Crown Land in the Madawaska Valley

12 crown land sites 8 fishing spots 8 campgrounds

The Madawaska Valley is the highland country around Barry's Bay and Kamaniskeg Lake, where Highway 60 climbs from the Ottawa Valley toward Algonquin Park's east gate at Whitney. It wears its history openly — Wilno, just down the road, is Canada's oldest Polish settlement — and its public land generously: Carson Lake Provincial Park sits 5 km from town, the Bark Lake and Aylen Lake crown-land enhanced management areas hold free lakeside campsites 15 to 21 km out, and Bonnechere Provincial Park's caves country lies 21 km northeast. Paddlers know the valley for the Madawaska River's whitewater at Palmer Rapids, and more than a dozen campgrounds dot the lakes within an hour. This page rounds up the region's public land, fishing spots, campgrounds and road trips.

Map

Crown Land Nearby

🌲
CARSON LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK (RECREATIONAL CLASS)
Provincial Park
6 km
🌲
BELL BAY PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CLASS)
Provincial Park
12 km
🌲
Bark Lake
Enhanced Management Area
15 km
🌲
BONNECHERE PROVINCIAL PARK (RECREATIONAL CLASS)
Provincial Park
21 km
🌲
BONNECHERE RIVER PROVINCIAL PARK (WATERWAY CLASS)
Provincial Park
21 km
🌲
Aylen Lake East
Enhanced Management Area
21 km
🌲
Aylen Lake West & Upper Madawaska River
Enhanced Management Area
21 km
🌲
FOY PROPERTY PROVINCIAL PARK (RECREATIONAL CLASS)
Provincial Park
22 km
🌲
OPEONGO RIVER PROVINCIAL PARK (WATERWAY CLASS)
Provincial Park
23 km
🌲
CONROYS MARSH CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
23 km
🌲
BONNECHÈRE RIVER PROVINCIAL PARK (WATERWAY CLASS) ADDITION
Provincial Park
24 km
🌲
SILVER CREEK PEATLAND CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
28 km

Nearest Fishing Spots

🎣
Drohan Lake
1 km
🎣
Retza Bay
2 km
🎣
Cybulski Lake
2 km
🎣
Zelneys Lake
3 km
🎣
Partridge Lake
3 km
🎣
Annies Lake
3 km
🎣
Muskrat Lake
4 km
🎣
Barrys Bay
4 km

Nearest Campgrounds

🏕️
Sand Bay Family Campground
Combermere
14 km
🏕️
Opeongo Trail Resort
Combermere
14 km
🏕️
Covered Bridge Park
Killaloe
22 km
🏕️
Golden Lake Park
Golden Lake
26 km
🏕️
Little Mississippi Resort and Campground
Bancroft
34 km
🏕️
Opeongo Mountain Resort
Eganville
34 km
🏕️
West Pines Park Resort
Lake St Peter
35 km
🏕️
Lake Dore RV Resort
Eganville
44 km

Road Trips Nearby

🚗
Road Trip Algonquin – Highway 60 Corridor, Huntsville to Whitney
Whitney
125 km
🚗
Road Trip Toronto to Algonquin Park – Fall Colours
Algonquin Provincial Park
300 km
🚗
Road Trip Ottawa to Petawawa – Upper Ottawa Valley
Petawawa
170 km
🚗
Road Trip Ottawa to Algonquin Park
Algonquin Provincial Park
260 km

Crown land by city in the Madawaska Valley

Barry's Bay Bancroft Petawawa Pembroke Deep River Calabogie Haliburton Minden

Explore the region

Ottawa Valley

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — the Bark Lake enhanced management area starts about 15 km south of Barry's Bay, the Aylen Lake and upper Madawaska River crown blocks lie 21 km west toward Algonquin, and more crown land spreads south toward Griffith and the lower Madawaska.

Yes — on the crown land around Bark and Aylen lakes, free for Canadian residents for up to 21 days at any one site (non-residents of Canada need a paid permit). Carson Lake, Bonnechere and Algonquin are operating parks with paid sites, and campgrounds at Combermere sit 14 km from Barry's Bay.

Palmer Rapids is the hub — a warm-water teaching river with rapids that draw paddling schools all summer — and the lower Madawaska below Griffith runs wilder. The upper river toward Algonquin is a quieter lake-and-river paddle.

Kamaniskeg Lake holds lake trout, walleye and smallmouth; Bark Lake is strong walleye and pike water; and dozens of small highland lakes hide brook trout — all with a valid Ontario fishing licence under Zone 15 rules.

Offline maps around Madawaska Valley

Public land near Madawaska Valley runs well past the last cell tower. Export the area as a geo-referenced PDF and read it in BorealMaps to keep your GPS position on the map when the signal drops.

Try PDF Export How geo-referenced PDF maps work

Regulations

A valid Ontario fishing licence (with an Outdoors Card) is required on every lake, and Zone 15 rules apply — several trout lakes here carry seasonal closures and slot limits. Carson Lake, Bonnechere and Algonquin provincial parks charge camping and day-use fees with summer reservations; on the Bark and Aylen lakes crown land, camping is free for Canadian residents (21-day limit at any one site), with a paid permit for non-residents of Canada. Bush roads into the crown blocks can be rough or gated during logging, and spring fire bans are common.

Explore the interactive map

Open Full Map Camping in Haliburton Highlands to the Ottawa Valley All Fishing Spots All Cities & Regions