remember. It was kinda late when I went in there, and they werent very pleasent and jerked a thumb in the direction where I could put up my tent, at the tail end of a big flat featurless rv parking area, no tress or privacy whatsoever. ( trees...) And I think they wanted to charge me 25 bucks I think.....for nothing. I would have had a more pleasurable experience camping in a walmart parking lot. Anyway a friendly rv'er directed me to a free campground about 10 mins down the road, I think it was called " deadmans creek". Super people, clean bathrooms, no shower, and a lovely wooden walkway/ trail down to the lake where I had my cafe in the am. Highly recommended. Just gotta keep your eyes open for the entrence on your left side at mile marker whatever, sorry, cant remember....anyway, hardley anyone there, it was awesome. Yukon has cheap camping at territorial parks, one I stayed at, I had it all to myself. 10 bucks and free firewood. All very clearly marked and they are very plentiful, seems like there is just another one right down the road. Whitehorse has the campground just outside of town, at that intersection, cant remeber whats its called. Not the one across from the ball diamond. Anyway, best bathrooms ever. And cheap.
When are you coming through Saskatchewan? I live in Saskatoon right now but we are selling our house and building a house on two acres south of Saskatoon at Blackstrap lake. Always have a place for riders to pitch a tent, shower and something to eat! We are going to be living in our trailer while we build our house so we won't have much this summer but are willing to share what we have. Curious to your route through Sask and I may be able to assist you more with information about campsites etc? We have a great club called Saskatchewan Dual Sport Club that has over a hundred members around the province that are a great resource for those coming through. Google it and join our forum and I am sure you will get some assistance and information. As for Edmonton there is a place about a half our before Edmonton called Elk Island National park that has a campsite that is alright. Stay on HWy 16 and ride right through Edmonton without stopping if you are like us and don't dual sport to see cities! Lol corney
In Canada,I have found, where there have been public works projects, there are also campsites, often free, often very nice places. I think they built them for the project workers, and then afterword they just keep them for the public.
On your way back don't miss highway 37 or the Cassier highway through central BC, search Telegraph Creek, Hyder/Stewart, Salmon Glacier.....Bella Coola.....all great places to visit for sure. You will see the most wilflife on the Cassier also for some strange reason.....Oh, Bell II has camping in the back and you share the shower facilities with the other guests, very nice I think for $24. Rooms are very steep!
I agree that is some great country. Might be a bit out they way from Nashville to Alaska? Life would be grand if we all had the time and money to ride where we wanted, wouldn't It?
Wondering how your plans are going? Saw on a different post you are coming back Hwy 37. I lived in Prince George, BC for ten years so I know Western Canada pretty well and willing to share what I know to make your trip enjoyable. Rode from Saskatoon to Hyder Alaska about 2009.
If you looking for a good camping spot close to Jasper there is a great provincial campsite at the bottom of MT. Robson that I highly recommend! It is west of Jasper and nicer camping!
I've never noticed this before. At least not along the TransCanada or anywhere in Alberta or Ontario. If the OP ends up needing to stay around Grande Prairie, there's a decent little campground at the ski hill south of town.
If you're going through Kenora Ontario, I have a camper in the yard, you're welcome to use.....if the fucking snow ever leaves! Lyle
Was at Charlie Lake yesterday afternoon and saw the coolest thing. 4 young 10-12 year old girls sitting around a hole ice fishing. A cow moose walks out to them from shore, lies down in the snow approx. 75 feet away and serenely watches them fishing for at least 15 minutes. Had to get going but the moose was still there watching them when I left. Should have taken a pic...
