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Crown Land Camping
- Thread starter PrivatePilot
- Start date
Found a useful link.
www.northernontario.travel
Crown Land Camping
Camping on Crown land (for free) is a right afforded every Canadian citizen. Learn how this incredible experience in nature can benefit your mental health.
Easily accessible crown land camping is going to be a gong show again this year, even moreso if they close the provincial parks again out of a kneejerk reaction to Covid. Got a warning email already a week or so back that they've reintroduced penalty free cancellation and plan to close campgrounds if that area moves back to lockdown. Because sitting in the woods is dangerous apparently. But WalMart will still be fine I'm sure.
The penalty free cancellation means that lots of people will abuse the system again like they did last year, booking weeks and weeks of their favourite campsite only to cancel what they never really planned on using to begin with.
The penalty free cancellation means that lots of people will abuse the system again like they did last year, booking weeks and weeks of their favourite campsite only to cancel what they never really planned on using to begin with.
Friend's wife is online one second after opening to get spots for their 30 foot trailer. Instant traffic jam. Managed to get one week at a site with no power and poor location.
It’s always been hard to get decent weekend reservations at provincial parks even when we were avid travellers, but in the last few years it’s got terrible, especially with the covid effect. Now even weekdays are hogged with the abuse system available again
The people who abuse the system make it worse. The only good thing is that there tends to be a small percentage of the park said aside for first come first serve (show up at the gate 1-2 hours early…), and all of the abusers who cancel halfway through Friday do you end up opening up some sites if you’re lucky enough to hit the website at the right moment.
For people like my wife and I who are creative, easy going, and enjoy boondocking, Trying for a first come first serve somewhere is certainly an option - if we don’t get in, well, we’ll be fine, we’ll just go wherever the wind takes us.
For those who would be mortified at camping anywhere other than a campground with bathrooms and showers and power hookups and water and dump stations etc etc etc, it could be a disaster.
Trials
Well-known member
It's always shocking to see how many of those reserved sites never get used .
Yep, the camp site reservation system is badly broken from the habits of people that abuse the concept.
Ya, how the eff do they abuse the system do they not get bogged down like everyone else?
I’ve never booked a provincial park just typically show up before the gate crew arrives and always had a spot.
@PrivatePilot that last paragraph sounds a little condescending! LoL while I see what you’re saying...not everyone is comfortable living in the bush. I’m 50/50. Would always prefer a toilet/shower if accessible, but it’s not the end all be all.
If you cancel on short notice and/or no show, you should get restricted access to booking for the next five years. Sure, you could use your spouse next year, but be a dbag again and you are running out of options. I don't understand how after this system being so screwed up for so long, it hasn't been improved. They could only allow booking at one park for one week when it opens, come back next week to book another week at another park. Or lottery, enter the dates you have available and parks you want and they will send you an email in two weeks to let you know what you got. Or pretty much anything with some thought and access control over the giant cluster *&^* that it is now.
Not sure but is there a market for selling your bookings to others? Similar to stupid scalpers selling PS5 or whatever the flavour of the month is?
People are also booking spots and renting out their trailers etc. To make it better they got rid of the non reservable sites so if you don't book you are basically hooped now.
Sent from my chesterfield using my thumbs
Sent from my chesterfield using my thumbs
GTAM boondock camping? There are quite a few members with some land where a trailer could be parked for a bit.
Trials
Well-known member
Glen Rouge Campground. Been refused a site choice on so many occasions and when I wake up the next morning a dozen or more prime choice sites remained empty, but theoretically paid for. It's ridiculous this has not been addressed, but camp ground authorities seem to not want transient travellers.
Sorry, it’s mostly directed at the people who have every single thing at their disposal in their trailer (kitchen, toilet, hot and cold running water, huge fresh water storage tanks, shower, & batteries to power the essentials) but just don’t want to use some of it. Or they just don’t think outside the box on places to camp. Services like BoonDockersWelcome or Harvest Hosts (both mentioned a few times in this thread) for example require you’re fully self contained. Lots of people qualify but some people won’t do it.
Why?
I know for a fact there’s people out there who won’t use the toilet in their trailer, for example. They don’t want to have to empty the tank or deal with the “ick” factor. I know there’s people who refuse to cook inside their trailer because they’re worried it might leave a smell and effect resale value. They won’t use the shower because they used it once, tried to shower like they do at home (25 minutes) and use their entire water tank in one shot so they *need* a campground shower.
I know, because I’ve camped with some of these people lol.
My head-shake factor is for those who buy a $50K trailer only to use it as a bedroom, basically. ?
Have you tried portaging a 5000lb trailer its a *****
If it won't fit in one backpack, it's staying home. LolHave you tried portaging a 5000lb trailer its a *****
Xhumeka
Well-known member
I love the Temagami area but haven't been there in a few years. Have you been down Red Squirrel Rd recently? I can only imagine how packed it has been during Covid...
Private enterprise would end the problem in no time or go belly up. The government just raises taxes to cover the stupidity. Maybe the government should concession the camping sites to someone competent.
Red Squirrel area is always busy. My fave spots are Kokoko Lake and Jumping Caribou Lake right on hwy 11. It sees a lot of bass fisherman but not a lot of Lake trout fishermen. I just give the owner of the lodge $20 to let me park there and camp on the little island.
Kokoko has a lot of islands and Americans have made a big mess on some of them, but the walleye and whitefish are great.30/40 inch pike are common.
Spawning Bay and Spawning Lake are also really good walleye spots. Monster pike can be had in the lake, but it's a nasty hike in.
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