Having the freedom to go anywhere you want, be spontaneous, and see new places everyday is super exciting, until the sun goes down and you realize you have no idea where you will be sleeping that night – then it can be a little scary. But it doesn’t have to be. There are tons of great free places to park overnight where you can sleep undisturbed, you just need to know how to find them. Here I am going to share some of my favourite types of places to sleep, as well as some great tips on how to find them. Perfect for a drive across Canada, a BC summer road trip, or just spending some time living in your car to save on rent.
The best free places to park overnight are:
Free Rec Sites are the best place to camp
In my opinion, these are the absolute best places to stay, if you can find one near you. They are basically free, low-facility campsites that typically provide outhouses and picnic tables, but little else. Often found by a lake or river, these sites provide the worry-free comfort of being in an official camp site, the enjoyment of being surrounded by nature, without the cost of established campgrounds. Another perk of rec sites is that they also allow for the option of pitching a tent, in case you want a break from sleeping in your car, or are travelling with friends.
The rules and availability of these places varies by province, but British Columbia has an interactive map with all the rec sites in the province here.
Alberta does things a little differently with Public Land Use Zones. Basically they are areas designated for wild camping. For some zones you do need to buy a pass but it only costs about $30 for a whole year! More information here.
In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, fully free sites can be a little harder to find, but municipal campground are usually pretty cheap and decent!
Ontario, unfortunately, is one of the hardest provinces to find affordable campgrounds in. In particular, Ontario Parks campgrounds are so expensive. Your best bet here will be to look for privately own campgrounds.
Crown Land and Bush Roads can be great places to park overnight for free
My second favourite place to set up for the night is on crown land or on a bush road. There are so many beautiful (and often private) spots to be found, as long as you know how to look for them. Of course one way to find these spots is to just drive around and explore – if you have the time and daylight for it. However, I often don’t, and find that it can be quite stressful to look for a spot this way when daylight is running out. The good news is that there are apps and websites that can help you find these spots!
The absolute best app I have found for this is called iOverlander. It has thousands of campsites (both free and paid), places to shower, places to find drinking water, sanitation dump sites, laundromats, etc all labelled on a map. I honestly cannot recommend this app enough, as it has found me dozens of great places to stay in the last couple of years.
Another website with a similar concept is: https://freecampsites.net/
And if that fails, google maps satellite view can be super useful in finding camp spots. When you are in satellite mode you can see images of everything so you can use this to look for a good place. You can look for dirt roads and follow along them on google maps to see if they lead to any openings or pull overs where you could park.
Deadend Rural Roads can be good options
Similar, to finding spots along bush roads, dead end rural roads sometimes have room to pull over and sleep for the night. They usually aren’t too scenic or necessarily a good place to hang out, but they could definitely do the trick if you’re in a pinch. The times I have done this I have almost never been bothered. One time, in Saskatchewan, I parked on a road with 4 houses and someone from 3/4 of them came to to see who I was and why I was there. When I explained myself they were all welcoming and didn’t mind me parking there for the night. It actually made me feel quite safe knowing they were all looking out for their road.
Highway Rest Stops are super convenient places to park overnight
Another good option is highway rest stops, which often allow for overnight parking. You have to be careful though as some are for day use only and you could get a ticket/told to leave – just make sure to read the signs and you should be good. Since these are typically right beside the highway, they can be a bit noisy, and they usually have bright lights as well. But, while they might not be the most scenic, they are definitely convenient.
and when all else fails – Parking lots
This might seem a little obvious, but if you need a place to park a car, you can always consider a parking lot! Though it is not as common as it used to be, some Walmarts will still let you park overnight. Also, you can sometimes get permission by just chatting with the owner or management of any business. In general, just look around the parking lot to see if there are any signs. As a rule of thumb, if there aren’t any signs indicating no overnight parking them I assume it is fine!
I hope you found these tips helpful! Good luck finding places to stay!
More Money Saving Tips for your Canadian Road Trip
If you are looking for more tips to save money while living out of your car in Canada. Check out this post: How To Save Money Road Tripping In Canada
And if you’re headed to BC and looking for road trip inspiration or want to hike on your trip, check out this awesome itinerary for a 2 week road trip in BC this summer or these amazing hikes in BC!
Pin this for your next Canadian road trip!
