Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: CanadianEman · CC BY-SA 3.0Count 36 protected areas within 10 km of town. OpenStreetMap shows 330 unnamed beaches within 5 km. A drive of 82 km reaches Nahanni National Park Reserve, the nearest national park.
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
What Fort Nelson has most to offer outdoors is protected land around it, with its beaches 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. Outdoors isn’t one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,083 to 4,206 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
None of the other 39 towns its size has more public protected areas than Fort Nelson.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Pocatière QC | 35% | 0.2% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges QC | 12% | 0% | 25 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen BC | 12% | 12% | 52 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Westphal NS | 12% | 0.5% | 14 | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | Fort Nelson BC | 11% | 9.8% | 36 | 0 | 330 |
| 6 | Carleton-sur-Mer QC | 10% | 0.1% | 26 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | Merivale Gardens - Grenfell Glen - Pineglen - Country Place ON | 9.5% | 23% | 29 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Spring Valley ON | 6.4% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | L'Ange-Gardien QC | 6.3% | 0% | 37 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Balfour ON | 5.7% | 0% | 19 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | Electoral Area B, Cariboo BC | 5.4% | 4.8% | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | Lake of Bays ON | 4.8% | 1.8% | 12 | 1 | 6 |
| 13 | Electoral Area E, Kitimat-Stikine BC | 4.8% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | North Norfolk MB | 4.5% | 0.5% | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| 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 town; tap a number for its park or wood.
The biggest is Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest Recreation Site, 388 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
Most of it sits in Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest Recreation Site and Muskwa River Recreation Site: 81% together.
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.
For about 3,100 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
The 36 are all publicly owned. Biggest of the named areas: Northern Rocky Mountains Park, 665,709 ha.
24 more named areas within 10 km are in the figures.
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 7 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).
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 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.
There is no mapped walking route within 2 km of the town; a local trail club’s maps may show more.
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 Fort Nelson (7.4 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) | 7.0 | 9.2 | 11.6 | 14.3 | 16.8 | 18.4 | 17.7 | 15.4 | 12.7 | 10.1 | 7.6 | 6.3 |
| High (°C) | -16 | -9 | -1 | 10 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 15 | 6 | -8 | -14 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 24 | 16 | 22 | 16 | 44 | 75 | 81 | 70 | 38 | 24 | 29 | 18 |
Expect around 193 cm of snow over a winter. Rain peaks with the heat: 81 mm in July, against 16 mm in April. July is the warmest month, with highs around 23 °C; January the coldest, at -16 °C. The climate in Fort Nelson →
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Water quality isn’t shown: there’s no open national record of beach tests. Local health authorities post advisories.
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.
Most numerous: hills and peaks (155). Among the peaks, Dieppe Mountain is highest at 2,850 m.
Plus 9 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 147 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Plus 11 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Plus 6 nature reserves more.
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Plus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 13 campsites without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Liard River Hot Springs Park begins at the town’s edge.
Yes: 11% of the land within 10 km is protected.
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
It is Northern Rocky Mountains Park, a provincial park covering 665,709 ha.
May 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 Nahanni National Park Reserve, 82 km off.
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).