First pick
Judd's Pool Provincial Park
Park or garden
78 ha
27 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Verne Equinox · CC BY-SA 3.08.3%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in St. Mary's · parks, protected land & trails
Protected land around St. Mary's beats 8 in 10 Canadian towns
Within 10 km are 351 protected areas. Within 5 km are 43 beaches; Gerrys Beach is the nearest. No national park lies within 100 km.
Protected land
8.3%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
351
within 10 km, 296 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
St. Marys River Provincial Park
Beaches
43
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where St. Mary's stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round8.3% of the land within 10 km, more than 82% of Canadian townsBeaches43 beaches within 5 kmMany protected areas296 public areas within 10 kmA provincial park at the edgeSt. Marys River Provincial Park reaches the town
For someone who likes to get outside, St. Mary's’ draw is protected land around it, with its beaches close behind.
Against other towns
St. Mary's 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. Outdoors isn’t graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
Protected within 10 km8.3%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town13%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas296Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches43Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
St. Mary's has the 5th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (2,212 to 2,587 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
St. Mary's8.3%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Nova Scotia8.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
St. Mary's296
Towns its size4
Towns in Nova Scotia24
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
St. Mary's0
Towns its size0
Towns in Nova Scotia2
Typical Canadian town0
None of the other 39 towns its size has more public protected areas than St. Mary's.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anmore BC | 22% | 47% | 16 | 5 | 98 |
| 2 | Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska QC | 19% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Gracefield QC | 19% | 19% | 34 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | East Preston NS | 16% | 6.3% | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | St. Mary's NS | 8.3% | 13% | 351 | 0 | 43 |
| 6 | Clearwater BC | 7.7% | 4.1% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Roberval QC | 6.1% | 1.2% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague QC | 5.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | North Frontenac ON | 5.7% | 5.2% | 13 | 6 | 4 |
| 10 | Cap-Chat QC | 5.3% | 0.4% | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| 11 | Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards ON | 4.4% | 1.5% | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Saint-Polycarpe QC | 4.2% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Macassa ON | 4.1% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Saint-Damien QC | 4% | 3.2% | 22 | 1 | 9 |
| 15 | Unity SK | 3.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Sherwood ON | 3.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | McNab SK | 2.6% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Mandeville QC | 2.5% | 1.8% | 19 | 4 | 7 |
| 19 | Esterhazy SK | 1.8% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | City Commercial Core ON | 1.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Caswell Hill SK | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | Fossambault-sur-le-Lac QC | 1.3% | 7.8% | 15 | 0 | 14 |
| 23 | Pembina MB | 1.1% | 1.8% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Burrows-Keewatin MB | 1% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Elmwood AB | 0.8% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 26 | Hatley QC | 0.7% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| 27 | Munroe West MB | 0.4% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Brooke-Alvinston ON | 0.3% | 0.2% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Rosedale AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Minchau AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Lunenburg NS | 0.1% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 5 |
| 32 | Salisbury NB | 0.1% | 2.1% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Dufferin MB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Ekota AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 35 | Satoo AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce QC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Magrath AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Nanton AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Rimbey AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Sexsmith AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in St. Mary's
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
2 named parks and woods to walk in near St. Mary's
Judd's Pool Provincial Park is the largest, at 78 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
Lochiel Lake Provincial Park
Park or garden
4.1 ha
29 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
Few people in St. Mary's 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.
