Winter Camping - Where To Go
Hot tent winter camping can be done just about anywhere, from your own back yard to deep into the back-country wilderness. The choice of location, of course, depends on experience level, the desired challenge and risk levels, and the time available, among other factors. In general there are two main categories of winter camping locations in Canada (aside from your own property): 1) public or private parks, such as Provincial or National Parks, and 2) Crown land (federal land with unrestricted use).
Parks can offer both front-country (aka. car) camping and back-country camping, and are typically easily accessible, safe, and convenient. Washrooms, drinking water, and firewood may be available at front-country campsites in the winter, although space is limited and park rules and regulations may restrict activities. Back-country camping requires travel away from the vehicle access location, and lacks any of the amenities available in front-country campgrounds. Within park boundaries, there are typically regulations on campsite locations and the harvesting of firewood (e.g. only deadfall can be used for firewood), but offers a much less restrictive wilderness experience. Thus, when planning a hot tent winter camping experience in a designated park area, investigate the park rules in advance and contact park officials with any questions.
Crown land camping is essentially unrestricted, aside from standard Federal and Provincial laws, and offers the best opportunity for true wilderness travel and camping experiences. One of the main benefits to crown land camping is the ability to harvest standing deadwood that provides the heat source required for cooking and warm, comfortable wilderness living. It can be challenging to find accessible start and end points for your desired route, but most provinces offer Crown Land Maps that are freely accessible on the web (e.g. the Ontario Crown Land Use Policy Atlas). Also, Maps by Jeff has incredible, information-packed maps showing popular canoe routes through many of the most popular lake systems in Ontario, as well as roads and access points. Similar resources are likely available on the web in your region.
The following pages provide lists of Ontario Provincial Parks that offer front-country and back-country winter camping, as well as some of the larger lake systems in Ontario that offer great back-country winter camping largely on crown land.
Front-Country Winter Camping >> Ontario Provincial Parks