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The Canada Strong Pass is back for a second round running between December 12, 2025 and January 15, 2026!
The pass was first introduced by the Government of Canada in Summer 2025 to help Canadians and visitors more easily explore the beauty and culture of the country.
This means that for 5 weeks this winter, you can use the pass to enjoy free admission to eligible Parks Canada locations, plus, you can access a handful of valuable discounts on camping, at museums, and with VIA Rail.
In this article, we go over what’s on offer with the Canada Strong Pass, and show you how you can save on your winter adventures.
The Canada Strong Pass includes the following discounts:
With the Canada Strong Pass, you can enjoy free admission to places that are operated by Parks Canada between December 12, 2025 and January 15, 2026.
This means that you won’t have to pay for admission to national historical sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada and that are open during the winter.
Parks Canada administers over 200 locations across the country, including 171 national historic sites, 48 national parks, 5 national marine conservation areas, and one national urban park, giving you tons of places to visit over the winter!
You can find a map on the Parks Canada website to help you find places with free admission near you.
For people who had purchased a Parks Canada Discovery Pass or annual single-location pass that was valid for June, July, and/or August 2025, Parks Canada will automatically extend the pass for an additional 3 months, so that you don’t lose any value.
This means that if your pass was set to expire in July 2025, it will actually now expire in October 2025. Plus, you don’t have to do anything to get this extension – it’s all automatic!
This adjustment was done to take into account the discounts provided by the Summer 2025 Canada Strong Pass.
Thanks to the Canada Strong Pass, you and your family and friends can enjoy a 25% discount on camping fees and roofed accommodations at Parks Canada locations between December 12, 2025 and January 15, 2026.
The discount is good for any of the following, though some options won’t be available during the winter months:
Keep in mind that you can’t combine this discount with any other promotion or coupon. If you have another discount option, you’ll want to choose whichever discount is greater when checking out.
Also, if you have existing reservations that you booked directly with Parks Canada for dates between December 12, 2025, and January 15, 2026 (inclusive), you will receive a refund for the discounted amount.
Parks Canada will send an e-mail closer to your reservation date that explains how the refund process will work.
From December 12, 2025 to January 15, 2026, the Canada Strong Pass is also granting free or discounted admission to select museums and galleries across Canada.
With this perk, children aged 17 and under get free admission and youth aged 18 to 24 get 50% off their admission fees at the following locations:
The fourth and final benefit attached to Canada Strong Pass is free and discounted fares on VIA Rail for children/youth and adults 24 years and younger.
When travelling between December 12, 2025, and January 15, 2026, children/youth who are 17 years old or younger can travel for free on all VIA Rail routes across Canada when accompanied by an adult. For the free ticket to apply, both the child and accompanying adult must book and travel in Economy class.
For this discount, you just need to enter the discount code CANADAFAM when checking out.
Additionally, adults who are 18 to 24 years old will save 25% on all VIA Rail routes when they book an Escape or Economy fare in Economy class. This discount can be accessed with the following code: CANADA1824
If you’re already booked your VIA Rail tickets for travel that falls between December 12, 2025, and January 15, 2026, and one or more of the passengers qualify for the above discounts, you may qualify for a refund. Simply go to the VIA Rail website and complete their online form to submit your refund request.
In addition the Canada Strong Pass, there are a bunch more ways to save money on your travels this winter, so let’s explore some of our favourites!
A great way to save money when travelling this winter (and honestly, all the time) is to leverage flexible and/or transferable credit card rewards points.
Two of our favourite points currencies that can help you save on your next adventure are Scotiabank Scene+ points and American Express Membership Rewards points.
Scene+ points are easy to earn with a wide array of credit cards, and they can then be redeemed a number of different ways. For example, you can use your Scene+ for free groceries, free movies at Cineplex theatres, at select restaurants, and more.
Additionally, when it comes to redeeming for travel, Scene+ points are incredibly flexible.
