First pick
Milner Gardens and Woodland
Park or garden
27 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
1.2 km eastfrom the centre
West TrailEast Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Ken Walker · CC BY-SA 2.54.4%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Qualicum Beach · parks, protected land & trails
Protected land at Qualicum Beach’s edge: Parksville-Qualicum Beach Wildlife Management Area
For a provincial park, Little Qualicum Falls Park lies 5.5 km off. For a swim, Columbia Beach is the nearest of 7 beaches within 5 km. 63 km separate the town from Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, its nearest national park.
Protected land
4.4%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
24
within 10 km, 9 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
63 km
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Nearest provincial park
5.5 km
Little Qualicum Falls Park
Beaches
7
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Each figure for Qualicum Beach, set against 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 km4.4%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town1.2%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas9Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches7Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Qualicum Beach comes 13th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (9,439 to 9,849 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
Qualicum Beach4.4%
Towns its size2.2%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Qualicum Beach9
Towns its size4
Towns in British Columbia14
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Qualicum Beach0
Towns its size0
Towns in British Columbia1
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, Qualicum Beach’s strong point is public protected areas, where 12 of 39 top it.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electoral Area C (Puntledge - Black Creek), Comox Valley BC | 22% | 12% | 74 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Shediac NB | 18% | 5.4% | 20 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Revelstoke BC | 16% | 0.3% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Lac-Deschênes QC | 14% | 49% | 32 | 3 | 10 |
| 5 | Manor Park ON | 11% | 4.1% | 41 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | Antigonish County, Subdivision A NS | 11% | 9.3% | 128 | 1 | 17 |
| 7 | South Cambie BC | 8.6% | 0% | 13 | 2 | 49 |
| 8 | Oromocto NB | 6.6% | 3.8% | 19 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | Castlegar BC | 6% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Lakelands Village ON | 5.2% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Otterburn Park QC | 5% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Silverado AB | 4.7% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | Qualicum Beach BC | 4.4% | 1.2% | 24 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Glastonbury AB | 4.2% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Charlesbourg QC | 3.9% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 6 |
| 16 | Northeast SK | 3.7% | 0% | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | Shawnessy AB | 3.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| 18 | Richmond ON | 2.5% | 0.2% | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| 19 | Laurentian Valley ON | 2.4% | 0.9% | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| 20 | Guildwood ON | 2.2% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| 21 | Rosenberg ON | 2.2% | 9.1% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | North London ON | 1.9% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Steeles Corners ON | 1.8% | 0% | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Lorraine QC | 1.6% | 0.2% | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Avalon SK | 1.6% | 0.7% | 21 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Daniel McIntyre MB | 1.5% | 0% | 21 | 4 | 0 |
| 27 | Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier QC | 1.4% | 0.1% | 27 | 0 | 16 |
| 28 | Wiarton ON | 1.4% | 2.4% | 64 | 3 | 55 |
| 29 | Notre-Dame-des-Prairies QC | 1.2% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Willowgrove SK | 0.8% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 31 | Roberval QC | 0.6% | 0.1% | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 32 | Thamesford ON | 0.5% | 0.4% | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| 33 | Rustic ON | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | Aspen Woods AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | Plympton-Wyoming ON | 0.2% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Silver Berry AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 37 | Mineola ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 38 | Saint-Rémi QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Coaldale AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Olds AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Qualicum Beach on the map: green space, protected land and paths
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
18 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Qualicum Beach
Largest first: Milner Gardens and Woodland leads with 27 ha. Numbers match the map.
18 named parks and woods, 105 ha in all
Parks & gardens 45 haWoods 61 ha
Nature's Garden Forest plus Milner Gardens and Woodland account for 65% of the green.
