Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Kurayba · CC BY-SA 2.0Big Island Provincial Park is the closest provincial park, at 7.6 km. Walkers have 2 mapped routes close by, starting with the Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw and Wander Trail. The protected share within 10 km is 0.3%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%.
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. This page carries no grade, because Canada’s grading doesn’t cover the outdoors; the comparisons are the point.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,089 to 4,210 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
For walking routes, Malmo Plains sits near the top of its size group: 3 of 39 have more. On protected land nearby it is behind: 29 of 39 have more.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Pocatière QC | 35% | 0.2% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Anderson Walk BC | 23% | 8.2% | 180 | 8 | 4 |
| 3 | Electoral Area F, Central Kootenay BC | 22% | 2.9% | 13 | 2 | 12 |
| 4 | Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen BC | 12% | 12% | 52 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Westphal NS | 12% | 0.5% | 14 | 1 | 7 |
| 6 | Fort Nelson BC | 11% | 9.8% | 36 | 0 | 330 |
| 7 | Carleton-sur-Mer QC | 10% | 0.1% | 26 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | Merivale Gardens - Grenfell Glen - Pineglen - Country Place ON | 9.5% | 23% | 29 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Spring Valley ON | 6.4% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | L'Ange-Gardien QC | 6.3% | 0% | 37 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | Balfour ON | 5.7% | 0% | 19 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | Electoral Area B, Cariboo BC | 5.4% | 4.8% | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | Lake of Bays ON | 4.8% | 1.8% | 12 | 1 | 6 |
| 14 | Electoral Area E, Kitimat-Stikine BC | 4.8% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Port Hardy BC | 4.1% | 2.2% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Barry's Bay ON | 3.9% | 1.9% | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| 17 | Templemead ON | 2.3% | 0% | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | Pioneer Tower West ON | 2.3% | 3.9% | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | West River PE | 2.2% | 2.9% | 18 | 8 | 15 |
| 20 | Haut-Madawaska NB | 2.2% | 7.7% | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 21 | Elbow Park AB | 2% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 22 | Vermilion AB | 1.5% | 9.3% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Kirkfield MB | 1% | 0.3% | 14 | 1 | 37 |
| 24 | Northern Lights County AB | 0.9% | 0.6% | 30 | 0 | 67 |
| 25 | Island Lakes MB | 0.6% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Banff Trail AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Sunalta AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 28 | Wildwood AB | 0.5% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 29 | Beaumaris AB | 0.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Patterson AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | Callaghan AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | Jackson Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 33 | Leger AB | 0.3% | 0% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | Malmo Plains AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 35 | Matt Berry AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Lac-Etchemin QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 37 | Napierville QC | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Balwin AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 39 | Forest Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 40 | Killarney AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the neighbourhood; tap a number for its park or wood.
The biggest is Whitemud Park, 135 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
Whitemud Creek Ravine plus Whitemud Park account for 94% of the green.
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.
The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, lower than here. Around 300 residents are further than 400 m from a park.
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
The 2 are all publicly owned. Biggest of the named areas: Big Island Provincial Park, 79 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.
A provincial park is closer: Big Island Provincial Park, at 7.6 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).
For path density, it beats 92% of Canadian towns. Woods cover less of it than in 61% 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.
Among local routes, the Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw is longest at 83.8 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Edmonton (City), 8.9 km away). Good months: long days, highs of 15–30 °C, light 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 |
Rain peaks with the heat: 83 mm in July, against 12 mm in February. From -6 °C in January to 24 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. The yearly snowfall is near 124 cm. The climate in Malmo Plains →
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Most numerous: playgrounds (56).
Plus 19 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Plus 52 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 4 dog parks 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malmo Plains | 0.3% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Pleasantview 1.2 km | 0.1% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Royal Gardens 1.4 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Empire Park 1.5 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Allendale 1.8 km | 0.1% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Westbrook Estates 1.9 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Belgravia 2.1 km | 0.2% | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Next door, protected shares stay within twice Malmo Plains’.
It is Big Island Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 79 ha.
It is Big Island Provincial Park, 7.6 km away.
May, August and September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
It is Elk Island National Park, 37 km off.
Within 10 km, 0.3% of the land lies in protected areas.
Try the Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw and Wander Trail; more are on the map.
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).