Any cheap camping in Ontario? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Any cheap camping in Ontario?

nobbie48

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Decent camp sites can be found in the US for $15 to $20 a night. Up here it's $40 plus. Are there any cheap places to throw a tent or park a Goldwing in Ontario or elsewhere in Canada?

The KLR guys I suppose, can try their luck up a logging road. Goldwing, not so good.
 
Aren't provincial parks only $26 or so per night or has that gone up?
 

Provincial parks have become quite the rip-off. I was going to make it a summer goal to visit every Ontario Provincial Park, until I found out just a day pass with a vehicle is $10+, and camping is nearing $40. In the US I can get a hotel room with free breakfast for $40 (Mackinaw City, MI, for example)!

OP, I would suggest looking for private campgrounds to see if they charge less, or use http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=776925 and camp in someone's backyard.
 
Outside of Provincial Parks (which are a ripoff), what I found is that the private campsites range from anywhere between $8-$25 a night depending on location and facilities. Primitive sites with no amenities out in the middle of nowhere will be cheaper. Full service sites with hot showers and flush toilets (and sometimes electric outlets and wi-fi) will be more expensive.

Another helpful tip, especially if you're camping around the US: A KOA membership will get you 10% off the site fee, and there are KOA sites everywhere. You also collect points. We had a few free nights because of all the KOA points we had accrued camping all over Canada and the US. They also give you a handy KOA map so you can plan your routes around the campsites. It's a bit pricier (tends to be around $20-$25 a night), but you're almost guaranteed a raked campground, hot shower, flush toilets, clean facilities, electric hookups and wifi in the lounge, if not in your tent.
 
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This is something I have wondered about. Is it somehow illegal to be on Crown land? I don't think so.. but perhaps I am mistaken!

I don't see the harm if I pick up after myself and do not leave trash and other crap behind.
 
Provincial parks have become quite the rip-off. I was going to make it a summer goal to visit every Ontario Provincial Park, until I found out just a day pass with a vehicle is $10+, and camping is nearing $40. In the US I can get a hotel room with free breakfast for $40 (Mackinaw City, MI, for example)!

OP, I would suggest looking for private campgrounds to see if they charge less, or use http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=776925 and camp in someone's backyard.



Exactly my point. Five nights in a pretty new very clean motel with pool and free breakfast = $253.00 taxes included. Why camp? Eureka Springs AR BTW, fabulous area.

Thank for link.
 
This is something I have wondered about. Is it somehow illegal to be on Crown land? I don't think so.. but perhaps I am mistaken!

I don't see the harm if I pick up after myself and do not leave trash and other crap behind.

The people with the rule books are afraid others may not be as tidy. Also you might chop down trees, set a forest fire, claim squatters rights etc. (Mild sarcasm). If everyone was tidy, quiet, courteous and Gone at dawn, what would be the problem?
 
This is something I have wondered about. Is it somehow illegal to be on Crown land? I don't think so.. but perhaps I am mistaken!

I don't see the harm if I pick up after myself and do not leave trash and other crap behind.

There is nothing illegal about being on crown land, in fact the Ontario Hunting course they talk about hunting on crown land -- the only stipulations are that you have to be Canadian (to camp permit free) and you have a maximum of 21 days in one camp spot. The problem is knowing with certainty that you are on crown land and not trespassing.

Check out the crown land atlas and there is an interactive map that you can search out crown land... but good luck with that, as it seems very vague.
 
The people with the rule books are afraid others may not be as tidy. Also you might chop down trees, set a forest fire, claim squatters rights etc. (Mild sarcasm). If everyone was tidy, quiet, courteous and Gone at dawn, what would be the problem?

This is something I have wondered about. Is it somehow illegal to be on Crown land? I don't think so.. but perhaps I am mistaken!

I don't see the harm if I pick up after myself and do not leave trash and other crap behind.
It's legal. MY brother just did it the past weekend. He even called to find out and was told by the Gov that it was perfectly legal. They even said he could bring his guns and shoot as long as it's not at game.


This is my signature.....apparently
 
This is something I have wondered about. Is it somehow illegal to be on Crown land? I don't think so.. but perhaps I am mistaken!

I don't see the harm if I pick up after myself and do not leave trash and other crap behind.

That question alone speaks volumes about life in Canada. Are we the most regulated and downtrodden citizens or what? Automatically assuming possible illegalness of sleeping under the stars on our own land. Free country my *****. If a street person can sleep on the sidewalk what's the problem sleeping in the bush?
 
Just to confirm, you can in fact camp for FREE on Crown Land!

FREE!!!

Don't believe me? Just call the MNR - they'll confirm it.

You can also target shoot on crown land, until someone complains and a stupid OPP officer who don't know anything about Crown Land rules tell you to stop, because their Sergeant said so - even though I wasn't breaking any laws, if I was, do you think I'd still have my rifle after they said I was "recklessly discharging a firearm" ? No, because they were too lazy to even walk out to my shooting location, which was perfectly safe and legal!!

Oh, the one OPP officer tried to say he could go as far as "lead poisoning the ground with bullets" - I almost fell over laughing when he said that.

Anyway, yes, you can camp, shoot, walk, bike ride, over crown land. As long as you don't leave a mess you're good!
 
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Dragging a 900 pound Goldwing out of a swamp = Priceless :)

Don't be so quick to pan this one. Friends and I do a fair bit of "camping rough", "stealth" or "vagrant" camping. I ride a wing now and that won't change much. Usually we don't have to traverse anything worse than a bad gravel driveway.

No we are never sure if the land is public or private, that said we have never had a problem.
 

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