First pick
Cobbs Pond
Park or garden
71 ha4.9 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 4.9 km of path
1.4 km north-westfrom the centre
Cobb's Pond TrailTony's Foote Path
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.00.7%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Gander · parks, protected land & trails
Within 49 km of Gander: Terra Nova National Park
For a provincial park, Jonathan's Pond Provincial Park lies 2.2 km off. Within 5 km lie 6 beaches, unnamed on the map. CPCAD lists 2 protected areas within 10 km.
Protected land
0.7%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
2
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
49 km
Terra Nova National Park
Nearest provincial park
2.2 km
Jonathan's Pond Provincial Park
Beaches
6
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Gander 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. 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 km0.7%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 areas1Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches6Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Gander sits 9th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (12,424 to 12,990 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
Gander0.7%
Towns its size2.3%
Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Gander1
Towns its size4
Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador1
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Gander0
Towns its size0
Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador0
Typical Canadian town0
For public protected areas, Gander lags towns its size: 32 of 39 are ahead.
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 | Westboro ON | 13% | 5.5% | 32 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | Centre-Ville QC | 11% | 22% | 40 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | North Saanich BC | 9.2% | 5.1% | 37 | 0 | 24 |
| 5 | Bridlewood AB | 7.7% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine QC | 7.3% | 6.1% | 46 | 0 | 94 |
| 7 | Saltspring Island BC | 6.7% | 17% | 109 | 3 | 44 |
| 8 | Rothesay NB | 5.5% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 37 |
| 9 | Prince Rupert BC | 5.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Saint-Hippolyte QC | 4.2% | 6.9% | 21 | 2 | 5 |
| 11 | Highland Creek ON | 3.5% | 0.6% | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| 12 | Chaparral AB | 3.2% | 9.8% | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 13 | New Springbrook ON | 3.1% | 2.4% | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Lakeview AB | 2.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 15 | Carignan QC | 2.7% | 2.1% | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Albert Park SK | 2.7% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | Yonge-Eglinton ON | 2.6% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 18 | Grenet QC | 2.5% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Spring Valley ON | 2.4% | 8.4% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Regent Park ON | 2.3% | 0% | 10 | 8 | 40 |
| 21 | Yonge-Bay Corridor ON | 2.2% | 0% | 11 | 9 | 38 |
| 22 | Erin ON | 2.1% | 0.2% | 48 | 6 | 1 |
| 23 | Kings County, Subdivision B NS | 1.7% | 5.9% | 19 | 2 | 9 |
| 24 | Forest ON | 1.7% | 6.7% | 9 | 2 | 18 |
| 25 | Bayview Woods-Steeles ON | 1.7% | 17% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Forest Hill North ON | 1.5% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 27 | Brighton ON | 1.3% | 4.2% | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| 28 | Highland West ON | 1.3% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Winchester ON | 1.2% | 0.6% | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| 30 | Meaford ON | 1.1% | 2.1% | 70 | 4 | 21 |
| 31 | Windsor Park MB | 0.8% | 0.2% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Gander NL | 0.7% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 33 | Amos QC | 0.5% | 0.2% | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | Lac Ste. Anne County AB | 0.5% | 0.4% | 33 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | Alderwood ON | 0.3% | 0% | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| 36 | Varsity AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 37 | Rutherford AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Sainte-Julienne QC | 0.2% | 1.7% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 39 | Downtown AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 40 | Thompson MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Gander
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
3 named parks and woods to walk in near Gander
Largest first: Cobbs Pond leads with 71 ha. Numbers match the map.
Gander Winter Park
Park or garden
12 ha0.3 km of path
1.8 km southfrom the centre
The Trail (to be named)
Directionsto a point inside
Silent Witnesses Memorial Park
Park or garden
1.2 ha
6.5 km south-eastfrom 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 5 in 10 of Gander’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 (49%)Further (51%)
Gander49%
Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador21%
Typical Canadian town83%
Around 6,500 residents are further than 400 m from a park. A median Canadian town manages 83%.
Protected areas
2 protected areas lie within 10 km of Gander
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Gander0%
Within 10 km0.7%
Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
1 of the 2 are on public land. One more area within 10 km is private land, held by a landowner or a conservation group: counted here, not named.
Jonathan's Pond Provincial ParkProvincial park · 343 ha · 2.2 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
Parks around Gander
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
Jonathan's Pond Provincial Park
2.2 km north3.4 km²
National park
Terra Nova National Park
49 km south-east400 km²since 1957
A provincial park is closer: Jonathan's Pond Provincial Park, at 2.2 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
105 km of paths in and around Gander
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
105 km
in and around the town (161.2 km²)
Woodland
1.4%
about 2.3 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
GanderTowns in Newfoundland and LabradorTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.7
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
GanderTowns in Newfoundland and LabradorTypical Canadian town
Woodland1.4%
0%50%100%
78% of Canadian towns are more wooded. 63% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km².
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 Gander 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.
No named route shows within 2 km of the town; volunteers map trails unevenly from one region to the next.
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 Gander in June to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Gander, 3.0 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | -3 | -3 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 103 | 91 | 105 | 92 | 94 | 89 | 105 | 102 | 115 | 120 | 110 | 121 |
For dry weather, June is best (89 mm); December gets 121 mm. July is the warmest month, with highs around 22 °C; January the coldest, at -3 °C. Expect around 443 cm of snow over a winter. The climate in Gander →
Beaches
6 beaches within 5 km of Gander, none named
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
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
12 things to do outdoors near Gander
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
5 playgrounds top the list.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 1
Thomas Howe Demonstration Forestin town
DirectionsPicnic sites 4
Plus 4 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Country Innin town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Gander
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 Gander with figures are 36–46 km away.
GamboLewisporteDivision No. 8, Subdivision LGander
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gander | 0.7% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Gambo 36 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lewisporte 45 km | 0.1% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Division No. 8, Subdivision L 46 km | 1.9% | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Division No. 8, Subdivision L has at least twice the protected share around it.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- 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.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
Questions about the outdoors in Gander
Is Gander near a national park?
The nearest is Terra Nova National Park, 49 km away.
What is the largest protected area near Gander?
Jonathan's Pond Provincial Park: 343 ha, a provincial park.
Where can you swim near Gander?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
Is there protected land near Gander?
Within 10 km, 0.7% of the land lies in protected areas.
When should you visit Gander for the outdoors?
June to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Gander?
The closest is Jonathan's Pond Provincial Park, at 2.2 km.
Sources
Where Gander’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).