First pick
Stink Creek Park
Park or garden
1.7 ha
Centralin the middle of Port Hardy
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Dan Huntington from Anacortes, WA · CC BY-SA 2.04.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Port Hardy · parks, protected land & trails
Port Hardy touches Quatse Estuary Wildlife Management Area
The closest provincial park is Marble River Park, 3.8 km from the edge of town. One mapped walking route passes within 2 km: the Vancouver Island Trail. No national park lies within 100 km.
Protected land
4.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
14
within 10 km, 7 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
3.8 km
Marble River Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Port Hardy against 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km4.1%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town2.2%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas7Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Among 40 towns its size, Port Hardy ranks 14th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,144 to 4,261 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
Port Hardy4.1%
Towns its size1.5%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Port Hardy7
Towns its size4
Towns in British Columbia14
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Port Hardy1
Towns its size0
Towns in British Columbia1
Typical Canadian town0
Port Hardy beats most towns its size for protected land nearby; 13 of 39 do better.
Every town in the comparison
| 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 E, Cariboo BC | 16% | 17% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Victoria County, Subdivision B NS | 12% | 17% | 244 | 1 | 21 |
| 6 | Westphal NS | 12% | 0.5% | 14 | 1 | 7 |
| 7 | Fort Nelson BC | 11% | 9.8% | 36 | 0 | 330 |
| 8 | Carleton-sur-Mer QC | 10% | 0.1% | 26 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Merivale Gardens - Grenfell Glen - Pineglen - Country Place ON | 9.5% | 23% | 29 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Spring Valley ON | 6.4% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | Balfour ON | 5.7% | 0% | 19 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | Electoral Area B, Cariboo BC | 5.4% | 4.8% | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | Electoral Area E, Kitimat-Stikine BC | 4.8% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Port Hardy BC | 4.1% | 2.2% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | Barry's Bay ON | 3.9% | 1.9% | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| 16 | Stellarton NS | 3.1% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Ormstown QC | 2.9% | 1.6% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | Templemead ON | 2.3% | 0% | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | West River PE | 2.2% | 2.9% | 18 | 8 | 15 |
| 20 | Vermilion AB | 1.5% | 9.3% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | St. George MB | 1.5% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Calder AB | 1.4% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Métabetchouan--Lac-à-la-Croix QC | 1% | 1% | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 24 | Fraipont MB | 0.7% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 | Discovery Ridge AB | 0.5% | 32% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | Wildwood AB | 0.5% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 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 | Malmo Plains AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 34 | East Angus QC | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | Crabtree QC | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Napierville QC | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Claresholm AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Killarney AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 39 | Mayliewan AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Ozerna AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Port Hardy on the map: green space, protected land and paths
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
Green: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, playing fields and woods. Hatched: CPCAD protected areas.© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); CPCAD (OGL-Canada)
Places to walk
2 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Port Hardy
The biggest is Stink Creek Park, 1.7 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
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
A park is within a short walk for 4 in 10 in Port Hardy
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 (38%)Further (62%)
Port Hardy38%
Towns in British Columbia72%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town reaches 83%. That leaves about 2,600 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
Around Port Hardy, protected areas make up 4.1%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Port Hardy2.2%
Within 10 km4.1%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
7 of the 14 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. The largest named one is God's Pocket Marine Park, at 2,036 ha. 7 more areas within 10 km are private land, held by landowners or conservation groups: counted here, not named.
Quatse Estuary Wildlife Management AreaWildlife area · 157 ha · reaches Port Hardy
Marble River ParkProvincial park · 1,419 ha · 3.8 km from the edge of town
Misty Lake Ecological ReserveNature reserve · 73 ha · 7.0 km from the edge of town
Cluxewe Wildlife Management AreaWildlife area · 124 ha · 9.3 km from the edge of town
God's Pocket Marine ParkProvincial park · 2,036 ha · 9.8 km from the edge of town
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 & provincial parks
Marble River Park is 3.8 km away
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
Marble River Park
3.8 km south14 km²since 1995
Provincial park
God's Pocket Marine Park
9.8 km north20 km²since 1995
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, Port Hardy has its province’s. There are 2 provincial parks within 10 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
30 km of paths in and around Port Hardy
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
30 km
in and around the town (93.8 km²)
Woodland
60%
about 56.5 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Port HardyTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.3
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Port HardyTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Woodland60%
0%50%100%
It has fewer paths per km² than 71% of Canadian towns. More of it is wooded than in 87% 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
Port Hardy has 1 named walking route
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Regional
Vancouver Island Trail742.1 km
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
The best months for walking in Port Hardy: June to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Port Hardy, 9.5 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) | 8.4 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 6 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 240 | 150 | 171 | 119 | 72 | 74 | 57 | 78 | 121 | 245 | 319 | 266 |
Some 39 cm of snow falls each winter. November is the wettest month (319 mm) and July the driest (57 mm). Summer highs reach 18 °C in August; in December they stay near 6 °C. The climate in Port Hardy →
Beaches
The sea is close to Port Hardy: 128 km of shore within 5 km
The OpenStreetMap coastline within 5 km of the town’s edge; no beach is mapped there.
Source: OpenStreetMap coastline, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Port Hardy: one waterfall 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 Seven Hills, 145 m, is the high point nearby. 3 campsites top the list.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
The Seven Hills145 m · in town
DirectionsWaterfalls 1
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 1
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Campsites 3
Quatse River Campgroundin town
DirectionsWildwoods Campgroundin town
DirectionsCattle Islands (BCMT)1.2 km from town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Port Hardy
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. No closer places have figures: these lie 33–146 km from Port Hardy.
Port McNeillGold RiverPort Hardy
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Hardy | 4.1% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Port McNeill 33 km | 2% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Gold River 146 km | 9.7% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Gold River has at least twice the protected share around it.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Walking routes. A route counts when 300 m or more of it lies within 2 km of the town. Coverage of trails on OpenStreetMap varies by region.
- 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.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
Questions about the outdoors in Port Hardy
Where can you walk near Port Hardy?
OpenStreetMap maps the Vancouver Island Trail close by.
Is there protected land near Port Hardy?
Protected areas cover 4.1% of the land within 10 km.
What is the largest protected area near Port Hardy?
God's Pocket Marine Park, a provincial park of 2,036 ha.
Is Port Hardy near a national park?
None within 100 km of Port Hardy.
What is the nearest provincial park to Port Hardy?
The closest is Marble River Park, at 3.8 km.
When is the best time for walking in Port Hardy?
June to September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Sources
Sources for this page on Port Hardy
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).