Canada's military heritage spans three centuries — French and British colonial forts on the St. Lawrence, War of 1812 harbour batteries, WWI and WWII training bases and Cold War radar networks that ringed the continent. The abandoned military bases left behind are some of the most dramatically sited and most historically layered places in the country: a US Navy base where Churchill and Roosevelt met, a 1796 fort that launched the capture of Detroit and a WWII air base guarding the North Atlantic convoy routes. Here are the 5 best abandoned military bases in Canada, selected from our Abandoned Places Map Canada — 2,500+ GPS locations across Canada.
1. Naval Station Argentia – Placentia, Newfoundland — 1941 US Navy Base, Site of the Atlantic Charter Meeting, Underground Command and Control Bunker, Closed 1994 (Known Location)
Naval Station Argentia was established in 1941 as a US Navy base — one of those exchanged for American destroyers in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement. In August 1941 it was the site where Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt met in Placentia Bay to sign the Atlantic Charter — the foundational document of the postwar international order. Operational through the Cold War, the underground Command and Control bunker, the base infrastructure and the Placentia Bay waterfront setting make Argentia one of the most historically extraordinary abandoned military bases in Canada. Closed in 1994.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Naval Station Argentia
2. Fort Malden – Amherstburg, Ontario — 1796 British Fort, War of 1812 Launch Point for the Capture of Detroit, National Historic Site on the Detroit River (Known Location)
Fort Malden at Amherstburg was one of the most strategically significant British military positions on the Great Lakes — established in 1796 to control the Detroit River crossing and serving as the launching point for the British capture of Detroit in the War of 1812. The original earthworks, the restored barracks building and the riverside fortification infrastructure are preserved as a National Historic Site, the Detroit River and the US shore visible across the water. One of the most historically charged abandoned military places in Canada.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in Canada →
3. York Redoubt – Halifax, Nova Scotia — 1793 Harbour Defence Battery, Three Centuries of Military Upgrades, Victorian Gun Emplacements and WWII Bunkers on the Same Headland (Known Location)
York Redoubt was first established in 1793 to defend the entrance to Halifax Harbour — continuously upgraded through WWI and WWII, adding concrete gun emplacements, underground bunkers and observation posts over the original 18th-century stone walls. The result is one of the most layered military sites in Atlantic Canada: Georgian stonework, Victorian magazines, WWI concrete and WWII fire control bunkers all on one headland above the Strait. Freely accessible as parkland and a National Historic Site. GPS coordinates available with our map.
4. Abandoned Cold War Prairie Radar Station – 1950s Pine Tree Line RCAF Installation, Two-Storey Concrete Operations Block Still Standing, Underground Cable Runs and Antenna Array Foundations Visible, Central Canada (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 1950s Pine Tree Line RCAF radar station on the Canadian prairies — the original two-storey reinforced concrete operations block still standing above the flat horizon, the underground cable runs connecting the operations building to the power plant and the antenna array foundation grid still traceable across the surrounding fields. Part of the continental air defence network built to intercept Soviet bombers approaching from the north; decommissioned in the 1980s when satellite surveillance made the ground radar network obsolete. One of the most historically significant Cold War abandoned military places in Canada. Available on our Canada Urbex Map.
5. Abandoned WWII RCAF Coastal Patrol Station – 1940s Anti-Submarine Patrol Airbase, Original Hangar, Operations Block and Dispersal Hardstandings Still Intact, Atlantic Canada (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 1940s RCAF coastal patrol station on the Atlantic shore — the original steel and concrete hangar building where Liberator bombers were maintained, the operations block with its period communications infrastructure and the dispersal hardstandings where aircraft were parked to reduce vulnerability to attack. Built to fly anti-submarine patrols over the North Atlantic convoy routes during the Battle of the Atlantic; decommissioned after the war and progressively abandoned. One of the most atmospherically complete and most historically significant WWII military bases in Atlantic Canada. Included in our exclusive Canada map.
Safety Tips
- Unexploded ordnance: Canadian military sites may contain unexploded ordnance — never disturb metallic objects on the ground and report any finds to authorities immediately
- Restricted areas: some Canadian military heritage sites are adjacent to still-active federal lands — always stay within publicly accessible areas and observe all posted restrictions
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned military base in Canada?
Naval Station Argentia in Newfoundland — a 1941 US Navy base that was the site where Churchill and Roosevelt signed the Atlantic Charter in Placentia Bay. The underground Command and Control bunker and base infrastructure remain after closure in 1994.
What was the Pine Tree Line?
A network of radar stations built across Canada in the 1950s as the first layer of continental air defence against Soviet bombers. Stations were spaced across the country from the BC coast to Newfoundland; decommissioned in the 1980s when satellite surveillance made the ground network obsolete.
What was Canada's role in the Battle of the Atlantic?
Canada's Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force played the dominant Allied role in protecting the North Atlantic convoy routes between North America and Britain. RCAF Coastal Command flew anti-submarine patrols from bases across Atlantic Canada and Newfoundland; the RCAF destroyed more U-boats than any other Allied air force.
🎯 Summary
Canada's abandoned military bases range from a US Navy base where Churchill and Roosevelt defined the postwar world, to a 1796 fort that launched the capture of Detroit and Cold War radar stations whose antenna arrays are still visible on the prairie horizon. Each of these 5 abandoned military bases in Canada captures a different chapter of the country's three centuries of military history.
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