Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Johntwrl at English Wikipedia · Public domainFor a provincial park, Big Island Provincial Park lies 7.4 km off. Named trails close by number 3, the Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw and River Loop Trail among them. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 0.3% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town.
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Out of doors, Laurier Heights leads with its choice of walking routes. Less going for it: protected land nearby.
Each figure against the 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (not city hubs or reserves), with the town marked and the typical one’s line. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,004 to 3,094 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
For protected land nearby, Laurier Heights lags towns its size: 32 of 39 are ahead.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cap-Pelé NB | 43% | 2.6% | 11 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Cap-Saint-Ignace QC | 20% | 0.1% | 51 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Elkford BC | 12% | 16% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Sudbury, Unorganized, North Part ON | 11% | 9.8% | 92 | 2 | 15 |
| 5 | Vanscoy No. 345 SK | 11% | 4.2% | 25 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Leslie Park - Bruce Farm ON | 11% | 0% | 24 | 2 | 5 |
| 7 | Electoral Area D, Cariboo BC | 9.4% | 10% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Lac-des-Écorces QC | 8.8% | 4.5% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Riverside Park South - Revelstoke ON | 8.3% | 6.2% | 33 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Greenbelt (east) ON | 7.4% | 45% | 53 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Kirkendall South ON | 6.9% | 0.9% | 23 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Buchanan ON | 6.3% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | Saint-Anaclet-de-Lessard QC | 4.9% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Bainbridge BC | 4% | 0% | 23 | 3 | 26 |
| 15 | Athens ON | 3.9% | 2% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Grenville-sur-la-Rouge QC | 3.2% | 3.7% | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Dewdney Place SK | 3.1% | 90% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 18 | Rosedale ON | 2.3% | 0% | 16 | 2 | 4 |
| 19 | Alpine ON | 2.1% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot BC | 1.9% | 0% | 10 | 15 | 2 |
| 21 | Nutana Park SK | 1.7% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Poplar Park ON | 1.6% | 0% | 15 | 1 | 7 |
| 23 | Albany AB | 1.6% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | South Portage MB | 1.5% | 0% | 20 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | Crescentwood MB | 1.4% | 0% | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| 26 | Princeton BC | 1.2% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| 27 | Normandin QC | 1.1% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Hillcrest Management Area SK | 0.9% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Admaston/Bromley ON | 0.7% | 1% | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 30 | Lorne MB | 0.7% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Luxton MB | 0.5% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Tisdale SK | 0.4% | 0.2% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Shippagan NB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| 34 | Bisset AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 35 | Crawford Plains AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 36 | Kernohan AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 37 | Laurier Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 38 | Saint-Gabriel QC | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 39 | Saint-Dominique QC | 0.1% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Glengarry AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The neighbourhood’s parks, woods, protected land and paths, with its named places numbered.
Largest first: Whitemud Park leads with 135 ha. Numbers match the map.
Two places, Whitemud Park and William Hawrelak Park, make up 66% of the total.
Source: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, commons and woods with a name, in the town or within 400 m, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Sizes are the mapped outline’s.
Residents of each 2021 dissemination area, at a point inside it, within 400 m (about a 5-minute walk) of a park or playing field mapped on OpenStreetMap.
A typical Canadian town reaches only 83%.
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
None of the 3 is private. Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park is the biggest, 2,055 ha.
Source: Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD) 2.9.0, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
National parks (Parks Canada) and provincial or territorial parks by direction and distance from the town’s edge: every one within 10 km, and the nearest of each within 100 km.
Nearer still is Big Island Provincial Park, a provincial park 7.4 km away. 2 provincial parks lie within 10 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
OpenStreetMap footpaths, paths, bridleways and steps, and tracks open on foot, in the town and 1 km around it; woods as mapped (landuse=forest, natural=wood).
Woods cover more of it than in 67% of Canadian towns. It has more footpath per km² than 97% of Canadian towns.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
The Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw is the big one locally: 83.8 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Edmonton (City) (6.9 km), and daylight at the town’s latitude. Good months: 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15–30 °C, little rain.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.9 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -3 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 10 | 1 | -5 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 20 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 44 | 70 | 83 | 61 | 39 | 21 | 18 | 12 |
The warmest days come in July (24 °C highs), the coldest in January (-6 °C). Summer storms make July the wettest month, 83 mm; February sees 12 mm. Winter brings about 124 cm of snow. The climate in Laurier Heights →
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Count 66 picnic sites, the biggest group.
Plus 6 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 60 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Plus 52 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Sources: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, and Wikidata (CC0), as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic places from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places and Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel.
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurier Heights | 0.3% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Lynnwood 1.3 km | 0.4% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Jasper Park 1.3 km | 1.1% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Parkview 1.4 km | 1.2% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Meadowlark Park 1.9 km | 1.6% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Patricia Heights 1.9 km | 0.3% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Elmwood 2.3 km | 0.8% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
For protected land, Jasper Park, Parkview and Meadowlark Park have twice as much or more.
Elk Island National Park is closest, at 39 km.
May, August and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
OpenStreetMap maps the Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw, River Loop Trail and Wander Trail close by, with others.
Within 10 km, 0.3% of the land lies in protected areas.
It is Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 2,055 ha.
Big Island Provincial Park, 7.4 km from the edge of town.
Protected areas: Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD) 2.9.0, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2026: every area within 10 km and the nearest national and provincial parks, measured outline to outline.
Walking routes and beaches: OpenStreetMap, November 2026: named hiking, foot and walking route relations within 2 km and beaches within 5 km.
Towns: Statistics Canada 2021 Census boundaries and populations; the comparison is the Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+, not city hubs or reserves.
When to go: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020, from the nearest station that publishes them.
Gardens: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden) and Wikidata gardens within 15 km, as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic gardens and parks from Canada’s heritage registers (Parks Canada DFHD, the Canadian Register of Historic Places, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel).
Green space, paths, woods, things to do: OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik’s Canada extract), November 2026: parks, gardens, playing fields, woods, footpaths, the coastline and things to do in and around each town.
Residents: Statistics Canada 2021 Census dissemination areas (population, boundaries), each at a point inside it.
Walking routes and beaches © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).
Not on this page: trailheads and trail grades, and beach water quality. No open Canadian dataset gives these for every town yet.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).