Green Provincial Park (Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island; tel. 902/831-7912): Can't afford your own well-maintained estates? This provincial campground makes a decent substitute. Set on a quiet inlet, the 88-hectare (219-acre) park is built around an extravagant gingerbread mansion that's open to the public.
Gros Morne National Park (Newfoundland): Backpackers will find wild, spectacular campsites in coastal meadows along the remarkable Green Gardens Trail. Car campers should head to Trout River Pond, at the foot of one of Gros Morne's dramatic landlocked fjords.
Arowhon Pines (Algonquin Park, Ontario; tel. 705/633-5661 in summer, 416/483-4393 in winter): Located 13km (8 miles) off the highway down a dirt road, this is one of the most entrancing places anywhere. You can enjoy peace, seclusion, and natural beauty, plus comfortable accommodations and good fresh food. There are no TVs or phones -- just the call of the loons, the gentle lapping of the water, the croaking of the frogs, and the splash of canoe paddles cutting the surface of the lake.
Tunnel Mountain (Banff, Alberta; tel. 403/762-1500): If you find Banff too expensive and too crowded, these campgrounds -- three within 5km (3 miles) of town -- are a great antidote. Most sites have full hookups, with showers and real toilets. And you'll pay just one-tenth of what hotel dwellers are paying for equally good access to the Rockies.
Clayoquot Sound (British Columbia): The best place to camp in B.C. is on a wild beach on the shores of this vast forested fjord, with only the eagles for company by day and an endless supply of burnable driftwood at night. Much of the coastline is Crown or public land, so there are limitless places to camp (and it's free). The only trick is you need a kayak to take you there. Along the way you'll see thousand-year-old trees and glaciers and whales and bald eagles.
