Recreation on agricultural public land

Introduction

Alberta has about 100 million acres of Crown land, including over 5 million acres of land leased for agriculture. Agricultural leases involve collaboration between the Government of Alberta and the leaseholder to ensure that agricultural land use sustains environmental, economic and social benefits for the people of Alberta. Leaseholders are stewards of the land, and as such, they manage our land resources in a way that benefits us all. In recent years, as Alberta’s population has grown, there has been increased public interest in accessing agricultural public land for recreational use.

Recreational access to agricultural public land is managed under the Recreational Access Regulation, which came into effect in 2003 to outline reasonable access for recreation on agricultural dispositions issued under the Public Lands Act, including grazing leases and farm development leases. The regulation also clarifies rules and responsibilities for agricultural leaseholders and recreational users regarding recreational access on public lands that are leased for grazing and cultivation.

Agricultural leases provide environmental, social and economic benefits to Albertans, including multiple-use activity. The Recreation Access Regulation considers both the needs of the leaseholder to protect the land and their livestock, and the desire of the recreation users for reasonable access. The regulation encourages communication, cooperation and respect.

For an interactive map of the province with agricultural lease contact and access condition information, see: Recreational Access Internet Mapping Tool.

It is a recreational user’s responsibility to contact the leaseholder and discuss what the conditions of access are before arriving at agricultural public land. It is a leaseholder’s responsibility to allow reasonable recreational access. Both parties must work together to come to an agreement that follows the Recreational Access Regulation.

Learn more about leaseholder responsibilities for recreational access.

Learn more about recreational user responsibilities for recreation on agricultural public land.

The Exploration Regulation also applies to agricultural public land.

Contact

To connect with one of our rangeland agrologists for further information about recreational access on agricultural public land in Alberta, see the contact list at: Land Management – Contacts.

If you have questions about access to agricultural public land for recreation, contact 310-LAND (5263).