What is the Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass?

It's a paid pass the Government of Alberta requires for random (dispersed) camping inside the Eastern Slopes Public Land Use Zones. It is separate from any provincial- or national-park pass, is required per person, and is enforced. Buy it from the official Alberta site before camping in those zones.

How long can you random camp on Alberta public land?

The general limit is 14 days in one location, after which you must move at least 1 km. Local restrictions, fire bans, and PLUZ rules can change this — always check the current Government of Alberta rules and any posted signs.

Where is the public land for camping in Alberta?

Mostly the forested 'Green Area' of the west and north. The settled 'White Area' farmland of the south and central is largely private. Provincial and national parks have their own permit systems. Use this map's shading to find public land, and remember the Eastern Slopes PLUZ pass requirement.

Can you camp for free on Crown land in Alberta?

Mostly yes, but Alberta has a paywall you need to know about. Random (dispersed) camping is allowed on much of Alberta's public land, generally up to 14 days — but in the Eastern Slopes, the foothills and front ranges along the Rockies, the province has drawn Public Land Use Zones (PLUZ) where you must buy a Public Lands Camping Pass to camp. That pass requirement is the single most-missed rule in Alberta backcountry camping. The map below shades the public land; before you set up in the Eastern Slopes, confirm whether you're inside a PLUZ and pass-required at the official Alberta source.

Open the interactive map of Alberta →

What land is this?

Alberta's public land splits into two broad zones. The 'Green Area' — the forested west and north, the bulk of the province's public land — is where random camping happens, generally allowed but subject to the Public Lands Camping Pass inside the designated Eastern Slopes PLUZ. The settled 'White Area' of the south and central farmland is mostly private with little open public land. Provincial and national parks (Banff, Jasper, Kananaskis) are carved out with their own permit-and-reservation systems. The honest caveat for our Alberta layer: the private boundaries are approximated from the StatsCan agricultural ecumene rather than a parcel cadastre (Alberta's parcel data is access-restricted), so confidence is lower near the farmed White Area and highest in the forested Green Area — verify access on the ground.

The rules — verify each at the source

Alberta public land — random campingRandom (dispersed) camping is allowed on much of Alberta's public land, generally up to 14 days in one spot before you must move at least 1 km. Follow posted closures, fire bans, and motorized-access rules, and pack out everything. Confidence is highest in the forested Green Area.verify: Public Land Use Zones — Government of Alberta ↗
Eastern Slopes PLUZ — Public Lands Camping PassCRITICAL: to random camp inside the Eastern Slopes Public Land Use Zones (the foothills and front ranges along the Rockies), you must buy a Public Lands Camping Pass — it is required per person and is checked. This is separate from any park pass. Confirm whether your spot is inside a PLUZ before you go.verify: Public Lands Camping Pass — Government of Alberta ↗
Alberta ParksAlberta's provincial parks and recreation areas are designated, fee, and reservable through Alberta Parks — not random-camping land. Kananaskis Country also carries its own Conservation Pass for vehicle access. Use the parks for developed sites; the free-to-camp ground (pass aside) is the Green Area public land.verify: Alberta Parks ↗

Known campsites

Our map enumerates 902 public campsites across Alberta — Alberta Parks campgrounds, provincial recreation-area sites, and forestry/Green-Area sites — alongside the open public-land base where random camping is allowed (with the Eastern Slopes pass rule). The records are anonymized points, so we don't name them here; pan the live map to see each one.

902 public campsites of 1,292 mapped in this frame · source: OpenStreetMap, gated to public land · as of 2026-06.

Common questions

Can you camp for free on Crown land in Alberta?: Random camping is allowed on much of Alberta's public land and is free in many areas — but in the Eastern Slopes Public Land Use Zones (the foothills along the Rockies) you must buy a Public Lands Camping Pass. So 'free' depends on where you are: confirm whether your spot is inside a PLUZ before you go.
What is the Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass?: It's a paid pass the Government of Alberta requires for random (dispersed) camping inside the Eastern Slopes Public Land Use Zones. It is separate from any provincial- or national-park pass, is required per person, and is enforced. Buy it from the official Alberta site before camping in those zones.
How long can you random camp on Alberta public land?: The general limit is 14 days in one location, after which you must move at least 1 km. Local restrictions, fire bans, and PLUZ rules can change this — always check the current Government of Alberta rules and any posted signs.
Where is the public land for camping in Alberta?: Mostly the forested 'Green Area' of the west and north. The settled 'White Area' farmland of the south and central is largely private. Provincial and national parks have their own permit systems. Use this map's shading to find public land, and remember the Eastern Slopes PLUZ pass requirement.

Sources

This page aggregates public data; the linked official pages are authoritative — verify before you camp. As accessed 2026-06. Machine-readable version.