First pick
Saint John's Park
Park or garden
6.5 ha2.1 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
0.8 km south-eastfrom the centre
Drewry Lane
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Amakuha · CC BY 4.00.9%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in St. John's · parks, protected land & trails
The nearest provincial park to St. John's is Birds Hill Provincial Park, 15 km away
Count 14 protected areas within 10 km of town. Biggest among them: Assiniboine Forest, 286 ha, 8.8 km off. No national park lies within 100 km.
Protected land
0.9%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
14
within 10 km, 14 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
15 km
Birds Hill Provincial Park
Against other towns
Each figure for St. John's, 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 one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
Protected within 10 km0.9%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 areas14Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named 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, St. John's is 13th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (8,375 to 8,612 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
St. John's0.9%
Towns its size2.9%
Towns in Manitoba1.1%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
St. John's14
Towns its size3
Towns in Manitoba12
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
St. John's0
Towns its size0
Towns in Manitoba0
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, St. John's’ strong point is public protected areas, where 7 of 39 top it. It trails them for protected land nearby, where 27 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunt Club Park ON | 13% | 0% | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Alta Vista ON | 13% | 0.7% | 38 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Britannia ON | 13% | 12% | 31 | 4 | 9 |
| 4 | West Centretown ON | 11% | 0% | 36 | 5 | 5 |
| 5 | Stone Mills ON | 10% | 11% | 58 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Wildfield ON | 9.1% | 14% | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Muskoka Lakes ON | 6.3% | 11% | 26 | 1 | 12 |
| 8 | Iqaluit NU | 6.1% | 11% | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| 9 | Lac la Biche County AB | 5.8% | 5.7% | 16 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Norton Park ON | 5.5% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Trinity Commons ON | 5.3% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Saint-Roch QC | 5.1% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | Vaughan Metropolitan Centre ON | 4.7% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Somerset AB | 4.6% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 15 | Electoral Area A, Comox Valley BC | 4% | 4.1% | 97 | 2 | 19 |
| 16 | Heart Lake North ON | 3.9% | 43% | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Trail BC | 3.5% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | Electoral Area G, Nanaimo BC | 3.2% | 7.5% | 32 | 0 | 13 |
| 19 | Brownsburg-Chatham QC | 3.1% | 2% | 35 | 0 | 3 |
| 20 | Ogden AB | 2.9% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 21 | Deer Lake BC | 2.9% | 0% | 22 | 4 | 25 |
| 22 | Rocky Ridge AB | 2.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 | Douro-Dummer ON | 2.3% | 1.4% | 17 | 2 | 3 |
| 24 | Prairie View SK | 2.3% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Puslinch ON | 2.2% | 1.1% | 29 | 18 | 5 |
| 26 | Goderich ON | 1.5% | 0% | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| 27 | Drumheller AB | 1% | 4.9% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | St. John's MB | 0.9% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Rosewood SK | 0.9% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Hillhurst AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 31 | South-West Oxford ON | 0.5% | 0.3% | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| 32 | Lac-Beauport QC | 0.4% | 0.1% | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| 33 | Marlborough Park AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Albert Park/Radisson Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | King Edward Park AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 36 | Wild Rose AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 37 | Nolan Hill AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Garneau AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 39 | Huron-Kinloss ON | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 40 | Dauphin MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
St. John's on the map: green space, protected land and paths
The neighbourhood’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
11 named parks and woods to walk in near St. John's
The biggest is Saint John's Park, 6.5 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
11 named parks and woods, 13 ha in all
Parks & gardens 13 ha
62% of the area is in just two places: Saint John's Park and Seven Oaks Park & Museum/McGowan Park.
Seven Oaks Park & Museum/McGowan Park
Park or garden · 220 m outside town
1.8 ha0.3 km of path
1.1 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Machray Park
Park or garden
1.5 ha0.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of St. John's
Directionsto a point inside
Redwood Park
Park or garden · 200 m outside town
1.0 ha0.2 km of path
1.2 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Bleak House
Park or garden · 190 m outside town
0.6 ha
1.1 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 11 named parks and green spaces
Saint John's ParkPark or garden · 6.5 ha · 2.1 km of path
DirectionsSeven Oaks Park & Museum/McGowan ParkPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsMachray ParkPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsRedwood ParkPark or garden · 1.0 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsBleak HousePark or garden · 0.6 ha · just outside town
DirectionsClara Hughes ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsSalter Tot LotPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsMcGregor ParkPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsMcKenzie Tot LotPark or garden · 0.3 ha · just outside town
DirectionsAndrews Tot LotPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsParr Tot LotPark or garden · 0.2 ha · just outside town
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
In St. John's, a park is close to every home
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%)
St. John's100%
Towns in Manitoba97%
Typical Canadian town83%
Against the typical Canadian town’s 83%, that is high.
