First pick
Shady Grove
Park or garden
124 ha16.9 km of path
3 h 45 minto walk all 16.9 km of path
5.0 km north-eastfrom the centre
Dam BeaverWho's There?Shady Grove+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.05.5%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Rothesay · parks, protected land & trails
The Trans Canada Trail (NB) runs by Rothesay
Swimmers have 37 beaches within 5 km, Renforth Beach the nearest. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 5.5% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. For a national park, Fundy National Park is 66 km away.
Protected land
5.5%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
9
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
66 km
Fundy National Park
Nearest provincial park
45 km
New River Beach Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
37
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
What sets Rothesay apart outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Out of doors, Rothesay leads with the Trans Canada Trail (NB), with its beaches close behind.
Against other towns
How Rothesay compares with 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. This page carries no grade, because Canada’s grading doesn’t cover the outdoors; the comparisons are the point.
Protected within 10 km5.5%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 areas3Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches37Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Rothesay has the 7th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (12,378 to 12,903 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
Rothesay5.5%
Towns its size2.2%
Towns in New Brunswick6%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Rothesay3
Towns its size4
Towns in New Brunswick7
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Rothesay1
Towns its size0
Towns in New Brunswick0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Rothesay does best for protected land nearby: 6 of the other 39 have more. On public protected areas it is behind: 22 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | View Royal BC | 21% | 45% | 35 | 3 | 20 |
| 2 | Orleans Village - Chateauneuf ON | 14% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Westboro ON | 13% | 5.5% | 32 | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | Bridlewood AB | 7.7% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine QC | 7.3% | 6.1% | 46 | 0 | 94 |
| 6 | Saltspring Island BC | 6.7% | 17% | 109 | 3 | 44 |
| 7 | Rothesay NB | 5.5% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 37 |
| 8 | Prince Rupert BC | 5.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Saint-Hippolyte QC | 4.2% | 6.9% | 21 | 2 | 5 |
| 10 | Highland Creek ON | 3.5% | 0.6% | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| 11 | Chaparral AB | 3.2% | 9.8% | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 12 | New Springbrook ON | 3.1% | 2.4% | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | Lakeview AB | 2.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Carignan QC | 2.7% | 2.1% | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Yonge-Eglinton ON | 2.6% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 16 | Grenet QC | 2.5% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Spring Valley ON | 2.4% | 8.4% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Regent Park ON | 2.3% | 0% | 10 | 8 | 40 |
| 19 | Bromont QC | 2.2% | 2% | 25 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 | Yonge-Bay Corridor ON | 2.2% | 0% | 11 | 9 | 38 |
| 21 | Dovercourt Village ON | 2.1% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 13 |
| 22 | Kings County, Subdivision B NS | 1.7% | 5.9% | 19 | 2 | 9 |
| 23 | Bayview Woods-Steeles ON | 1.7% | 17% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Forest Hill North ON | 1.5% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 25 | Brighton ON | 1.3% | 4.2% | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| 26 | Highland West ON | 1.3% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Winchester ON | 1.2% | 0.6% | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 | Meaford ON | 1.1% | 2.1% | 70 | 4 | 21 |
| 29 | Tyndall Park MB | 1.1% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Wellesley ON | 1% | 0% | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 31 | Windsor Park MB | 0.8% | 0.2% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Gander NL | 0.7% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 33 | Chalmers MB | 0.6% | 0% | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | Amos QC | 0.5% | 0.2% | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | Lac Ste. Anne County AB | 0.5% | 0.4% | 33 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Alderwood ON | 0.3% | 0% | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| 37 | Varsity AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 38 | Rutherford AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 39 | DT Hospital ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 40 | Downtown AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
The map
The green map of Rothesay
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
5 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Rothesay
Shady Grove is the largest, at 124 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
5 named parks and woods, 150 ha in all
Parks & gardens 142 haWoods 7.8 ha
Between them, Shady Grove and Bicentennial Park cover 92%.
