Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Thorfinn Stainforth · CC BY-SA 3.0Swimmers have 22 beaches within 5 km, Black Rock Beach the nearest. For walks, 6 named routes run within 2 km, such as the Fleming Park Trail System and The McIntosh Run Community Trail. The largest is Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area: 8,626 ha, 8.9 km from the edge of town.
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
For someone who likes to get outside, South End’s draw is protected land around it, with its choice of walking routes close behind.
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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (21,533 to 22,511 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
For walking routes, South End sits near the top of its size group: 4 of 39 have more.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electoral Area A, Metro Vancouver BC | 26% | 34% | 203 | 11 | 269 |
| 2 | Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac QC | 19% | 0.1% | 28 | 0 | 7 |
| 3 | Mont-Bleu QC | 17% | 12% | 33 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Cornell ON | 12% | 16% | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | South End NS | 11% | 4.5% | 19 | 6 | 22 |
| 6 | Snowdon QC | 10% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | South Frontenac ON | 9.4% | 13% | 89 | 18 | 5 |
| 8 | Berczy Village ON | 9.3% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | Colchester County, Subdivision B NS | 9% | 4.9% | 84 | 10 | 5 |
| 10 | Rivière-des-Prairies QC | 8.8% | 8.6% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Petite-Bourgogne QC | 8.4% | 0% | 24 | 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Ile-des-Soeurs QC | 7.8% | 8% | 24 | 0 | 7 |
| 13 | Parcours-du-Cerf - Du Tremblay QC | 6.9% | 0% | 32 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Heights BC | 6.7% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 52 |
| 15 | Du College/Hodge QC | 6% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Old Barrhaven West ON | 6% | 0% | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | Cole Harbour NS | 4.4% | 6.9% | 22 | 2 | 17 |
| 18 | Sandalwood East (mountainash) ON | 4.3% | 11% | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Brentwood BC | 4% | 0% | 12 | 2 | 29 |
| 20 | Church-Wellesley ON | 2.3% | 0% | 11 | 9 | 20 |
| 21 | East End-Danforth ON | 2.2% | 0% | 13 | 3 | 24 |
| 22 | East L'Amoreaux ON | 2.2% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | L'Amoreaux West ON | 2.2% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Port Colborne ON | 2% | 2.1% | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| 25 | The Beaches ON | 1.9% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 44 |
| 26 | Carling ON | 1.7% | 3.5% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | Bedford Park-Nortown ON | 1.4% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | Sunningdale ON | 1.4% | 1.6% | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| 29 | South Parkdale ON | 1.3% | 0% | 10 | 4 | 22 |
| 30 | Joliette QC | 1.2% | 0.8% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Red Deer County AB | 1.1% | 1.1% | 76 | 1 | 60 |
| 32 | Kingsview Village-The Westway ON | 0.9% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Binbrook ON | 0.9% | 0.2% | 22 | 2 | 1 |
| 34 | Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview ON | 0.7% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | High Park North ON | 0.6% | 0% | 10 | 4 | 15 |
| 36 | Middlesex Centre ON | 0.5% | 0.5% | 22 | 5 | 0 |
| 37 | Rockcliffe-Smythe ON | 0.3% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| 38 | Lakeview ON | 0.2% | 0.8% | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 39 | Steinbach MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Riverside ON | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the neighbourhood; tap a number for its park or wood.
Largest first: Long Lake Provincial Park leads with 1,921 ha. Numbers match the map.
Most of it sits in Long Lake Provincial Park and Shaw Wilderness Park: 85% together.
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.
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.
That leaves about 1,000 people more than a short walk away. Against the typical Canadian town’s 83%, that is high.
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
11 of the 19 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area leads for size with 8,626 ha. The figures include 8 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
1 more named area within 10 km is in the comparison 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 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.
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, South End has its province’s. There are 4 provincial parks within 10 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
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).
For path density, it beats 69% of Canadian towns. Woods cover more of it than in 75% 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.
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
The Fleming Park Trail System is the big one locally: 4.5 km. 3 are short walks under 3 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Shearwater (7.8 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°C) | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 14 | 9 | 4 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 124 | 114 | 120 | 108 | 115 | 107 | 95 | 94 | 107 | 141 | 135 | 156 |
The yearly snowfall is near 215 cm. From 0 °C in January to 23 °C in August: that is the range of daytime highs. December is the wettest month (156 mm) and August the driest (94 mm). The climate in South End →
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Within 5 km is 96 km of coastline. The map adds 12 unnamed stretches of beach. Canada publishes no open register of beach water tests; the local public health unit posts swimming advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Top of the list: playgrounds, 73 of them.
Plus 12 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Plus 4 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Plus 65 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Plus 7 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Within the town: one of them. Among them are 2 National Historic Sites. The earliest of the lot is Fernwood (1860).
Sources: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, and Wikidata (CC0), as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic places from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places and Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South End | 11% | 19 | 6 | 22 |
| Westmount 2.4 km | 11% | 16 | 6 | 18 |
| Schmidtville 2.8 km | 5.9% | 16 | 4 | 18 |
| North End 3.8 km | 7% | 14 | 5 | 18 |
| Windsor Park 4.6 km | 7.6% | 18 | 4 | 17 |
| Fairview 4.9 km | 14% | 16 | 4 | 13 |
| Mount Royale 5.3 km | 15% | 18 | 5 | 14 |
Next door, protected shares stay within twice South End’s.
Yes: 11% of the land within 10 km is protected.
The Fleming Park Trail System, The McIntosh Run Community Trail and North Loop, among the routes mapped within 2 km.
The nearest is Black Rock Beach, in town.
No national park lies within 100 km of South End.
Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area: 8,626 ha, a nature reserve.
June to September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Long Lake Provincial Park touches the town.
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.
Gardens: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden) and Wikidata gardens within 15 km, as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic gardens and parks from Canada’s heritage registers (Parks Canada DFHD, the Canadian Register of Historic Places, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel).
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).