Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The closest of Canada’s national parks is Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, at 46 km. OpenStreetMap shows 2 unnamed beaches within 5 km. 10 areas within 10 km are protected for nature.
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
What Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot has most to offer outdoors is its choice of walking routes, with a provincial park at its edge close behind.
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 (3,020 to 3,117 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Against towns its size, Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot does best for public protected areas: 15 of the other 39 have more.
| 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 | Riverside Park South - Revelstoke ON | 8.3% | 6.2% | 33 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Greenbelt (east) ON | 7.4% | 45% | 53 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Ainslie Wood East ON | 7.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | Kirkendall South ON | 6.9% | 0.9% | 23 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Clear Hills AB | 5.4% | 5.4% | 31 | 0 | 115 |
| 13 | Clermont QC | 4.1% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Athens ON | 3.9% | 2% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 | Grenville-sur-la-Rouge QC | 3.2% | 3.7% | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 16 | Dewdney Place SK | 3.1% | 90% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | Rosedale ON | 2.3% | 0% | 16 | 2 | 4 |
| 18 | Alpine ON | 2.1% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot BC | 1.9% | 0% | 10 | 15 | 2 |
| 20 | Nutana Park SK | 1.7% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Poplar Park ON | 1.6% | 0% | 15 | 1 | 7 |
| 22 | South Portage MB | 1.5% | 0% | 20 | 4 | 0 |
| 23 | Crescentwood MB | 1.4% | 0% | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| 24 | Princeton BC | 1.2% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| 25 | Normandin QC | 1.1% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Brooklands MB | 1.1% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Admaston/Bromley ON | 0.7% | 1% | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 28 | Lorne MB | 0.7% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Luxton MB | 0.5% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Tisdale SK | 0.4% | 0.2% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Shippagan NB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| 32 | Ange-Gardien QC | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Bisset AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | Crawford Plains AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 35 | Kernohan AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 36 | Laurier Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 37 | Saint-Gabriel QC | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 38 | Saint-Dominique QC | 0.1% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Houston BC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 40 | Glengarry AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The town’s parks, woods, protected land and paths, with its named places numbered.
Alberni Beaufort Range Woodlands is the largest, at 12,119 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
Alberni Beaufort Range Woodlands plus L. 42A account for 98% 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.
Around 2,600 residents are further than 400 m from a park. A median Canadian town manages 83%.
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
7 of the 10 are on public land. Stamp River Park is the biggest, 327 ha. Another 3 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
2 areas recorded only by their type (provincial layers such as wildlife habitat areas) are counted, not listed.
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.
Within 10 km are 5 provincial parks.
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).
66% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km². For woods, it beats 81% 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.
Plus 3 more waymarked walks on the map.
The Vancouver Island Trail is the big one locally: 742.1 km. 8 of them are under 3 km, good for a short outing.
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 Comox (48 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) | 8.6 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.0 | 8.2 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 13 | 9 | 6 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 177 | 112 | 108 | 64 | 40 | 42 | 24 | 31 | 47 | 125 | 189 | 194 |
Expect around 51 cm of snow over a winter. For dry weather, July is best (24 mm); December gets 194 mm. July is the warmest month, with highs around 23 °C; December the coldest, at 6 °C. The climate in Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot →
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
OpenStreetMap maps 16 km of coastline within 5 km. No open data on beach water quality covers every province, so check with public health before a swim.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
There are 11 viewpoints, more than of anything else.
Plus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Plus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot | 1.9% | 10 | 15 | 2 |
| Electoral Area F, Alberni-Clayoquot 5.9 km | 1.3% | 12 | 30 | 8 |
| Port Alberni 6.0 km | 1.8% | 11 | 31 | 4 |
| Electoral Area D, Alberni-Clayoquot 8.5 km | 29% | 19 | 18 | 10 |
| Electoral Area H, Nanaimo 19 km | 3.3% | 56 | 11 | 6 |
More routes are mapped around Port Alberni (31). Electoral Area D, Alberni-Clayoquot has at least twice the protected share around it.
Within 10 km, 1.9% of the land lies in protected areas.
Stamp River Park: 327 ha, a provincial park.
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, 46 km from the edge of town.
The Log Train Trail, Mclean Mill Trails and Roger Creek Ravine Trails, among the routes mapped within 2 km.
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
May to September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Stamp River Park begins at the town’s edge.
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.
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).