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The Best Camping in Canada This Summer

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Canadians: It’s time to explore your own backyard. Here are 16 campgrounds worth going the extra mile for. (Just remember to reserve ahead.)

British Columbia

Ralph River's Photo
   Photo: Lesly Derksen

  1. Ralph River Campground in Strathcona Provincial Park —

    The old–growth forest makes this drive–in campground feel like the backcountry. Get an early start and hike the Elk River trail to Landslide Lake for views of the tallest mountains on Vancouver Island.

Canada, Adventure, National Park
By Katya Teague
Illustration by Aless MC
May 20, 2021
Photo of two friends at the table next to a river with forrest and mountain on the background, Kootenay
   Photo: Parks Canada, Zoya Linch

  2. McLeod Meadows Campground in Kootenay National Park —

    This corner of the Rockies comes without the crowds. The East Kootenay Trail covers prime mountain biking terrain, which you can follow up with a soak in Radium Hot Springs.

Yukon Territory

Photo of a river, Five Mile in Yukon
   Photo: Government of Yukon

  3. Five Mile Lake Territorial Campground —

    After a swim in one of Yukon’s warmest lakes, drive up to Keno City. This once–bustling silver mining community is now an eccentric quasi–ghost town with great hikes and a budding art scene.

Alberta

Photo of a gamily gathered sit on a campground
   Photo: Parks Canada Agency

  4. Townsite Campground in Waterton Lakes National Park —

    Campsites are nestled on the edge of town, a stone’s throw from 200 kilometres of hiking trails. Take a boat to the Crypt Lake trailhead and see where the prairies meet the Rockies.

Northwest Territories

photo of two canoe on the river shore
   Photo: Darren Roberts, NWT Tourism

  5. Queen Elizabeth Territorial Park —

    Hike to spot white pelicans (rare so far north) or take a run down the Slave River rapids. You’re also just 40 kilometres from the salt plains and wildlife of Wood Buffalo National Park.

Saskatchewan

Photo of people set up with chairs and barbecue next to camping van
   Photo: SaskParks

  6. Deer Hollow Campground in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park —

    This park contains the highest point (1,468 metres) between the Rockies and Labrador. Ride horseback through the meandering valleys and montane forest, home to deer, elk and moose.

Manitoba

Photo of a tent in the middle of the forest, campers cove
   Photo: Tara Gair (@tara_explores)

  7. Campers Cove Campground in Clearwater Lake Provincial Park —

    These northern Manitoba waters – so clear you can see 11 metres down – are teeming with lake trout and pike. Stroll the white–sand beach or explore caves in the shoreline cliffs.

Ontario

Photo of two canoe along the river, Quetico, Ontario
   Photo: Ontario-Parks

  8. Dawson Trail Campgrounds in Quetico Provincial Park —

    Car camp on the shores of French Lake, or enjoy world–class wilderness canoeing to one of 2,200 backcountry campsites in northwestern Ontario’s newly designated International Dark Sky Park.

Photo a river coast along a mountain, Land's end
   Photo: Dominique Lamberton

  9. Lands End Park, Tobermory —

    Snorkel around historical shipwreck sites, picnic near the rock pillars on Flowerpot Island or go bouldering on the Georgian Bay shoreline – then retreat to the quiet forest of this family–owned campground.

Quebec

Photo of the forest seen from the inside of a tent, Ojibway
   Photo: Ali Kazal, UNSPLASH

  10. Ojibway Campground in Parc national d’Aiguebelle —

    Sea kayak on Abitibi–Témiscamingue’s vast Lac Loïs and discover its great blue heron colony. Don’t miss walking over the footbridge suspended 22 metres above Lac la Haie and a fault formed 2.7 billion years ago.

Photo of an overview river and mountain, Pied des Monts
   Photo: Sépaq

  11. Pied–des–Monts Campground in Parc national des Grands–Jardins —

    Immerse yourself in boreal forests and arctic vegetation within two hours of Quebec City. The via ferrata circuit on Mont–du–Lac–des–Cygnes leads to a stunning view of the Charlevoix crater.

New Brunswick

Photo of Chez les Maury campground sunset
   Photo: Christian Noël

  12. Chez les Maury, Saint–Édouard–de–Kent —

    The seemingly endless Bouctouche Dune – perfect for a barefoot walk – borders this vineyard campground, where you can pick berries and enjoy complimentary wine on your first night.

Prince Edward Island

  13. Cumberland Cove Seaside Campground —

    Watch the sunrise from your beachfront campsite, then dig for clams or head to the south shore village of Victoria. You can browse artisan shops, take in a play or book a sunset kayaking tour.

Nova Scotia

Photo overview of the Oven's park camp site
   Photo: Peter Blacksberg

  14. Ovens Natural Park —

    With sea caves along a clifftop trail, nightly live music and the colourful port town of Lunenburg across the bay, this place has the makings of a perfect seaside holiday.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Photo of the sunset over the river, Frenchman's Cover
   Photo: Waqas Ali (@waqas_photography1)

  15. Frenchman’s Cove Provincial Park —

    Make this your base camp to explore the Burin Peninsula, where you can learn about life on “the Rock” or swim at Sandy Cove Beach (a capelin roll hot spot in early summer).

Photo of the sunset with landscape of a forest and river
   Photo: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

  16. Dildo Run Provincial Park —

    This sheltered central coast shoreline is an idyllic place to pitch a tent or launch a canoe. Take day trips to Twillingate for coastal hikes, whale watching and an Auk Island Winery tour.