Protected areas
St. John's has 14 protected areas within 10 km
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside St. John's0%
Within 10 km0.9%
Towns in Manitoba1.1%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
The 14 are all publicly owned. The largest named one is Assiniboine Forest, at 286 ha.
Kildonan ParkMunicipal park · 5.6 ha · 1.8 km from the edge of town
Whittier Park Riparian ForestMunicipal park · 6.4 ha · 2.0 km from the edge of town
Seine River CorridorMunicipal park · 111 ha · 2.3 km from the edge of town
McBeth and River Ridge ParksMunicipal park · 8.6 ha · 3.3 km from the edge of town
Bunns Creek CorridorMunicipal park · 17 ha · 4.7 km from the edge of town
Rotary Prairie Nature ParkMunicipal park · 8.1 ha · 7.0 km from the edge of town
Little Mountain ParkMunicipal park · 51 ha · 7.5 km from the edge of town
Manchester ParkMunicipal park · 1.4 ha · 7.8 km from the edge of town
Sandra Crowson ParkMunicipal park · 3.2 ha · 8.6 km from the edge of town
Crescent Drive ParkMunicipal park · 16 ha · 8.6 km from the edge of town
4 more named areas within 10 km are in the figures.
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
Birds Hill Provincial Park is 15 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
Birds Hill Provincial Park
15 km north-east21 km²since 1964
No national park lies within 100 km of St. John's; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
St. John's has 14 km of footpaths in and around it
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
14 km
in and around the town (10.8 km²)
Woodland
0%
of the town and 1 km around it
Footpaths · km per km²
St. John'sTowns in ManitobaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths1.3
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
St. John'sTowns in ManitobaTypical Canadian town
Woodland0%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 55% 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 mapped walking route near St. John's
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
The map shows no named route near the neighbourhood. That says more about OpenStreetMap’s coverage than about the paths on the ground.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in St. John's
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Winnipeg Richardson (Airport), 7.1 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) | 8.5 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.4 | 16.3 | 15.9 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 9.0 | 8.1 |
| High (°C) | -11 | -9 | -1 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 20 | 10 | 0 | -8 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 18 | 13 | 26 | 33 | 70 | 74 | 77 | 74 | 53 | 38 | 25 | 19 |
The warmest days come in July (26 °C highs), the coldest in January (-11 °C). July is warm and wet, 77 mm; the driest month, February, has 13 mm. Winter brings about 126 cm of snow. The climate in St. John's →
Things to do
Near St. John's: one viewpoint 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 most common are playgrounds: 85 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 85
St. John's Park Playground0.2 km from town
DirectionsMHRC1.5 km from town
DirectionsPlus 83 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to St. John's
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
LuxtonInkster-FaradayWilliam WhyteSeven OaksJeffersonNorth Point DouglasSt. John's
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 0.9% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Luxton 0.7 km | 0.5% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Inkster-Faraday 1.1 km | 0.8% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| William Whyte 1.4 km | 1.3% | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| Seven Oaks 1.6 km | 0.4% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Jefferson 1.6 km | 0.3% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| North Point Douglas 1.7 km | 1.2% | 17 | 4 | 0 |
William Whyte has the most mapped walking routes nearby: 4. For protected land, no neighbour of St. John's doubles its share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Private land. CPCAD includes conservation land held privately; the page counts it and leaves the names out.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- Protected land. The 10 km band starts at the town’s outline, not its centre, so a large municipality reaches further than a small town.
Questions about the outdoors in St. John's
What is the biggest park or reserve near St. John's?
Assiniboine Forest: 286 ha, a municipal park.
How far is St. John's from a national park?
None within 100 km of St. John's.
How much land around St. John's is protected?
Within 10 km, 0.9% of the land lies in protected areas.
How far is the nearest provincial park from St. John's?
Birds Hill Provincial Park, 15 km from the edge of town.
When is the best time for walking in St. John's?
September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Sources
The sources behind St. John'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).