{"id":9314,"date":"2019-08-12T17:20:40","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T00:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314"},"modified":"2020-09-22T13:37:01","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T20:37:01","slug":"birch-lake-camping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314","title":{"rendered":"Guide: Crown Land Camping Birch Lake, Alberta"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"free-camping-at-birch-lake\"><\/span><strong>Free Camping At Birch Lake<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s no secret that I love camping super lots, so when I had an opportunity to go camping at Birch Lake in central Alberta, I jumped on it (<a href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/lifestyle\/karma-campervans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I went in a Karma Campervan<\/a>). Took lots of photos too. Birch Lake is located southwest from Caroline, Alberta, in the district of Sundre. It&#8217;s a beautiful lake surrounded by forest, and fortunately for Albertans who like to camp for free, it&#8217;s also surrounded by crown land. Even though there are no designated campgrounds around Birch Lake, there are several &#8216;regular&#8217; spots people use, which are more or less the same thing, you just get to camp at no cost. Don&#8217;t forget to bring your own firewood!<\/p>\n<p>Lots of mosquitoes out there too. Don&#8217;t say I didn&#8217;t warn ya!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69f0ebd592223\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69f0ebd592223\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#free-camping-at-birch-lake\" >Free Camping At Birch Lake<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#driving-directions-to-birch-lake\" >Driving Directions To Birch Lake<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#where-you-can-camp\" >Where You Can Camp<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#what-is-crown-land\" >What Is Crown Land?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#birch-lake-day-use-area\" >Birch Lake Day Use Area<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#parking-lot-boat-launch-area\" >Parking Lot \/ Boat Launch Area<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#hows-the-fishing\" >How&#8217;s The Fishing?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#are-there-any-outhouses\" >Are There Any Outhouses?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#cell-phone-coverage\" >Cell Phone Coverage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\/#conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"driving-directions-to-birch-lake\"><\/span><strong>Driving Directions To Birch Lake<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Location<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/cU4UHeqQPHSHReqJ9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">52\u00b000&#8217;43.2&#8243;N 114\u00b051&#8217;18.0&#8243;W<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Leaving from Calgary, drive time is about 2 hours.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d4911.478553758536!2d-114.85996492112984!3d52.011628672508564!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x53768438d6fffc1f%3A0xbc0e7f78dc52967e!2sBirch+Lake!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sca!4v1565647074434!5m2!1sen!2sca\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Birch Lake is located bout a 20 minute drive southwest from <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Caroline,_Alberta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caroline, Alberta<\/a>. Most of the drive is on paved roads, as well as maintained gravel roads. Not a difficult drive, if the weather isn&#8217;t too bad. The trail leading in isn&#8217;t too difficult, but it does have a couple of steep inclines. 4&#215;4 recommended if you can.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9334 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Location.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake Location\" width=\"655\" height=\"636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Location.jpg 655w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Location-620x602.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Location-644x625.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On the way back from camping I recommend going through <a href=\"http:\/\/www.town.bowden.ab.ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bowden, AB<\/a> and stopping by at the <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/KQYjfMju8eRvKyqh8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Starlite Diner Car<\/a>. Try the poutine (it&#8217;s salty but good).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9335 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Starlite-Diner-Car.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake Bowden Starlite Diner Car\" width=\"563\" height=\"750\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"where-you-can-camp\"><\/span><strong>Where You Can Camp<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We camped right beside the lake! Just north of it anyway, in a small clearing. Because it&#8217;s crown land, you can camp pretty much anywhere you want, within reason. Birch Lake is a popular day use area, so we were surrounded by people all the time. We wanted to be close to the lake, so that was expected. There are several places further out from the lake that have a lot more privacy. There&#8217;s even lots of room for trailer campers and RVs.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Report Poachers &amp; Bad Behaviour &#8211; <\/strong>If you see someone damaging or abusing Alberta public lands, or poaching, call <a href=\"tel:\/\/1-800-642-3800\">1-800-642-3800<\/a>. Note the date\/time, location, descriptions or the people involved and their vehicle\/license plate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here are just a few of the bigger spots people often use. There&#8217;s lots more you can&#8217;t see!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9338 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Camping_Spots.