First pick
Rotary / McAdam Park
Park or garden
15 ha2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
1.1 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Doug Hay derivative work: MrPanyGoff · CC BY 2.01.9%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Duncan · parks, protected land & trails
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve lies 19 km beyond Duncan’s edge
Cowichan River Park is the closest provincial park, at 5.1 km. 2 mapped walking routes pass within 2 km, among them the Trans-Canada Trail - Cowichan Valley Trail and Duncan Totem Tour Path. One unnamed beach is mapped within 5 km.
Protected land
1.9%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
31
within 10 km, 8 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
19 km
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
Nearest provincial park
5.1 km
Cowichan River Park
Walking routes
2
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
The outdoors in Duncan, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
A national park nearbyGulf Islands National Park Reserve, 19 km awayOn a national routeThe Trans-Canada Trail - Cowichan Valley Trail passes within 2 km
Out of doors, Duncan leads with Gulf Islands National Park Reserve within easy reach, with the Trans-Canada Trail - Cowichan Valley Trail close behind.
Against other towns
How Duncan compares with other Canadian towns
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. Outdoors isn’t graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
Protected within 10 km1.9%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas8Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes2Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches1Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Among 40 towns its size, Duncan is 16th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (5,663 to 5,835 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Protected within 10 km
Duncan1.9%
Towns its size4.3%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Duncan8
Towns its size7
Towns in British Columbia14
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Duncan2
Towns its size0
Towns in British Columbia1
Typical Canadian town0
For protected land nearby, Duncan lags towns its size: 24 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electoral Area B, Peace River BC | 18% | 17% | 71 | 0 | 655 |
| 2 | Electoral Area A, Bulkley-Nechako BC | 15% | 14% | 9 | 0 | 17 |
| 3 | Shediac NB | 14% | 0.9% | 20 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | Dunrobin ON | 14% | 0.1% | 50 | 1 | 15 |
| 5 | Osoyoos BC | 14% | 0.8% | 22 | 0 | 9 |
| 6 | Saint Marys NB | 13% | 15% | 44 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Iris ON | 12% | 0% | 26 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | New Edinburgh ON | 11% | 0.1% | 37 | 4 | 3 |
| 9 | East Ferris ON | 10% | 1.8% | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Seguin ON | 10% | 1.2% | 20 | 0 | 10 |
| 11 | Orford QC | 9.3% | 39% | 44 | 4 | 15 |
| 12 | Lanoraie QC | 9% | 7.8% | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Verchères QC | 8.9% | 1.7% | 44 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Emerald Woods - Sawmill Creek ON | 6.9% | 21% | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Lampman ON | 6.9% | 13% | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Chertsey QC | 6.5% | 7.2% | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| 17 | Annapolis County, Subdivision C NS | 6.3% | 0.1% | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Havelock ON | 5.7% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Vieux-Québec—Cap-Blanc—Colline parlementaire QC | 5% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 5 |
| 20 | Rosedale Village ON | 4.5% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Braeside AB | 4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 22 | Waterloo QC | 3.4% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 | Sherwood/McCarthy SK | 2.7% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | County Court ON | 2% | 0% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | Duncan BC | 1.9% | 0% | 31 | 2 | 1 |
| 26 | Montcalm MB | 1.8% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 | Forest Hill ON | 1.7% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Buena Vista SK | 1.7% | 1.6% | 17 | 0 | 2 |
| 29 | St. Matthews MB | 1.6% | 0% | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 30 | Minto MB | 1.4% | 0% | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | Confederation Park SK | 1.2% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | Parkview AB | 1.2% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 33 | Heritage Park MB | 1% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 37 |
| 34 | Westwood MB | 1% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 37 |
| 35 | Meadow Lake SK | 0.7% | 0.7% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan QC | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Elsinore AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Remington Park ON | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 39 | Casselman AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Sandstone Valley AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Duncan
The town’s parks, woods, protected land and paths, with its named places numbered.
Green: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, playing fields and woods. Hatched: CPCAD protected areas.© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); CPCAD (OGL-Canada)
Places to walk
7 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Duncan
The biggest is Rotary / McAdam Park, 15 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
7 named parks and woods, 36 ha in all
Parks & gardens 36 ha
Two places, Rotary / McAdam Park and Cowichan Sportsplex Community Park, make up 74% of the total.
Cowichan Sportsplex Community Park
Park or garden · 130 m outside town
11 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1.3 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Centennial Park
Park or garden
4.4 ha1.3 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
0.7 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Somenos Marsh Open Air Classroom
Park or garden · 110 m outside town
2.4 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
1.4 km northfrom the centre
Watts Walk
Directionsto a point inside
Stonehaven Park
Park or garden · 320 m outside town
1.1 ha0.3 km of path
2.0 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Alan Wilson Park
Park or garden · 300 m outside town
0.8 ha
1.9 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
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.
Close to home
Every resident of Duncan lives near a park
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.
