Photo: Brendanriley · CC BY-SA 3.0The International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia) runs by Antigonish
Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 24) (209,496 ha) is the biggest, 0.1 km from town. 9.7 km from town is Dunns Beach Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park. Protected areas cover 7.6% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%.
The outdoors in Antigonish, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
What Antigonish has most to offer outdoors is the International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia), with protected land around it close behind.
Antigonish 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. This page carries no grade, because Canada’s grading doesn’t cover the outdoors; the comparisons are the point.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Among 40 towns its size, Antigonish ranks 13th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (5,100 to 5,249 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
For protected land nearby, Antigonish 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 | Grand Bay-Westfield NB | 29% | 1% | 21 | 1 | 39 |
| 2 | Electoral Area A, Cowichan Valley BC | 23% | 0.9% | 58 | 4 | 24 |
| 3 | Electoral Area D, Peace River BC | 19% | 18% | 56 | 3 | 123 |
| 4 | Metchosin BC | 18% | 9.6% | 31 | 2 | 22 |
| 5 | Lake Echo NS | 16% | 33% | 25 | 2 | 5 |
| 6 | Montréal-Ouest QC | 16% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Inverness NS | 13% | 5.1% | 141 | 4 | 20 |
| 8 | Upper Tantallon NS | 13% | 19% | 157 | 3 | 12 |
| 9 | Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac QC | 11% | 1% | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| 10 | Saint-Denis-de-Brompton QC | 9.4% | 1.6% | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | Starlight Village NB | 9.2% | 3.1% | 23 | 0 | 11 |
| 12 | Montréal-Est QC | 7.7% | 0.4% | 38 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Antigonish NS | 7.6% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Trumpeter Area AB | 5.4% | 1.6% | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 15 | Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay BC | 4.5% | 7.4% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Heritage SK | 4% | 0% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | Rushdale ON | 3.9% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | Crown Point East ON | 3.1% | 0% | 23 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Centre Hastings ON | 2.5% | 1.4% | 30 | 2 | 3 |
| 20 | Coverdale NB | 1.9% | 4.4% | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Big Lakes County AB | 1.8% | 1.9% | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| 22 | Mt. Hope Huron Park ON | 1.5% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Earl Grey MB | 1.4% | 0% | 25 | 3 | 0 |
| 24 | Lord Roberts MB | 1.4% | 0% | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | West Alexander MB | 1.4% | 0% | 19 | 4 | 0 |
| 26 | Kneehill County AB | 1.3% | 1.1% | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Shaughnessy Park MB | 1.1% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Marystown NL | 0.6% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 29 | Bannerman AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Bearspaw AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | Ogilvie Ridge AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | Twin Brooks AB | 0.3% | 0.4% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 | Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover QC | 0.1% | 0.5% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | Edmonton Energy And Technology Park AB | 0.1% | 0.8% | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 35 | Queen Alexandra AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 36 | Ritchie AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 37 | Tweddle Place AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 38 | Carstairs AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Didsbury AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Rundle Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0 |
The green map of Antigonish
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
3 named parks and woods to walk in near Antigonish
The biggest is Columbus Field, 5.1 ha. Biggest first, 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.
6 in 10 people in Antigonish live near 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.
The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, above this. About 1,900 residents live further than 400 m from one.
7.6% of the land around Antigonish is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
All 10 are public land. Biggest of the named areas: Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 24), 209,496 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.
Dunns Beach Provincial Park, 9.7 km off
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.
Dunns Beach Provincial Park
For a national park, people in Antigonish travel more than 100 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Paths to walk: 7 km in and around Antigonish
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
For path density, 70% of Canadian towns do better. Woods cover more of it than in 59% 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.
Trails around Antigonish
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
The International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia) (496 km) keeps within 2 km of town for 7.1 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Antigonish is best on foot in May to August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Collegeville (16 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 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -1 | -1 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 81 | 83 | 83 | 60 | 78 | 86 | 80 | 96 | 106 | 134 | 130 | 105 |
About 162 cm of snow falls in a year. January brings highs of -1 °C, July highs of 25 °C. Rain and snow peak in October (134 mm) and ease in April (60 mm). The climate in Antigonish →
38 km of coastline lies within 5 km of Antigonish
The OpenStreetMap coastline within 5 km of the town’s edge; no beach is mapped there.
Source: OpenStreetMap coastline, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
4 things to do outdoors near Antigonish
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Campsites 1
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next to Antigonish
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigonish | 7.6% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Antigonish County, Subdivision A 3.7 km | 11% | 128 | 1 | 17 |
| Antigonish County, Subdivision B 18 km | 11% | 103 | 1 | 35 |
Next door, protected shares stay within twice Antigonish’s.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- 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 10 km band starts at the town’s outline, not its centre, so a large municipality reaches further than a small town.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
Questions about the outdoors in Antigonish
What is the biggest park or reserve near Antigonish?
It is Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 24), a nature reserve covering 209,496 ha.
When is the best time for walking in Antigonish?
May to August, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Is there a provincial park near Antigonish?
It is Dunns Beach Provincial Park, 9.7 km away.
How far is Antigonish from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Antigonish.
Are there protected areas near Antigonish?
Within 10 km, 7.6% of the land lies in protected areas.
Where can you walk near Antigonish?
Try the International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia).
Sources for this page on Antigonish
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).