Cosmic's Backcountry Map › Regions
Free camping and cell signal in Cottage Country, Algonquin & the Ottawa Valley
Where Crown land camping is allowed in Cottage Country, Algonquin & the Ottawa Valley, where you'll still have signal to work or call for help, and what's on the road in: logging, surface and parking. One map, saved to your phone for use with no signal.
Open Cottage Country, Algonquin & the Ottawa Valley in the mapCan you camp on Crown land in Cottage Country, Algonquin & the Ottawa Valley?
Yes, on most of it. Canadian residents can camp free on Ontario's Crown land for up to 21 days at any one site in a calendar year; non-residents need a Crown land camping permit north of the French and Mattawa rivers. In Cottage Country, Algonquin & the Ottawa Valley the map shows which land is Crown (unpatented) and which is patented private land, plus provincial parks, conservation reserves and First Nation reserves, so you can tell a legal campsite from someone's property. Parks and protected areas here include LAKE ST. PETER , BELL BAY , ALEXANDER STEWART , BALSAM LAKE , FOY PROPERTY and more; camp only in their designated sites.
Where will I have cell signal?
Coverage in the backcountry follows the valleys and the highways. Using every licensed cell site and a terrain model of where each one can reach, the map estimates that a clear line of sight to a site covers about 48% of Cottage Country, Algonquin & the Ottawa Valley for Telus and Bell, 59% for Rogers and Fido and 1% for Freedom. Rogers / Fido reaches the most of this region. The region has 583 Telus/Bell, 654 Rogers/Fido and 12 Freedom cell sites. Speed tests from other campers show where it's good enough to work from.
Remote spots with signal in Cottage Country, Algonquin & the Ottawa Valley
Ranked by distance from town and signal. Tap one to open it on the map.
- Crown land near Kennisis Lake · gravel road · 13.3 km from Russell Landing · line of sight to Telus / Bell, Rogers / Fido
- Crown land near Galla Lake · gravel road · 20 km from Bala · line of sight to Rogers / Fido
- Crown land near Moon Falls · gravel road · 25.2 km from Sawlog Bay · line of sight to Telus / Bell
- Crown land near Arnolds Bay · gravel road · 25.2 km from Kettle's Beach · line of sight to Telus / Bell, Rogers / Fido
- Crown land near Alder Creek · gravel road · 13.3 km from Apsley · line of sight to Telus / Bell, Rogers / Fido
- Crown land near Eels Lake · gravel road · 13.5 km from Tory Hill · line of sight to Telus / Bell, Rogers / Fido
- Crown land near Higgins Creek · gravel road · 13 km from Tory Hill · line of sight to Telus / Bell, Rogers / Fido
- Crown land near Higgins Lake · gravel road · 13.7 km from Tory Hill · line of sight to Telus / Bell, Rogers / Fido
- Crown land near Alder Lake · gravel road · 12.6 km from Apsley · line of sight to Telus / Bell, Rogers / Fido
- Crown land near Gordons Bay · gravel road · 25.4 km from Kettle's Beach · line of sight to Telus / Bell, Rogers / Fido
Logging and road access
The map shows which roads in Cottage Country, Algonquin & the Ottawa Valley are paved, gravel, rough or unpaved tracks, plus parking lots and trailheads. Logging data for Ontario is not on the map yet.
Towns in this region include THE BLUE MOUNTAINS, HUNTSVILLE, GRAVENHURST, DEEP RIVER, ORILLIA, PENETANGUISHENE, MIDLAND, PETAWAWA.
Open Cottage Country, Algonquin & the Ottawa Valley in the map