Within 400 m (100%)Further (0%)
Duncan100%
Towns in British Columbia72%
Typical Canadian town83%
That beats the typical Canadian town, where it is 83%.
Protected areas
Around Duncan, protected areas make up 1.9%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Duncan0%
Within 10 km1.9%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public bodies own 8 of the 31; land trusts and private owners hold the others. Cowichan River Park covers 1,418 ha, the most of any named area. Another 23 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
S'amunu Wildlife Management AreaWildlife area · 155 ha · 0.1 km from the edge of town
Mount Tzuhalem Ecological ReserveNature reserve · 18 ha · 3.3 km from the edge of town
Cowichan River ParkProvincial park · 1,418 ha · 5.1 km from the edge of town
Eves ParkProvincial park · 19 ha · 7.8 km from the edge of town
Chemainus River ParkProvincial park · 119 ha · 9.1 km from the edge of town
Mount Maxwell Ecological ReserveNature reserve · 418 ha · 9.5 km from the edge of town
Burgoyne Bay ParkProvincial park · 524 ha · 9.9 km from the edge of town
1 area recorded only by its type (a provincial layer such as wildlife habitat areas) is 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 & provincial parks
Big parks near Duncan
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.
National parkProvincial park
Provincial park
Cowichan River Park
5.1 km west14 km²since 1995
Provincial park
Eves Park
7.8 km north0.2 km²since 1962
Provincial park
Chemainus River Park
9.1 km north-west1.2 km²since 1959
Provincial park
Burgoyne Bay Park
9.9 km east5.2 km²since 2004
National park reserve
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
19 km east67 km²since 2010
A provincial park is closer: Cowichan River Park, at 5.1 km. Within 10 km are 4 provincial parks.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Paths to walk: 26 km in and around Duncan
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).
Footpaths
26 km
in and around the town (13.2 km²)
Woodland
20%
about 2.7 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
DuncanTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
DuncanTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Woodland20%
0%50%100%
Paths are denser here than in 55% of Canadian towns. For woods, it beats 67% 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.
Walking routes
The Trans-Canada Trail - Cowichan Valley Trail passes Duncan
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
NationalOther waymarked
Trans-Canada Trail - Cowichan Valley Trail127.5 km
Duncan Totem Tour Path1.1 km
Of the Trans-Canada Trail - Cowichan Valley Trail’s 128 km, 3.6 km passes close to town.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Get out in Duncan in May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Victoria (Airport) (25 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.8 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 155 | 85 | 80 | 48 | 37 | 29 | 20 | 24 | 36 | 96 | 146 | 146 |
Snow totals about 39 cm a year. Highs peak near 23 °C in July and fall to 7 °C in December. Expect 155 mm in January, the wettest month, and 20 mm in July. The climate in Duncan →
Beaches
A beach within 5 km of Duncan
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
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.
Things to do
Near Duncan: 2 viewpoints on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The map shows 22 playgrounds, ahead of the rest.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Busy Place Creek Park1.4 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 22
Duncan Lions Club Spray Parkin town
DirectionsBev Lashman Playground0.2 km from town
DirectionsPlus 20 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Somenos Creek Dog Park0.5 km from town
DirectionsCampsites 1
Riverside RV Park & Camping0.7 km from town
DirectionsSlipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Duncan
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Electoral Area E, Cowichan ValleyCowichanNorth CowichanCowichan BayCobble HillShawniganDuncan
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan | 1.9% | 31 | 2 | 1 |
| Electoral Area E, Cowichan Valley 1.5 km | 2.8% | 42 | 3 | 2 |
| Cowichan 1.5 km | 5.9% | 58 | 3 | 4 |
| North Cowichan 3.6 km | 3.9% | 72 | 7 | 10 |
| Cowichan Bay 7.8 km | 4.2% | 64 | 2 | 10 |
| Cobble Hill 13 km | 6.6% | 51 | 0 | 6 |
| Shawnigan 15 km | 22% | 66 | 4 | 8 |
For protected land, Cowichan, North Cowichan and Cowichan Bay have twice as much or more. More routes are mapped around North Cowichan (7).
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- Protected land. The share is of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s outline, from CPCAD’s mapped areas; marine areas count, so a coastal town can score high on water.
Questions about the outdoors in Duncan
What is the biggest park or reserve near Duncan?
It is Cowichan River Park, a provincial park covering 1,418 ha.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Duncan?
On the normals, May to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
What is the nearest national park to Duncan?
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, 19 km from the edge of town.
Where can you walk near Duncan?
The Trans-Canada Trail - Cowichan Valley Trail and Duncan Totem Tour Path, among the routes mapped within 2 km.
What is the nearest beach to Duncan?
There is an unnamed beach within 5 km.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Duncan?
Cowichan River Park, 5.1 km away.
Are there protected areas near Duncan?
Yes: 1.9% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Sources
The sources behind Duncan’s outdoors figures
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).