First pick
Irishtown Nature Park
Park or garden
799 ha13.6 km of path
3 hto walk all 13.6 km of path
5.7 km eastfrom the centre
John HowardMalcom's WayDragonfly+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain3.4%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Moncton · parks, protected land & trails
Within 37 km of Moncton: Fundy National Park
5.2 km out lies the largest, Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 22), at 285,278 ha. 27 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. OpenStreetMap shows one beach within 5 km, without a name.
Protected land
3.4%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
27
within 10 km, 13 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
37 km
Fundy National Park
Nearest provincial park
54 km
Amherst Shore Provincial Park
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Moncton beside other Canadian towns, figure by figure
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. There is no Outdoors grade for Canadian towns; the figures stand beside the country’s towns of 2,500+ without a letter.
Protected within 10 km3.4%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town1.4%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas13Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named 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, Moncton ranks 13th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (11,968 to 12,499 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
Moncton3.4%
Towns its size2.2%
Towns in New Brunswick6%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Moncton13
Towns its size5
Towns in New Brunswick7
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Moncton0
Towns its size0
Towns in New Brunswick0
Typical Canadian town0
For public protected areas, Moncton sits near the top of its size group: 12 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cantley QC | 21% | 1.2% | 32 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Elliot Lake ON | 18% | 7.2% | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Orleans Village - Chateauneuf ON | 14% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Nelson BC | 14% | 0.1% | 10 | 2 | 8 |
| 5 | Summerland BC | 11% | 7.5% | 25 | 0 | 45 |
| 6 | Rideau Lakes ON | 10% | 14% | 77 | 6 | 12 |
| 7 | Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine QC | 7.3% | 6.1% | 46 | 0 | 94 |
| 8 | Saltspring Island BC | 6.7% | 17% | 109 | 3 | 44 |
| 9 | Valley Creek ON | 6.3% | 29% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Chapman Mills ON | 6% | 1.9% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Saint-Rodrigue QC | 4.8% | 0% | 15 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | Humber Summit ON | 3.6% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Moncton NB | 3.4% | 1.4% | 27 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Milliken ON | 3.4% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Yonge-Eglinton ON | 2.6% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 16 | Saint-Sauveur QC | 2.3% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 7 |
| 17 | St. Andrews MB | 2.3% | 1.1% | 9 | 2 | 2 |
| 18 | Woodbine Corridor ON | 2.3% | 0% | 13 | 3 | 34 |
| 19 | Bromont QC | 2.2% | 2% | 25 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 | St. Clements MB | 2.2% | 3% | 9 | 8 | 10 |
| 21 | Dovercourt Village ON | 2.1% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 13 |
| 22 | Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts QC | 1.8% | 1.6% | 15 | 1 | 8 |
| 23 | Bayview Woods-Steeles ON | 1.7% | 17% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Forest Hill North ON | 1.5% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 25 | Royal Oak AB | 1.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 26 | Grey Highlands ON | 1.3% | 0.7% | 77 | 4 | 0 |
| 27 | Highland West ON | 1.3% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | The Hamptons AB | 1.2% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Georgian Bluffs ON | 1.1% | 1.9% | 67 | 4 | 17 |
| 30 | River Park South MB | 1.1% | 2.1% | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Tyndall Park MB | 1.1% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Wellesley ON | 1% | 0% | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 33 | Wetaskiwin County No. 10 AB | 0.7% | 1% | 52 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | Blackfalds AB | 0.6% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Chalmers MB | 0.6% | 0% | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | Tay ON | 0.5% | 0.6% | 17 | 3 | 5 |
| 37 | Uptown ON | 0.3% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Norwich ON | 0.2% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 39 | Etobicoke West Mall ON | 0.2% | 0% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 40 | DT Hospital ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
The map
Where the green is in Moncton
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
Walk in Moncton: one named park or wood
Irishtown Nature Park is the largest, at 799 ha; the rest follow by size, 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
In Moncton, parks are rarely a short walk away
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 (0%)Further (100%)
Moncton0%
Towns in New Brunswick8.3%
Typical Canadian town83%
A median Canadian town manages 83%. About 12,200 residents live further than 400 m from one.
Protected areas
Around Moncton, protected areas make up 3.4%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Moncton1.4%
Within 10 km3.4%
Towns in New Brunswick6%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of those 27, 13 are public and the remainder private. Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 22) covers 285,278 ha, the most of any named area. The figures include 14 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
4037000Nature reserve · 458 ha · reaches Moncton
4037100Nature reserve · 295 ha · reaches Moncton
4037200Nature reserve · 209 ha · reaches Moncton
4037300Nature reserve · 39 ha · reaches Moncton
Salisbury East Wetland Conservation AreaNature reserve · 24 ha · reaches Moncton
4037400Nature reserve · 83 ha · 0.6 km from the edge of town
Canaan BogNature reserve · 20,652 ha · 2.3 km from the edge of town
Salisbury Highland ParkNature reserve · 9.4 ha · 2.5 km from the edge of town
Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 22)Nature reserve · 285,278 ha · 5.2 km from the edge of town
Mill Creek Nature ParkMunicipal park · 98 ha · 5.8 km from the edge of town
3 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
Big parks near Moncton
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
National park
Fundy National Park
37 km south206 km²since 1948
Provincial park
Amherst Shore Provincial Park
54 km east2.6 km²since 2000
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: 80 km in and around Moncton
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
80 km
in and around the town (743.7 km²)
Woodland
73%
about 541 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
MonctonTowns in New BrunswickTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
MonctonTowns in New BrunswickTypical Canadian town
Woodland73%
0%50%100%
For woods, it beats 93% of Canadian towns. For path density, 84% of Canadian towns do better.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Moncton
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.
When to get out
Get out in Moncton in May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Moncton (15 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | -4 | -3 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 102 | 88 | 111 | 94 | 98 | 95 | 87 | 77 | 103 | 124 | 109 | 115 |
For dry weather, August is best (77 mm); October gets 124 mm. July is the warmest month, with highs around 25 °C; January the coldest, at -4 °C. Expect around 310 cm of snow over a winter. The climate in Moncton →
Beaches
A beach within 5 km of Moncton
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
For water quality, look to the local health unit: no open beach-testing data covers Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Moncton: 7 viewpoints, 1 waterfalls
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Most numerous: playgrounds (14).
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 7
Plus 7 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 2
Steeves Mountainin town
DirectionsLutes Mountain0.1 km from town
DirectionsWaterfalls 1
Melanson Fallsin town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 14
Plus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Moncton
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
MonctonRiverviewDieppeMoncton
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
Its neighbours have no more than twice Moncton’s protected share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- 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 10 km band starts at the town’s outline, not its centre, so a large municipality reaches further than a small town.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- Private land. CPCAD includes conservation land held privately; the page counts it and leaves the names out.
Questions about the outdoors in Moncton
How much land around Moncton is protected?
Yes: 3.4% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Is there a beach near Moncton?
One beach is mapped within 5 km, though without a name.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Moncton?
It is Amherst Shore Provincial Park, 54 km away.
When is the best time for walking in Moncton?
May to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Is Moncton near a national park?
It is Fundy National Park, 37 km off.
What is the largest protected area near Moncton?
Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 22): 285,278 ha, a nature reserve.
Sources
Where Moncton’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).