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake locations\" width=\"750\" height=\"470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Camping_Spots.jpg 750w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Camping_Spots-620x389.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Camping_Spots-644x404.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what-is-crown-land\"><\/span><strong>What Is Crown Land?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Crown land, also known as public land, is land that is owned by the public and looked after by the government. Crown land is left in its natural wild state, free from development. About 60% of Alberta is crown land and Albertans are basically free to use it as they please for various outdoor activities. People often use crown land in Alberta for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alberta.ca\/camping-on-public-land.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">camping<\/a>, hunting, riding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alberta.ca\/motorized-recreation-on-public-land.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dirt bikes and quads\/ATVs<\/a> and other off-road vehicles, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alberta.ca\/public-land-recreation-areas-and-trails.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hiking<\/a>, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing, canoeing\/kayaking, shooting guns, shooting pictures, mountain biking, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alberta.ca\/non-motorized-recreation-on-public-land.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">riding horses<\/a>, etc.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be responsible with your campfires<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Also, I don&#8217;t know who maintains this Google Drive collection of land owner maps, but it&#8217;s a wonderful resource &#8211; thank you! These are maps that show who owns which plots of land in Alberta, including which ones are crown land.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/drive\/folders\/0B1RPoljoH0B5d1pMRC1OTjZVTmc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alberta land owner maps<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"birch-lake-day-use-area\"><\/span><strong>Birch Lake Day Use Area<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Out on the lake you&#8217;ll find people doing all sorts of recreational water activities all day long. I saw several people using cool looking <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2GZSuBt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fishing kayaks<\/a> things, paddle boarders, rowboats, canoes (including normal ones and inflatable canoes), even <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2GZgtRj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">inflatable party raft<\/a> and of course, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2yPuxZp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">boats<\/a>. Even though there isn&#8217;t really a beach area, people were also swimming in the lake.<\/p>\n<p>Lots of UTVs, dirtbikes, ATVs, Quads and similar, out around Birch Lake. There must be some popular trails around the area, or maybe near Burnstick Lake which is nearby? Not sure, not my scene. They weren&#8217;t too crazy loud or anything, but I did see and hear them. Some dudebros were shooting off fireworks at night, too.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9321 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Dune_RZR_UTV.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake RZR side by side vehicle\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Dune_RZR_UTV.jpg 750w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Dune_RZR_UTV-620x465.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Dune_RZR_UTV-644x483.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re into these things, and have kids, and money to burn, bring something like this &#8211; they&#8217;d have so much fun!<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"parking-lot-boat-launch-area\"><\/span><strong>Parking Lot \/ Boat Launch Area<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>On the north end of Birch Lake is a parking area with signage regarding the land use, the boat launch, and an outhouse. You can only take small water craft you can carry down the hill to the boat launch. No power boats here sorry. I believe this is the one and only boat launch on the lake.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9324 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Parking_Area.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake Parking Lot Area\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Parking_Area.jpg 750w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Parking_Area-620x465.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Parking_Area-644x483.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Conservation_Site.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9322\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Conservation_Site.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake Conservation Site\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Conservation_Site.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Conservation_Site-620x465.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Conservation_Site-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Conservation_Site-644x483.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is the pathway from the parking area, to the boat launch. At the top is a locked metal gate, so you can&#8217;t bring bigger boats down here. Maybe there&#8217;s other areas of the lake that can handle them? Maybe you&#8217;re not allowed to bring bigger boats? I&#8217;m not really sure, I&#8217;ve never had one.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9325 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Path_To_Boatlaunch.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake boat launch\" width=\"563\" height=\"750\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This hill gets pretty slippery when wet.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"hows-the-fishing\"><\/span><strong>How&#8217;s The Fishing?