Within 400 m (0%)Further (100%)
St. Mary's0%
Towns in Nova Scotia18%
Typical Canadian town83%
The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, above this. That leaves about 2,200 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
351 protected areas around St. Mary's
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside St. Mary's13%
Within 10 km8.3%
Towns in Nova Scotia8.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Governments hold 296 of the 351, and private owners the rest. Toadfish Lakes Wilderness Area leads for size with 6,320 ha. The figures include 29 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
Toadfish Lakes Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 6,320 ha · reaches St. Mary's
Boggy Lake Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 3,708 ha · reaches St. Mary's
Liscomb River Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 3,357 ha · reaches St. Mary's
St. Marys River Provincial ParkProvincial park · 3,216 ha · reaches St. Mary's
Liscomb River Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 2,962 ha · reaches St. Mary's
The Big Bog Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 2,708 ha · reaches St. Mary's
Eastern Shore Islands Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 1,842 ha · reaches St. Mary's
Boggy Lake Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 973 ha · reaches St. Mary's
Alder Ground Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 754 ha · reaches St. Mary's
Denis Lakes Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 488 ha · reaches St. Mary's
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
From the edge of St. Mary's, St. Marys River Provincial Park begins
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
St. Marys River Provincial Park
At the edge · west32 km²since 2020
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, St. Mary's has its province’s.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
198 km of paths in and around St. Mary's
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
198 km
in and around the town (2,440 km²)
Woodland
84%
about 2,043.5 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
St. Mary'sTowns in Nova ScotiaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
St. Mary'sTowns in Nova ScotiaTypical Canadian town
Woodland84%
0%50%100%
It is more wooded than 97% of Canadian towns. It has fewer paths per km² than 89% 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.
Walking routes
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near St. Mary's
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
There is no mapped walking route within 2 km of the town; a local trail club’s maps may show more.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
St. Mary's is best on foot in May to August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Collegeville (41 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 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| 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 |
Rain and snow peak in October (134 mm) and ease in April (60 mm). Daytime highs run from -1 °C in January up to 25 °C in July. Snowfall averages 162 cm a year. The climate in St. Mary's →
Beaches
43 beaches within 5 km of St. Mary's
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Gerrys Beachin town
DirectionsHaulover Beachin town
DirectionsMorris Beachin town
DirectionsPond Beachin town
DirectionsPort Hilford Beachin town
DirectionsThe Big Sandin town
DirectionsThe Fiddlerin town
DirectionsThe Gravel Barin town
DirectionsSuccess Breaker0.1 km from town
DirectionsThe Bar0.1 km from town
Directions31 further beaches go unnamed. Within 5 km is 469 km of coastline. No national or provincial register of beach water quality is published as open data, so check the local health unit before swimming.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
St. Mary's has 3 viewpoints and 3 waterfalls nearby
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Most numerous: hills and peaks (15).
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 3
Plus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 15
Arm Hillin town
DirectionsBackbone Hillin town
DirectionsBlackberry Hillin town
DirectionsCochrane Hillin town
DirectionsEagle Hillin town
DirectionsFence Hillin town
DirectionsFifth Lake Mountainin town
DirectionsForks Hillin town
DirectionsPlus 7 hills and peaks more.
Nature reserves 4
Alder Grounds Wilderness Areain town
DirectionsLiscomb River Wilderness Areain town
DirectionsMarie Joseph Provincial Parkin town
DirectionsThe Big Bog Wilderness Areain town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 5
Plus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 6
Nimrod's Campgroundin town
DirectionsRiverside Campgroundin town
DirectionsPlus 4 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to St. Mary's
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. Distances here run 45–69 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from St. Mary's.
GuysboroughAntigonish County, Subdivision BAntigonishAntigonish County, Subdivision APort HawkesburySt. Mary's
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's | 8.3% | 351 | 0 | 43 |
| Guysborough 45 km | 8.9% | 308 | 1 | 56 |
| Antigonish County, Subdivision B 54 km | 11% | 103 | 1 | 35 |
| Antigonish 56 km | 7.6% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Antigonish County, Subdivision A 57 km | 11% | 128 | 1 | 17 |
| Port Hawkesbury 69 km | 5.1% | 36 | 0 | 0 |
Around St. Mary's, nobody nearby has double its protected land.
How to read these numbers
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.
- Private land. Land owned by individuals, companies or conservation groups counts toward the figures but is never named: a person’s land isn’t a place to visit.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
Questions about the outdoors in St. Mary's
Is there a beach near St. Mary's?
Try Gerrys Beach, in town, first of several.
Are there protected areas near St. Mary's?
Within 10 km, 8.3% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the biggest park or reserve near St. Mary's?
It is Toadfish Lakes Wilderness Area, a nature reserve covering 6,320 ha.
How far is St. Mary's from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from St. Mary's.
When should you visit St. Mary's for the outdoors?
May to August: long days, mild highs and little rain.
How far is the nearest provincial park from St. Mary's?
St. Marys River Provincial Park begins at the town’s edge.
Sources
Where St. Mary'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).