Bicentennial Park
Park or garden
14 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
1.2 km south-eastfrom the centre
Bicentennial Loop
Directionsto a point inside
Rothesay Common
Park or garden
2.4 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
1.0 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Steele Kennedy Nature Park
Wood or forest
7.8 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Rothesay
Directionsto a point inside
East Riverside-Kinghurst Park
Park or garden
1.9 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
2.6 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
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
About 3 in 10 of Rothesay’s residents are a short walk from 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 (27%)Further (73%)
Rothesay27%
Towns in New Brunswick8.3%
Typical Canadian town83%
Around 9,200 residents are further than 400 m from a park. Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
Protected areas
Around Rothesay, protected areas make up 5.5%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Rothesay0%
Within 10 km5.5%
Towns in New Brunswick6%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
3 of the 9 are on public land. The largest named one is 4049700, at 280 ha. Another 6 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
4049700Nature reserve · 280 ha · 8.5 km from the edge of town
4040500Nature reserve · 98 ha · 9.1 km from the edge of town
4049800Nature reserve · 259 ha · 9.4 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
Fundy National Park is 66 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
New River Beach Provincial Park
45 km south-west3.0 km²since 1959
National park
Fundy National Park
66 km east206 km²since 1948
Nearer still is New River Beach Provincial Park, a provincial park 45 km away.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Rothesay has 56 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
56 km
in and around the town (71.8 km²)
Woodland
38%
about 27.5 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
RothesayTowns in New BrunswickTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.8
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
RothesayTowns in New BrunswickTypical Canadian town
Woodland38%
0%50%100%
61% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km². For woods, it beats 78% 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
Where to walk from Rothesay
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
National
Trans Canada Trail (NB)90.0 km
14.0 km of the Trans Canada Trail (NB) runs within 2 km of town; mapped end to end, it is 90 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 Rothesay: May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Saint John (11 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -3 | -2 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 116 | 92 | 107 | 100 | 94 | 87 | 90 | 73 | 109 | 138 | 138 | 128 |
The warmest days come in July (23 °C highs), the coldest in January (-3 °C). August is the driest month at 73 mm; November the wettest at 138 mm. Winter brings about 215 cm of snow. The climate in Rothesay →
Beaches
Rothesay has 37 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Renforth Beachin town
DirectionsJordan Miller Beachin town
DirectionsSandy Beachin town
DirectionsVances Beach2.5 km from town
DirectionsGondola Point4.2 km from town
DirectionsTurners Flats4.8 km from town
DirectionsUnnamed on the map: 31 more. Canada publishes no open register of beach water tests; the local public health unit posts swimming advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Rothesay: 5 viewpoints on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
There are 14 playgrounds, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Golden Grove Mountain0.8 km from town
DirectionsSlipways 4
Plus 4 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Rothesay
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
QuispamsisKingstonSaint JohnSimondsHamptonWestfieldRothesay
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rothesay | 5.5% | 9 | 1 | 37 |
| Quispamsis 4.2 km | 5% | 14 | 3 | 14 |
| Kingston 12 km | 1.7% | 31 | 3 | 52 |
| Saint John 13 km | 14% | 63 | 3 | 97 |
| Simonds 14 km | 3.9% | 12 | 0 | 17 |
| Hampton 15 km | 3.7% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| Westfield 16 km | 21% | 56 | 1 | 82 |
Around Saint John and Westfield the protected share is at least double. Quispamsis has the most mapped walking routes nearby: 3.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- Private land. Land owned by individuals, companies or conservation groups counts toward the figures but is never named: a person’s land isn’t a place to visit.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- Protected land. CPCAD maps each protected area; the page counts how much of the 10 km around the town they cover, lakes and sea included.
Questions about the outdoors in Rothesay
Are there protected areas near Rothesay?
Within 10 km, 5.5% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Rothesay?
4049700, a nature reserve of 280 ha.
Is there a beach near Rothesay?
The nearest is Renforth Beach, in town.
Are there hiking trails near Rothesay?
Try the Trans Canada Trail (NB).
Is there a provincial park near Rothesay?
New River Beach Provincial Park, 45 km away.
When is the best time for walking in Rothesay?
May to September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Is Rothesay near a national park?
Fundy National Park, 66 km from the edge of town.
Sources
Sources for this page on Rothesay
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).