First pick
Dickey Park
Park or garden
4.4 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
0.8 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Azure /Mark Seymour · CC BY-SA 3.08.7%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Amherst · parks, protected land & trails
More of the land around Amherst is protected than around 8 in 10 Canadian towns
The 10 km around town hold 49 protected areas. The largest named area nearby is Chignecto Isthmus Wilderness Area, 2,785 ha, 5.3 km away. Fundy National Park is the closest national park, 58 km from town.
Protected land
8.7%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
49
within 10 km, 15 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
58 km
Fundy National Park
Nearest provincial park
25 km
Amherst Shore Provincial Park
Against other towns
Each figure for Amherst, 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. 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 km8.7%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.2%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas15Areas 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, Amherst ranks 6th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (9,922 to 10,218 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
Amherst8.7%
Towns its size1.2%
Towns in Nova Scotia8.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Amherst15
Towns its size3
Towns in Nova Scotia24
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Amherst0
Towns its size0
Towns in Nova Scotia2
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, Amherst’s strong point is protected land nearby, where 5 of 39 top it.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury QC | 21% | 24% | 17 | 14 | 0 |
| 2 | Kitimat BC | 20% | 6.6% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Hatchet Lake NS | 14% | 36% | 53 | 4 | 23 |
| 4 | Lac-des-Fées QC | 14% | 33% | 32 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Du Parc QC | 14% | 32% | 38 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Amherst NS | 8.7% | 0.2% | 49 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Leeds and the Thousand Islands ON | 5.8% | 8.6% | 44 | 1 | 10 |
| 8 | Notre-Dame-de-Grâces QC | 5.8% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Portland Estates NS | 4.5% | 0% | 19 | 4 | 18 |
| 10 | Argyle North SK | 4.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | The Valleys of Thornhill ON | 3.8% | 12% | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Mount Pleasant North ON | 3.8% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Acadia AB | 3.8% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Mono ON | 3.7% | 6.4% | 56 | 7 | 1 |
| 15 | Van Kirk ON | 3.2% | 0% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Laurentian Hills ON | 1.8% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Saint-Félicien QC | 1.6% | 0.5% | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Blind Bay BC | 1.6% | 1.5% | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| 19 | Ladysmith BC | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | Vincent ON | 1.3% | 3.1% | 14 | 4 | 7 |
| 21 | Lac-Saint-Charles QC | 1% | 1.6% | 21 | 1 | 4 |
| 22 | Hinton AB | 0.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Caledonia-Fairbank ON | 0.9% | 0% | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 24 | Citadel AB | 0.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 25 | Beckwith ON | 0.8% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Glenbrook AB | 0.7% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Malahide ON | 0.5% | 0% | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| 28 | Stanley MB | 0.5% | 0.8% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 29 | Maple Leaf ON | 0.5% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Temiskaming Shores ON | 0.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Runnymede-Bloor West Village ON | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 32 | Falconridge AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Penbrooke Meadows AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Pineridge AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | River Valley Oleskiw AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 36 | Mitchell ON | 0.2% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Wheatland County AB | 0.2% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Bridgewater NS | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Palmerston ON | 0% | 0.2% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Taber AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Amherst
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
8 named parks and woods to walk in near Amherst
The biggest is Dickey Park, 4.4 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
8 named parks and woods, 10 ha in all
Parks & gardens 10 ha
Most of it sits in Dickey Park and Amherst Rotary Park: 58% together.
Amherst Rotary Park
Park or garden
1.7 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
0.8 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Curry Park
Park or garden
0.9 ha0.3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Amherst
Directionsto a point inside
Strawberry Fields
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.3 km of path
1.4 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Victoria Square
Park or garden
0.3 ha0.2 km of path
0.9 km north-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 9 in 10 of Amherst’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 (87%)Further (13%)
Amherst87%
Towns in Nova Scotia18%
Typical Canadian town83%
About 1,300 residents live further than 400 m from one. Against the typical Canadian town’s 83%, that is high.
Protected areas
The 49 protected areas near Amherst
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Amherst0.2%
Within 10 km8.7%
Towns in Nova Scotia8.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of the 49, 15 are public land; the others are privately held. The largest named one is Chignecto Isthmus Wilderness Area, at 2,785 ha. 28 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
Amherst Point Migratory Bird SanctuaryWildlife area · 453 ha · reaches Amherst
Chignecto National Wildlife AreaWildlife area · 432 ha · reaches Amherst
John Lusby Marsh National Wildlife AreaWildlife area · 550 ha · 1.0 km from the edge of town
Old Growth Forest LandsNature reserve · 12 ha · 4.3 km from the edge of town
Old Growth Forest LandsNature reserve · 8.1 ha · 5.0 km from the edge of town
Chignecto Isthmus Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 2,785 ha · 5.3 km from the edge of town
Old Growth Forest LandsNature reserve · 2.4 ha · 5.6 km from the edge of town
Old Growth Forest LandsNature reserve · 14 ha · 7.8 km from the edge of town
Old Growth Forest LandsNature reserve · 2.1 ha · 7.8 km from the edge of town
Old Growth Forest LandsNature reserve · 4.9 ha · 7.8 km from the edge of town
2 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
Fundy National Park is 58 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
Amherst Shore Provincial Park
25 km north-east2.6 km²since 2000
National park
Fundy National Park
58 km west206 km²since 1948
Closer to home, Amherst Shore Provincial Park is 25 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
14 km of paths in and around Amherst
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 (31.2 km²)
Woodland
20%
about 6.1 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
AmherstTowns in Nova ScotiaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.5
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AmherstTowns in Nova ScotiaTypical Canadian town
Woodland20%
0%50%100%
More of it is wooded than in 67% of Canadian towns. For path density, 67% 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
No named walking route passes Amherst 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.
The map shows no named route near the town. 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
The best months for walking in Amherst: May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Nappan (7.6 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 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -2 | -1 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 102 | 80 | 91 | 93 | 84 | 96 | 81 | 83 | 109 | 115 | 114 | 114 |
July is the warmest month, with highs around 24 °C; January the coldest, at -2 °C. October is the wettest month (115 mm) and February the driest (80 mm). Expect around 310 cm of snow over a winter. The climate in Amherst →
Things to do
Outdoors around Amherst: 4 places to go
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: 3 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Campsites 1
Loch Lomond0.4 km from town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Amherst
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Cumberland County, Subdivision CSackvilleSackvilleAmherst
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | 8.7% | 49 | 0 | 0 |
| Cumberland County, Subdivision C 9.1 km | 20% | 133 | 0 | 9 |
| Sackville 15 km | 6.5% | 85 | 0 | 0 |
| Sackville 18 km | 6.3% | 147 | 0 | 4 |
Around Cumberland County, Subdivision C the protected share is at least double.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- 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. 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 Amherst
How far is the nearest provincial park from Amherst?
Amherst Shore Provincial Park, 25 km from the edge of town.
When is the best time for walking in Amherst?
May to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Is there protected land near Amherst?
Within 10 km, 8.7% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the nearest national park to Amherst?
Fundy National Park is closest, at 58 km.
Which is the biggest protected area near Amherst?
Chignecto Isthmus Wilderness Area: 2,785 ha, a nature reserve.
Sources
Where Amherst’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).