What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Hi all,

I read a thread on the MBTTUK forum comparing the thousands of miles of countryside footpaths, bridleways, etc. that we have free access to in the UK to having to "pay to go for a stroll in Canada". I asked the OP to explain further, but haven't got much in the way of a reply yet, so I thought I'd post something here.

Can anyone enlighten me to what they were referring to? Is Canada similar to the USA, where you seem to have to drive to a National Park for a countryside experience? Or is it more like rural UK, where you can get on your bicycle or put your walking boots on at home and go into the countryside from your own doorstep?

I know, it will ultimately depend on where you live. But generally speaking, what's the countryside access like in Canada?

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Well if you live in calgary and want to visit banff you will have to cough up for an entry ticket,

last year manitoba had a number of weekends when it was free to get into national parks, there are places you can just wander about. In winnipeg you can access trails through the assiniboine forest - its within the city

but I would imagine its very locality dependent

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Canada is like your idea of the USA (I think that's quite wrong and that there's excellent access to the countryside in the US but that's another argument). In Ontario, and I believe the rest of Canada, access is limited to National or Provincial Parks or to land where you have permission of the owner. Most waterfront is privately owned so although there may be lots of lakes lack of a helicopter limits one's access.

Offsetting this to some degree is that there are a lot of parks and, although there are only a couple of footpaths, they are very long. However, the UK is better for hiking than Ontario and miles better for travel by horse.

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Well for us it is a case of walk out the back door and carry on walking.

Yes a lot will depend on where you live

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

The vast majority of Canada does not have "countryside" in the British way.

Vast Forrest's, massive fields, Mountains & Lakes sums up 95% of the Country. Parks are the way that these are normally accessed, they are very nice parks, but its just not as simple to go for "an afternoons stroll in the countryside" here as it is in the UK.

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Not my idea... just what I've read elsewhere on the MBTTUK forum. Me? I don't have any ideas! ;) Just trying to learn what differences I can expect in Canada life.

Thanks for the reply :D

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Sorry, "the idea you have described". Something that's neat about the US is that vast tracts of the land are state owned, the BLM land, it's there for the public to do with as they will in the manner of a common in England (going back to when you could plonk you sheep on the common). This is a dangerous socialist idea but it works well. There's nothing similar in eastern Canada nor on the Praries.

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

I've been looking at www.pc.gc.ca. So, do I understand this correctly? If we move to GTA, and I want to "go a-wandering with knap-sack on my back", will I have to drive 2 hours to Georgian Bay Islands National Park to do this? Or rock climbing or canoeing too for that matter?

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Not true at all.

There are large tracts of "Crown" land in Alberta some of which are leased to ranchers as grazing leases, the public has access to those lands although they are required to seek the permission of the lessee on leased lands.

According to Wikipedia 60% of Alberta is crown land, 94% of BC, 95% of Newfounland and Labrador, 48% of New Brunswick and in Manitoba 95% of the provinces forests are on crown land but no total is given.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_land

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Ooops!! Just found this too http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/index.html. Not as bad as I thought. But we will still generally need to go to a park for outdoors type stuff. Yes?

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Generally in the habited bits of the country (ie not the north), if you want to go far a walk in the country you had better find a conservation area (free) or provincial park (larger, but with a fee). Free access to land and rights of way dont really apply here, so you are at the mercy of a particular land owners attitude.

Outside the populated bits there is a lot of "Crown Land" that is theoretically available to all, but in practice access is not all that easy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_land#Canada
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business...02_165792.html

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Provincial Parks in Alberta are free.:confused:

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Thats been my experience. Unless you camp in one. But for day use, just go.

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

Its the land of milk and honey... all that oil wealth at work I suppose.

Talking about Alberta I guess the access to the backcountry of the Rockies is pretty unrestricted (crown land again I wonder?)...Just watchout for bears / avalanches etc...it seemed pretty rugged to me.

Here in Ontario its anything up to $10 a day (at a popular park like Sandbanks), or you can get a season pass for all the Provincial parks for about $100 or so.

Re: What's the Canadian countryside like?
 

I think the Canadian equivalent is 'crown' land and there is lots of it once you get away from agricultural areas. I don't believe that there is much BLM land east of the Rockies, but there are lots of national forests...I believe there is private ownership within those.

In Ontario, you have national parks, provincial parks, conservation areas and crown lands with varying levels of access and costs.