Nature's Garden Forest
Wood or forest
42 ha3 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
3.1 km westfrom the centre
Nature's Garden TrailLaburnum Road Connector TrailBuck Rub Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Qualicum Beach Heritage Forest
Wood or forest
19 ha2 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Qualicum Beach
Directionsto a point inside
Qualicum Beach Community Park
Park or garden
7.3 ha0.2 km of path
1.9 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Miller Road Community Park
Park or garden · 280 m outside town
1.5 ha0.4 km of path
4.1 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 18 named parks and green spaces
Milner Gardens and WoodlandPark or garden · 27 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsNature's Garden ForestWood or forest · 42 ha · 3 km of path
DirectionsQualicum Beach Heritage ForestWood or forest · 19 ha · 2 km of path
DirectionsQualicum Beach Community ParkPark or garden · 7.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsQualicum CommonsPark or garden · 3.2 ha
DirectionsMiller Road Community ParkPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsYambury ParkPark or garden · 1.0 ha
DirectionsGeneral Money ParkPark or garden · 0.8 ha
DirectionsHawthorne Rise Community ParkPark or garden · 0.7 ha · just outside town
DirectionsSaahtlam ParkPark or garden · 0.7 ha
DirectionsChristleton Neighbourhood ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsOff-leash Dog ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsBoultbee Drive Community ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha · just outside town
DirectionsMiraloma ParkPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsBrant Viewing AreaPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsHuckleberry Community ParkPark or garden · 0.3 ha · just outside town
DirectionsCentre Road Community ParkPark or garden · 0.2 ha · just outside town
DirectionsBeach Front ParkPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: 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
8 in 10 people in Qualicum Beach live 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 (78%)Further (22%)
Qualicum Beach78%
Towns in British Columbia72%
Typical Canadian town83%
For comparison, the typical Canadian town has 83%. That leaves about 2,100 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
Within 10 km of Qualicum Beach, 4.4% is protected land
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Qualicum Beach1.2%
Within 10 km4.4%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
9 of the 24 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. At 1,250 ha, Parksville-Qualicum Beach Wildlife Management Area is the largest. 15 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
Parksville-Qualicum Beach Wildlife Management AreaWildlife area · 1,250 ha · reaches Qualicum Beach
Heritage ForestNature reserve · 19 ha · reaches Qualicum Beach
Marshall PropertyNature reserve · 4.6 ha · 0.9 km from the edge of town
French CreekNature reserve · 8.4 ha · 1.0 km from the edge of town
Parksville Glass Sponge Reef Marine RefugeNature reserve · 205 ha · 3.8 km from the edge of town
Little Qualicum Falls ParkProvincial park · 440 ha · 5.5 km from the edge of town
Rathtrevor Beach ParkProvincial park · 347 ha · 7.6 km from the edge of town
Englishman River Falls ParkProvincial park · 97 ha · 9.0 km from the edge of town
Spider Lake ParkProvincial park · 65 ha · 9.9 km from the edge of town
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
63 km to Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
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
Little Qualicum Falls Park
5.5 km south-west4.4 km²since 1940
Provincial park
Rathtrevor Beach Park
7.6 km east3.5 km²since 1967
Provincial park
Englishman River Falls Park
9.0 km south-east1.0 km²since 1940
Provincial park
Spider Lake Park
9.9 km west0.6 km²since 1981
National park
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
63 km south510 km²since 1970
A provincial park is closer: Little Qualicum Falls Park, at 5.5 km. There are 4 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
68 km of paths in and around Qualicum Beach
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
68 km
in and around the town (44.1 km²)
Woodland
30%
about 13 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Qualicum BeachTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths1.6
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Qualicum BeachTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Woodland30%
0%50%100%
Woods cover more of it than in 73% of Canadian towns. It has fewer paths per km² than 51% 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
No named walking route passes Qualicum Beach on the map
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
OpenStreetMap lists no walking route near the town, though paths on the ground may well exist.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Walking season in Qualicum Beach: May to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Comox, 53 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) | 8.6 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.9 | 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 |
December brings highs of 6 °C, July highs of 23 °C. The wettest month, December, brings 194 mm, against 24 mm in July. The climate in Qualicum Beach →
Beaches
Qualicum Beach has 7 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Columbia Beachin town
DirectionsQualicum Beach0.5 km from town
DirectionsThe map adds 5 unnamed stretches of beach. The shoreline runs 25 km within 5 km of town. Beach water tests aren’t published as open data across Canada, so swimming advisories come from the local health unit.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
6 viewpoints near Qualicum Beach
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Count 6 viewpoints, the biggest group.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 6
Coastal Mountains and Gulf Islandsin town
DirectionsCreek Viewpointin town
DirectionsViewing platform1.9 km from town
DirectionsPlus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Picnic groundsin town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 5
Arrowview Elementary School Playgroundin town
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Off-leash Dog Parkin town
DirectionsCampsites 1
Cedar Grove RV Park & Campground0.2 km from town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Qualicum Beach
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Electoral Area G, NanaimoElectoral Area F, NanaimoParksvilleElectoral Area H, NanaimoQualicum Beach
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualicum Beach | 4.4% | 24 | 0 | 7 |
| Electoral Area G, Nanaimo 5.2 km | 3.2% | 32 | 0 | 13 |
| Electoral Area F, Nanaimo 6.8 km | 2.3% | 36 | 1 | 15 |
| Parksville 8.6 km | 4.4% | 24 | 0 | 11 |
| Electoral Area H, Nanaimo 19 km | 3.3% | 56 | 11 | 6 |
More routes are mapped around Electoral Area H, Nanaimo (11). None of the places nearby has twice as much protected land around it as Qualicum Beach.
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.
- National and provincial parks. National parks are Parks Canada’s; provincial parks are the province’s or territory’s, Québec’s parcs nationaux among them.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- 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.
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
Questions about the outdoors in Qualicum Beach
How much land around Qualicum Beach is protected?
Protected areas cover 4.4% of the land within 10 km.
Where can you swim near Qualicum Beach?
Try Columbia Beach, in town, first of several.
Is Qualicum Beach near a national park?
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is closest, at 63 km.
What is the largest protected area near Qualicum Beach?
Parksville-Qualicum Beach Wildlife Management Area: 1,250 ha, a wildlife area.
When should you visit Qualicum Beach for the outdoors?
On the normals, May to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Qualicum Beach?
Little Qualicum Falls Park, 5.5 km from the edge of town.
Sources
Where Qualicum Beach’s outdoors figures come from
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).