Public Lands Camping Pass

Random camping is a common name used for no-service or limited-service camping outside established campgrounds. For more information, visit camping on public lands or the Alberta's Guide to Outdoor Recreation on Crown Land.

Passes required

• Random camping on public lands along the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains from Grande Prairie to Waterton Lakes National Park, west of Highway 43 and Highway 22. A pass is required to random camp in the Porcupine Hills Public Land Use Zone.
• Random camping in the Willmore Wilderness Park
• Agricultural Crown land within the pass area.

Passes do not apply

• Private, municipal or federally-owned lands
• Kananaskis Conservation Pass area
• Lands under:
  • Provincial Parks Act (Provincial Parks, Wildland Provincial Parks, Provincial Recreation Areas)
  • WAERHRNA Act (Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Heritage Rangelands, Natural Areas

Maps

• View the interactive map
• Download the boundary map (PDF, 1 MB)

The passes are available for purchase:

• online at albertarelm.com or AlbertaRELM mobile app
• at retail locations that sell fishing and hunting licences

Campers 18 years and older must have a pass:

• $20 per person for a 3-day pass
• $30 per person for an annual pass

A $3.25 system-processing fee plus GST will be applied to every transaction. A one-time Wildlife Identification Number (WIN) purchase is required to access the system ($8, but with a $2 discount if purchased online).

• Passes are non-refundable and non-transferrable
• Passes are sold per person, not per vehicle or camping unit
• The same rate applies to residents and non-residents of Alberta
• Annual passes are valid for 365 days (one year) from the date of purchase
• 3-day pass is valid:
  • for 72 hours from the selected date
  • from 2 pm and expires at 2 pm on the third day, allowing for 3 nights of random camping
• All acts and regulations will continue to apply:
  • individuals are responsible to know where random camping is allowed on public land
  • there is 14-day maximum stay in the same camping spot
• Some public land within the pass area is held under agricultural dispositions. For these lands, the Recreational Access Regulation applies:
  • in addition to requiring a Public Lands Camping Pass, always contact the leaseholder for permission before accessing these lands and follow any access conditions
  • agricultural leaseholders have the ability to deny recreational access under certain conditions
  • individuals are responsible for knowing when permission is required
• Current regulations regarding camping on public land are available at:
  • Camping on Public Land
  • Alberta’s Guide to Outdoor Recreation on Crown Land
  • Public Land Enforcement
  • Ministerial Order

Pass is not required for

• Children and youth under 18
• Camping on public land outside of the camping pass area or in an established campground where camping fees are already charged
• Using public land for the day for other recreational activities
• Accessing public land for authorized work or volunteer duties
• Clients of disposition holders where the holder’s disposition is for the purpose of camping

The following groups are exempt

• First Nations peoples with Status card
• North of the Red Deer River, it does not apply to:
  • Metis Settlement members
  • Recognized Métis harvesters
  • Members of the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation
• Persons receiving benefits from any of the following programs:
  • Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH)
  • Adult Health Benefit
  • Income Support