You can use your Scene+ points balance to book travel through Scene+ Travel, Powered by Expedia at a rate of 1,000 points = $10 rebate. We’ve written a step-by-step tutorial to help you through the redemption process.
Plus, if you have the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege* Card, this as a good opportunity to use your $250 annual travel credit through Scene+ Travel.
For the ultimate flexibility, you can also use your Scene+ points for a statement credit to cover travel purchases that you’ve made on your Scotiabank credit card in the last 6 months. These redemptions give you a value of 1,000 points = $1, and they let you offset travel costs that are normally difficult to pay for with points, such as Airbnbs, cruises, and Disney theme park tickets.
Another great way to save on your winter adventures is by choosing to put your travel spending on a credit card that earns a lucrative and transferable rewards currency, like the American Express Cobalt® Card.
One of our absolute favourite cards, the American Express Cobalt® Card earns Membership Rewards points which can be used to cover your travel expenses and to book travel using Amex Travel, and they can also be transferred to airline and hotel loyalty programs. The last option doesn’t necessarily save you money on your winter trips, but it can give you lots of points that you can then use to book future trips for less (or free!).
The American Express Cobalt® Card earns 5x points on food and drinks, 3x on streaming subscriptions, 2x on gas, transit, and ride share, and 1x on everything else, making it super easy to stack up a nice amount of points.
There’s also other credit cards that earn Membership Rewards points and come with some strong travel perks, like annual travel credits, travel insurance coverage, airport lounge access, and more. Check out our favourite Membership Rewards cards to find the best one for you.
Since travel in Canada often means a bit of driving, a great way to save some money this winter is by maximizing your savings and your rewards return on your gas expenses.
Many credit cards have partnered with major gas station brands to offer discounts when you use their credit card and/or when you link your accounts. For example, there are partnerships between RBC and Petro-Canada, BMO and Shell, and CIBC and Journie Rewards (which is useful at gas stations like Pioneer, Ultramar, Chevron, and more).
By using the right credit card, you can save a few cents per litre when you fill up and earn some bonus points for rewards in the future.
Check out our list of the best credit cards for gas purchases to see which one works for your go-to gas station.
If you’re planning on renting a car to explore Canada this winter, you’ll definitely want to have a credit card that covers your car rental insurance since this can save you upwards of $25/day.
You may also want to choose a credit card that offers discounts with car rental companies, as this will give you more money in your pocket for other fun travel expenses.
Of course when you’re out and about travelling for multiple days this winter, you’ll definitely need a place to spend the night. If the discounted winter camping from the Canada Strong Pass isn’t quite your vibe, you could instead look to use some points and stay at one of the over 250 Marriott hotels across the country.
With the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card, you can easily earn Marriott Bonvoy points on all your purchases, and then redeem them for free nights at Marriott hotels in Canada and around the world.
The card also gives you an annual Free Night Award Certificate that can be redeemed for a night’s stay worth 35,000 points – easily justifying the card’s $120 annual fee.
Also, if you don’t have a Marriott Bonvoy credit card, you may still be able to get a free night or two. American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy at a decent rate, so check out our list of the best credit cards for Marriott Bonvoy to see if you’ve maybe already got the makings of free night’s stay.
The Canada Strong Pass is a great way to help you save some money while you’re out adventuring this winter and holiday season.
With the pass offering free admission to Parks Canada locations across the country, plus discounted or free entry to museums and galleries, 25% off camping fees and roofed accommodations, and discounted or free VIA rail travel, there’s so many ways to take advantage!
All together, the Canada Strong Pass opens the country up to more people and lets Canadians and visitors explore more of the beauty that the country has to offer.
The Canada Strong Pass is not a physical card/pass, so there’s no need to go out and get one. Instead, the discounts will be applied automatically or with a discount code at the time of purchase.
If you’ve already booked and paid for a reservation with Parks Canada or VIA Rail that falls between December 12, 2025, and January 15, 2026, you can get the discount value refunded to you.
No, the entrance fees and camping discounts are limited to Parks Canada locations.
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