British Columbia Crown land guides

Most of British Columbia is public land, but the rules for using it are spread across a land use policy, the Park Act, the Wildlife Act, two fishing rulebooks and a dozen fire centres. These guides pull together what applies to campers, anglers and hunters, written for BC specifically and checked against the provincial sources each one lists.

Once you know the rules, pick a spot: the interactive map shows parks, ecological reserves, protected areas and recreation sites, the Crown land near your town pages show what is within reach, and the BC campground directory lists sites by tourism region.

Camping on Crown land in British Columbia: the 14-day rule and what it doesn't cover

What the province's Permission policy actually allows, the 14-day limit and its 72-hour reset, the places it does not cover (parks, WMAs, leases, municipalities), campfire categories and bans, recreation sites, and driving active resource roads.

How to find Crown land in British Columbia (and confirm it before you go)

Why roughly 94% of BC is provincial Crown land yet the best spots are often private, which official tools show ownership and tenures, how reserves, treaty lands and private forest land change access, and a worked example on a lake near Kamloops.

Fishing in British Columbia: licences, stamps and the rules that catch people out

Who needs a BC freshwater licence and what it costs, the steelhead and other surcharge stamps, classified waters, the province-wide barbless hook rule on rivers and streams, quotas, bait and ice fishing rules, tidal waters, national parks and invasive mussel inspections.

Provincial parks, protected areas, recreation sites and Crown land in BC: what's the difference?

A field guide to the designations on BC's map: parks, conservancies, protected and recreation areas, ecological reserves, Recreation Sites and Trails BC, Wildlife Management Areas, reserves and treaty lands, private forest land and national parks, with 2026 park fees and the new non-resident fee.

Hunting on Crown land in British Columbia: FWID, CORE, LEH and where you can go

How licensed hunting works on BC Crown land under the 2026-2028 synopsis: your FWID and CORE, licence and species licence fees, Limited Entry Hunting, why non-residents need a guide for big game, hunting hours, highway and no-shooting areas, parks, ecological reserves, motor vehicle closures and private land.

Ice fishing in British Columbia: the rules, the closed and aerated lakes, and reading the ice

How the BC regulations apply on the ice: one line, set lines only in the Skeena and Omineca, hut and hole rules, bait, licence year, the lakes closed to ice fishing, why aerated lakes are dangerous, where the ice fishing is and how thick the ice needs to be.

Winter on BC Crown land: camping, snowmobiles, resource roads and avalanches

What changes on BC Crown land in winter: camping and fires off-season, recreation sites with no services, winter tire and chain rules, resource roads and radios, registering a snowmobile, Wildlife Act snowmobile closures, avalanche terrain, ungulate winter ranges and traplines.