rv camping in Canada, different than camping in the US?

[Domromer]

I know this is a really broad question...but I'll ask it anyways...How does rv camping in Canada differ from the US? We've camped all over the U.S. and expect most campgrounds in Florida to be pretty full in May and for the most part reservations are needed in the more popular campgrounds.

Canada has so much smaller of a population I'm wondering if we can head off and a long trip and not book everything in advance. Or is Canada full of Americans in the summer and are there a lot less campgrounds because the population is so much less....

Like I said I know this if a really broad question and like asking someone whats America like...but I really know nothing about Canada other than what I'm starting to read in guidebooks.

Dom

[Allworth]

Last year we were in the Maritimes and Quebec for five weeks.

Commercial campgrounds are just like in the States. Online reservations are just like any other CG.

In Quebec almost everybody speaks English, even if they claim only French. You can always just keep repeating "English? English?". They want your money and somebody will tell you how much.


Hydro Canada went low voltage on us twice. An EMS is a good investment. Progressive is the best.

Be sure you have at least one credit card that that does not charge a fee for Canadian Dollar transactions. Ask your bank. BoA World MasterCard is one.

Have fun.

[bcbouy]

if you want to get an idea of british columbia camping look at discover camping, bc adventure network and rec sites and trails websites.they also have pics of most of the campgrounds.

[tenbear]

I have never booked campgrounds in advance unless I was going to a special event and wanted to be in a certain place on a certain date. We have camped in Canada many times. This past summer we took a tour of New Brunswick in mid to late August and never booked in advance and never had a problem getting a site.

We usually stop traveling about 3pm and often make a point to spend Friday and Saturday in the same CG.

[Little_Kopit]

enblethen wrote:
I email many of the Canadian Provinces tourism office and received good information. At times too much.
British Columbia is well covered in books about the Alaska Highway such as The Milepost. Alberta is partly covered in The Milepost as well.

Yep, as this post says ask: "name of province + tourism". If you have special things you like to do a call to the 800 is what I find is best.

& there are parts of provinces where you can 'boondock' or just park, providing you have the equipment for 'dry camping' I have a truck camper. In 2015 I did 18,000 kilos maritimes to Alaska and back and only stayed in a 'campground' about 6 or 7 times. & that also comes under the heading 'ask locals'

:B

[2gypsies1]

We spent a lot of time in Canada and the Yukon on our way up to Alaska and returning. We didn't have any reservations. Yes, if you do the very popular areas such as Banff or Jasper or near a big city, you might have to get reservations. We prefer the boonies. We loved the campgrounds and we didn't need electric or other hookups so they were great for us.

[romore]

National park fees have been waived for 2017 in honor of the country's 150th birthday. That will likely increase traffic for the high season so plan accordingly. We have traveled in the western U.S. and have not found any real differences, you will notice gas and diesel cost significantly more in Canadian dollars and are readily available. Familiar chains like Walgreens are not to be found, neither are some food stuffs like grits or collard greens. Liquor laws are quite different and the prices may scare you (think taxes), we are just starting to see it in grocery stores here in B.C.
I think you will find we are generally a friendly lot so please, leave the guns at home.

[Jayco-noslide]

Big Difference-$$$. Camping in US national parks with the senior pass runs around $12/day with free entrance. In Canada the pass is not recognized so the fee could be 2 to 3 times as much and a pass is required daily as I recall. Also, higher fuel. Nevertheless, the Canadian Rockies are awesome so, within the overall cost of RVing, the extra wouldn't be a reason not to go. I don't think we made reservations but it would be safer to.

[SoundGuy]

Domromer wrote:
I know this is a really broad question...but I'll ask it anyways...How does rv camping in Canada differ from the US?

"Broadly speaking" camping here in Canada is much the same as it is in the US and the closer you are to major populations or if you're in what are considered tourist areas then getting a site without reservations can be difficult from about mid June to after Labour Day, that time period when the weather is at it's summer's best and kids are out of school. Canada is a HUGE country so I'd suggest you first determine where in Canada you'd like to visit as there's little point researching the western provinces if you intend to head to Ontario or to the east coast. Avoid deluging yourself with too much information, just pick an area and start by checking out the provincial park system in that province in which you may be interested. Of course there are local parks, conservation areas, national parks, private parks of all descriptions but you can't really go wrong with the provincial park systems. Now is the time as reservation windows are getting close for summer 2017 camping and in highly populated areas such as S Ontario you won't want to be just pulling into any park in July without a reservation, particularly on weekends. That's not to you can't get lucky but especially when on a trip when time is of the essence why chance it? Figure out where you want to go and book accordingly when you expect to be in populated and tourist areas.

Welcome to Canada, EH? :B

[pianotuna]

It depends on where you are planning to go. I much prefer small town campgrounds run by the local community.

[enblethen]

I email many of the Canadian Provinces tourism office and received good information. At times too much.
British Columbia is well covered in books about the Alaska Highway such as The Milepost. Alberta is partly covered in The Milepost as well.

[camp-n-family]

Parks book up quickly online 5 months in advance in Ontario. They do hold a couple of spots as unreservable and they are first come first serve. Pretty risky and stressful. If you don't get in the next park could be hours away. Once you get north of Sudbury and the Sault it gets easier to show up without reservations. Most provincial parks have hydro sites but not many have water and sewer. There are a lot of private parks too but they are hit and miss. We find a lot of them cater to seasonal campers and tend to be drinking holes for the locals.

You can leave your guns at home. You won't need them here. Even the bears are friendly 😉

[Dick_B]

My camping experience in Canada consists of a trip around the north shore of Lake Superior. We found the campgrounds smaller with not as many frills, i.e. some with only 20 amp service.

[Bill___Kate]

My wife is Canadian, and we always visit in late summer over Labor Day. For Provincial Parks - which are mostly very nice! - they get very busy in season, especially over Holiday weekends, so we always reserve. Privately owned parks are a mixed bag - many of the most desirable ones accept seasonal rentals, and are full all summer long, and only have a few transient sites which go fast. There are parks along the major highways, etc that cater to transients, and more likely to be open for a night or two without reservations.

[Domromer]

Any recommended websites or books for finding and researching campgrounds in Canada?

[enblethen]

Yes, much different! The Canadian are much more friendly then some here in the states. Government parks seem to be cleaner then US.
Actually there is very little difference. Camp grounds are general set up the same way. One item that we have run into is the lact of 30 ampp RV receptacle in some older parks. They were built before Canadaian elctrical code adpoted the NEMA 30TT receptacle. There fore make sure you have adpaters. 50 male to 30 female, and 30 female to 15/20 male. Most parks have upgraded but to be safe.
Make sure you have Canadian currency of various denominations.