greentruck
09-28-2010, 05:02 PM
This is my first post besides introducing myself.
My question is about the laws and issues with roadside expedition style camping in Canada. It's of interest to me as an American, since I suspect things are different enough from the US in terms of laws and customs that its better to ask now, than to beg forgiveness and avoid making excuses for my ignorance later.:D
But it may be the case that regional, provincial, and First Nations' laws and customs are enough different that answers to this question might be enlightening for some Canadians, too. It's a big, diverse country, after all.:canadian:
Possibly in recognizing the last, I may be a step or two ahead of the average American, but any advice that may be pertinent in your eyes I suspect is of interest to me and others.
Here in the US, most federal lands are in the West, although there are limited stands of National Forest in some places in the East. On these lands, which are usually fairly well marked as to boundaries, camping is generally allowed within a reasonable distance of the road, with restrictions based on local practice, fire danger, etc. It's somewhat easy to find this information online or by stopping at the appropriate office -- if you can locate one open in this era of budget cuts.
In the West are large swathes of Bureau of Land Management lands, which have restrictions similar to the National Forest.
National and state parks tend to have established vehicular-accessed campsites and forbid camping anywhere else in the park, again with a few exceptions in remote areas where more liberal rules apply due to their remoteness.
The vast majority of other land in the US is privately owned, which to some people is like a sort of fundamentalist religion. So folks in the US are generally pretty careful about seeking permission for any place where they suspect it's private land, which is a good policy in any country when it's obvious that the area involved is not governed by the regulations that govern governmental lands.
If you don't ask and are found camping on private lands, you'll get treated like a criminal, whether in fact that is relevant at all. :nono:
I'm OK with appropriate police activity, if it was my land I can't say whether I'd ask trespassers about the situation or call the police to check them out. Lots of paranoia going around these days...
Despite a few trips into Canada, we're not at all familiar with how such things are handled there with camping, in general or specifically, because we stayed in motels then. There are government sites that provide info and one does try to keep things righteous in situations obviously covered by legal restrictions.
I guess what I'm asking is how do people handle camping in remote and not-so-remote areas. I expect around any inhabited areas, one does well to treat things like we treat private property here in the States, of course. It's just that in Canada, there is so much more space in between in many cases!:wow:
Tips, observations, experiences, and advice are all welcome. The wife and I are planning a trip to Canada soon where we plan to camp most or all of the time. We'd like to be happy campers and have everyone else we encounter happy about where we camp. :camping:
My question is about the laws and issues with roadside expedition style camping in Canada. It's of interest to me as an American, since I suspect things are different enough from the US in terms of laws and customs that its better to ask now, than to beg forgiveness and avoid making excuses for my ignorance later.:D
But it may be the case that regional, provincial, and First Nations' laws and customs are enough different that answers to this question might be enlightening for some Canadians, too. It's a big, diverse country, after all.:canadian:
Possibly in recognizing the last, I may be a step or two ahead of the average American, but any advice that may be pertinent in your eyes I suspect is of interest to me and others.
Here in the US, most federal lands are in the West, although there are limited stands of National Forest in some places in the East. On these lands, which are usually fairly well marked as to boundaries, camping is generally allowed within a reasonable distance of the road, with restrictions based on local practice, fire danger, etc. It's somewhat easy to find this information online or by stopping at the appropriate office -- if you can locate one open in this era of budget cuts.
In the West are large swathes of Bureau of Land Management lands, which have restrictions similar to the National Forest.
National and state parks tend to have established vehicular-accessed campsites and forbid camping anywhere else in the park, again with a few exceptions in remote areas where more liberal rules apply due to their remoteness.
The vast majority of other land in the US is privately owned, which to some people is like a sort of fundamentalist religion. So folks in the US are generally pretty careful about seeking permission for any place where they suspect it's private land, which is a good policy in any country when it's obvious that the area involved is not governed by the regulations that govern governmental lands.
If you don't ask and are found camping on private lands, you'll get treated like a criminal, whether in fact that is relevant at all. :nono:
I'm OK with appropriate police activity, if it was my land I can't say whether I'd ask trespassers about the situation or call the police to check them out. Lots of paranoia going around these days...
Despite a few trips into Canada, we're not at all familiar with how such things are handled there with camping, in general or specifically, because we stayed in motels then. There are government sites that provide info and one does try to keep things righteous in situations obviously covered by legal restrictions.
I guess what I'm asking is how do people handle camping in remote and not-so-remote areas. I expect around any inhabited areas, one does well to treat things like we treat private property here in the States, of course. It's just that in Canada, there is so much more space in between in many cases!:wow:
Tips, observations, experiences, and advice are all welcome. The wife and I are planning a trip to Canada soon where we plan to camp most or all of the time. We'd like to be happy campers and have everyone else we encounter happy about where we camp. :camping: