Photo: Yergoneby · CC BY-SA 4.0Dungeon Provincial Park reaches the edge of Bonavista
For a national park, Terra Nova National Park is 40 km away. Swimmers have 5 beaches within 5 km, Sandy Cove the nearest. For walks, the Bonavista Rail Line runs within 2 km.
The outdoors in Bonavista, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
For someone who likes to get outside, Bonavista’s draw is a provincial park at its edge, with its beaches close behind.
Bonavista 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. Outdoors isn’t one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Bonavista sits 16th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,246 to 3,337 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Bonavista beats most towns its size for public protected areas; 17 of 39 do better. For protected land nearby, though, 24 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Jean-Port-Joli QC | 52% | 0.7% | 30 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Annapolis County, Subdivision D NS | 25% | 31% | 135 | 5 | 5 |
| 3 | Pictou NS | 24% | 0.5% | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Division No. 19, Unorganized MB | 22% | 24% | 57 | 0 | 65 |
| 5 | Electoral Area A, Sunshine Coast BC | 16% | 11% | 27 | 0 | 37 |
| 6 | Dalhousie NB | 13% | 0.2% | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Inverness County, Subdivision C NS | 8.2% | 6.3% | 181 | 3 | 13 |
| 8 | Sheet Harbour NS | 7.7% | 7.8% | 124 | 2 | 17 |
| 9 | Saint-André-d'Argenteuil QC | 7.4% | 7.4% | 46 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Central Okanagan West BC | 6.7% | 5.4% | 49 | 1 | 35 |
| 11 | Enderby BC | 5.7% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Greeningdon ON | 5.4% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | Grande-Rivière QC | 4.9% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Hill Park ON | 4.9% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 3 |
| 15 | Pilot Butte SK | 3.8% | 0% | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| 16 | Hampton NB | 3.7% | 1% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | Rankin Inlet NU | 3.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Saint-Jean-Baptiste QC | 2.2% | 2% | 35 | 0 | 3 |
| 19 | Wellington AB | 2.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Normanhurst ON | 2% | 0% | 15 | 1 | 7 |
| 21 | North Algona Wilberforce ON | 1.8% | 4.6% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Mill Courtland Woodside Park ON | 1.8% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Point Road MB | 1.5% | 0.2% | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Canossa AB | 0.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Bonavista NL | 0.7% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 26 | Stoke QC | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 27 | Bulyea Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | Miller AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Hazeldean AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 30 | Saint-Christophe-d'Arthabaska QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes QC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Sainte-Clotilde QC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Virden MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Inuvik NT | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Hay River NT | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 36 | Arviat NU | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 72 |
| 37 | Beverly Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 38 | Eaux Claires AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Holyrood AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 40 | Westwood AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 1 |
The green map of Bonavista
The town’s parks, woods, protected land and paths as mapped.
A park is within a short walk for 3 in 10 in Bonavista
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.
Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%. For about 2,400 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Dungeon Provincial Park reaches Bonavista
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Governments or Indigenous nations hold all 2. The largest named one is Elliston Municipal PA, at 431 ha.
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.
Terra Nova National Park is 40 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.
Dungeon Provincial Park
Terra Nova National Park
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Paths to walk: 20 km in and around Bonavista
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 · km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 73% 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.
One mapped route to walk from Bonavista
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
The best months for walking in Bonavista: July and August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Lethbridge (68 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | -1 | -1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 103 | 102 | 94 | 98 | 96 | 86 | 100 | 98 | 122 | 129 | 112 | 121 |
June is the driest month at 86 mm; October the wettest at 129 mm. August is the warmest month, with highs around 20 °C; February the coldest, at -1 °C. The climate in Bonavista →
For a swim near Bonavista: Sandy Cove, 2.8 km off
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
4 more are mapped without a name. The shoreline runs 96 km within 5 km of town. For water quality, look to the local health unit: no open beach-testing data covers Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
6 viewpoints near Bonavista
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
6 viewpoints top the list.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 6
Plus 6 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 2
Nature reserves 1
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Plus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next to Bonavista
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. The nearest places to Bonavista with figures are 15–70 km away.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonavista | 0.7% | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Trinity Bay North 15 km | 0.7% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Division No. 7, Subdivision E 64 km | 30% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| New-Wes-Valley 65 km | 0.3% | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Centreville-Wareham-Trinity 69 km | 1.7% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Glovertown 70 km | 13% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Around Division No. 7, Subdivision E, Centreville-Wareham-Trinity and Glovertown the protected share is at least double. For walking routes, New-Wes-Valley leads the area with 3.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
Questions about the outdoors in Bonavista
Is there protected land near Bonavista?
Protected areas cover 0.7% of the land within 10 km.
What walking routes are near Bonavista?
OpenStreetMap maps the Bonavista Rail Line close by.
Where can you swim near Bonavista?
Try Sandy Cove, 2.8 km from town, first of several.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Bonavista?
Dungeon Provincial Park, which reaches the edge of town.
When is the best time for walking in Bonavista?
On the normals, July and August: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
How far is Bonavista from a national park?
The nearest is Terra Nova National Park, 40 km away.
What is the largest protected area near Bonavista?
Elliston Municipal PA: 431 ha, a protected area.
Sources for this page on Bonavista
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).