Crown Land in Woodland Caribou country

12 crown land sites 8 fishing spots 0 campgrounds

Woodland Caribou country is Ontario's far northwest — the gold-mining town of Red Lake at the end of Highway 105, and behind it a wilderness park of 4,500 square kilometres stretching to the Manitoba border, where a healthy herd of its namesake caribou still winters among jack pine and ancient pictographs. The park sees a fraction of Quetico's traffic, so solo lakes are the norm rather than the prize, and the crown land starts at the edge of town: Howey Bay on Red Lake itself, the Hammell Lake conservation reserve and forest reserve about 17 km out, the Pine Ridge and Pipestone Bay - McIntosh enhanced management areas, and Pakwash and Trout Lake provincial parks down the highway. This page rounds up the region's public land, fishing spots, campgrounds and road trips.

Map

Crown Land Nearby

🌲
Hammell Lake Forest Reserve
Forest Reserve
17 km
🌲
HAMMELL LAKE CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
18 km
🌲
Red Lake
General Use Area
18 km
🌲
Pine Ridge - Ohkik Ohshayteenah
Enhanced Management Area
26 km
🌲
Woodland Caribou Forest Reserve
Forest Reserve
31 km
🌲
TROUT LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
32 km
🌲
Pipestone Bay - McIntosh
Enhanced Management Area
33 km
🌲
PAKWASH PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CLASS)
Provincial Park
36 km
🌲
Woodland Caribou Provincial Park Addition
Recommended Provincial Park
38 km
🌲
North Pipestone Bay - McIntosh - Ahsinee Weeohpawahgahn
Enhanced Management Area
40 km
🌲
Northern Peisk Lake Park- Woodland Caribou Provincial Park Addition - Payshk Ohsahgaheegahn
Recommended Provincial Park
40 km
🌲
KAHNAHMAYKOOSAYSEEKAHK
Protected Area - Far North
41 km

Nearest Fishing Spots

🎣
Florin Lake
1 km
🎣
Howey Bay
1 km
🎣
Jackfish Lake
2 km
🎣
Minnow Lake
2 km
🎣
Skookum Bay
3 km
🎣
Snib Lake
3 km
🎣
Killoran Lake
3 km
🎣
Wales Lake
4 km

Road Trips Nearby

🚗
Road Trip Dryden → Kenora – Lake of the Woods, Sioux Narrows
Kenora
285 km

Crown land by city in Woodland Caribou country

Red Lake Kenora Dryden Sioux Lookout Fort Frances Atikokan Thunder Bay Nipigon Greenstone Marathon

Explore the region

Sunset Country Quetico Wabakimi Lake Nipigon

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — nearly everything around Red Lake outside the townsite is crown land, from the Hammell Lake reserves 17 km out to the vast enhanced management areas flanking the park. Woodland Caribou Provincial Park itself is a wilderness park run on Ontario Parks backcountry permits.

Yes — on the crown land, free for Canadian residents for up to 21 days at any one site (paid permit for non-residents of Canada). Inside Woodland Caribou park, interior camping requires a permit from Ontario Parks; Pakwash Provincial Park on Highway 105 runs a conventional campground.

Gravel roads west of Red Lake reach entry points like Leano Lake, about an hour from town; many trippers instead charter a floatplane from Red Lake straight to an interior lake. Routes are remote and lightly travelled — carry good maps and file a trip plan.

Walleye, northern pike and lake trout dominate — Red Lake and its bays like Howey Bay fish well right from town, and the park interior holds superb, lightly pressured walleye and trout water. A valid Ontario licence is required everywhere.

Offline maps around Woodland Caribou

Public land near Woodland Caribou 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 everywhere — Zone 4 rules apply around Red Lake, with reduced limits on some trophy waters, so check before you fish. Interior camping in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park requires an Ontario Parks backcountry permit; on the surrounding crown land, camping is free for Canadian residents (21-day limit at any one site), with a paid permit for non-residents of Canada. This is true remote wilderness: no cell coverage, few other parties, active forest-fire country in dry summers — check fire restrictions and travel advisories before heading in.

Explore the interactive map

Open Full Map Camping in North West All Fishing Spots All Cities & Regions