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I saw lots of people fishing on all parts of the lake. They were fishing from rowboats, canoes, kayaks, those little <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Ksk6BF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fishing pontoon things<\/a>, from all over the shore that was accessible.. but I didn&#8217;t catch anything myself. I did see a fish! It chased my grub for a very short time. Does that mean the fishing isn&#8217;t any good? No way. The fishing is great there, it&#8217;s beautiful and so peaceful. I did see other people catching fish further out, but I was on the docks and caught nothing, other than a million mosquito bites. Guess who forgot to bring mosquito repellent?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9323 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Fishing_Regulations.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake Fishing Regulations\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Fishing_Regulations.jpg 750w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Fishing_Regulations-620x465.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Fishing_Regulations-644x483.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fish: Brook Trout, Brown Trout &amp; Rainbow Trout<\/li>\n<li>Maximum depth: 11 meters<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mywildalberta.ca\/fishing\/fish-stocking\/documents\/BirchLakeBathymetricMap-Hydro.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MyWildAlberta.ca has a depth chart<\/a>! (PDF)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Birch Lake is a stocked lake in the ES2 zone. 3500 20cm Rainbow Trout, 5000 15-20cm Brook Trout and 500 15-20cm Brown Trout are annually <a href=\"https:\/\/mywildalberta.ca\/fishing\/fish-stocking\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stocked by The Alberta Government<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9319\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9319\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9319 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Fishing_Docks.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake Docks\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Fishing_Docks.jpg 750w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Fishing_Docks-620x465.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Fishing_Docks-644x483.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9319\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">That&#8217;s Dan, from Sundre. He stayed out there ALL day, even through a crazy rain storm. He left empty handed, but it was cool to meet you, stranger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The weather was a nice combination of really sunny, to cloudy, to rainy, back to sunny. A stereotypical summer in Alberta, basically.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9320 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Dock.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake Fishing Dock\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Dock.jpg 750w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Dock-620x465.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Dock-644x483.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"are-there-any-outhouses\"><\/span><strong>Are There Any Outhouses?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes! For some reason, there is! I believe it&#8217;s managed by Alberta Conservation, but really I didn&#8217;t ask too many questions. If I don&#8217;t have to poop in a bucket or in the dirt, I consider that a win every time. The outhouse has 2 big rolls of 1-ply toilet paper, and that&#8217;s it. I suggest bringing your own <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/33pjLae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">luxury 2-ply roll<\/a> instead, but it&#8217;s your call. Also bring hand sanitizer because there isn&#8217;t any in there. It does have a lock on the inside so you can relax for a bit. Kinda stinky.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9318 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Outhouse.jpg\" alt=\"Camping Birch Lake outhouse\" width=\"563\" height=\"750\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"cell-phone-coverage\"><\/span><strong>Cell Phone Coverage<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I&#8217;m with Koodo (they&#8217;re a TELUS company and use their network) and did have cell phone service at Birch Lake, and although it was spotty at best, I was able to maintain a phone call without it dropping. Service mostly-worked while down at the docks fishing, but it was better up the hill a bit. I can only speak to Koodo but the other people I was camping with seemed to have similar service with their providers.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been to Birch Lake in both the summer and the winter months (<a href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/lifestyle\/ice-fishing-in-alberta\/\">ice fishing!<\/a>), and both are absolutely beautiful. If you&#8217;re looking for a good family camping crown land spot, this is a pretty good one.<\/p>\n<p>One last thing, and don&#8217;t forget, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.leavenotrace.ca\">leave no trace<\/a>! Clean up all of your garbage and leave things as you found them, or better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Free Camping At Birch Lake It&#8217;s no secret that I love camping super lots, so when I had an opportunity to go camping at Birch &#8230; <a title=\"Guide: Crown Land Camping Birch Lake, Alberta\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=9314\" aria-label=\"Read more about Guide: Crown Land Camping Birch Lake, Alberta\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[215],"tags":[250,251],"class_list":["post-9314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-camping","tag-fishing","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Birch_Lake_Alberta.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9314"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14984,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9314\/revisions\/14984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}