First pick
Dalem Lake Provincial Park
Park or garden
51 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
30 km north-eastfrom the centre
Dalem Lake Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Ross Dunn - Thanks for 13 million + views · CC BY-SA 2.012%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Victoria County, Subdivision B · parks, protected land & trails
Protected land around Victoria County, Subdivision B beats nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
Within 10 km are 244 protected areas. A drive of 21 km reaches Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the nearest national park. For a swim, Bens Beach is the nearest of 21 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land
12%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
244
within 10 km, 196 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
21 km
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Barra Forest and MacNeils Vale Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
21
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where Victoria County, Subdivision B stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round12% of the land within 10 km, more than 89% of Canadian townsMany protected areas196 public areas within 10 kmBeaches21 beaches within 5 kmOn a national routeThe International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia) passes within 2 km
Above all, Victoria County, Subdivision B offers protected land around it, with the number of public protected areas close by close behind.
Against other towns
How Victoria County, Subdivision B compares with 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km12%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town17%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas196Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches21Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Victoria County, Subdivision B has the 8th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,188 to 4,328 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
Victoria County, Subdivision B12%
Towns its size2.8%
Towns in Nova Scotia8.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Victoria County, Subdivision B196
Towns its size6
Towns in Nova Scotia24
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Victoria County, Subdivision B1
Towns its size0
Towns in Nova Scotia2
Typical Canadian town0
For public protected areas, Victoria County, Subdivision B tops all 39 other towns its size.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Pocatière QC | 35% | 0.2% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay BC | 26% | 31% | 24 | 2 | 14 |
| 3 | Anderson Walk BC | 23% | 8.2% | 180 | 8 | 4 |
| 4 | Electoral Area F, Central Kootenay BC | 22% | 2.9% | 13 | 2 | 12 |
| 5 | Oka QC | 20% | 26% | 53 | 0 | 12 |
| 6 | Electoral Area E, Cariboo BC | 16% | 17% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Beaupré QC | 16% | 1.2% | 26 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Victoria County, Subdivision B NS | 12% | 17% | 244 | 1 | 21 |
| 9 | Westphal NS | 12% | 0.5% | 14 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Invermere BC | 10% | 13% | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | Red Lake ON | 10% | 1.1% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Sunrise Estates BC | 5.8% | 3.1% | 152 | 5 | 0 |
| 13 | Bruleville ON | 4.9% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Grand Forks BC | 4.5% | 0.9% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Port Hardy BC | 4.1% | 2.2% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Simonds NB | 3.9% | 12% | 12 | 0 | 17 |
| 17 | Electoral Area E, Sunshine Coast BC | 3.4% | 5.1% | 34 | 0 | 48 |
| 18 | Downtown SK | 3.2% | 39% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 19 | Stellarton NS | 3.1% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Ormstown QC | 2.9% | 1.6% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 | Richmond County, Subdivision A NS | 2.7% | 1.4% | 149 | 0 | 27 |
| 22 | Bartonville ON | 2.5% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 4 |
| 23 | Templemead ON | 2.3% | 0% | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | Central Park MB | 1.6% | 0% | 20 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | Eganville ON | 1.5% | 0.4% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Vermilion AB | 1.5% | 9.3% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Lantzville BC | 1.5% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 8 |
| 28 | St. George MB | 1.5% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Calder AB | 1.4% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Tuxedo MB | 1.3% | 20% | 24 | 1 | 27 |
| 31 | Métabetchouan--Lac-à-la-Croix QC | 1% | 1% | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 32 | Fraipont MB | 0.7% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Discovery Ridge AB | 0.5% | 32% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | Jackson Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 35 | East Angus QC | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | Crabtree QC | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Saint-Ambroise QC | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Claresholm AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Mayliewan AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Ozerna AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Victoria County, Subdivision B on the map: green space, protected land and paths
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
3 named parks and woods to walk in near Victoria County, Subdivision B
The biggest is Dalem Lake Provincial Park, 51 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
St. Anne's Provincial Park
Park or garden
4.7 ha
16 km north-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
A park is within a short walk for 1 in 10 in Victoria County, Subdivision B
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 (7.2%)Further (93%)
Victoria County, Subdivision B7.2%
Towns in Nova Scotia18%
Typical Canadian town83%
For comparison, the typical Canadian town has 83%. For about 4,000 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
The 244 protected areas near Victoria County, Subdivision B
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Victoria County, Subdivision B17%
Within 10 km12%
Towns in Nova Scotia8.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 196 of the 244. Middle River Wilderness Area is the biggest, 5,618 ha. Another 27 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Middle River Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 5,618 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
North River Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 3,987 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
Humes River Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 3,625 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
Trout Brook Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 2,861 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
Baddeck River Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 2,778 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
Kluscap Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 2,777 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
North River Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 979 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
Barra Forest and MacNeils Vale Provincial ParkProvincial park · 733 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
Seven Falls Nature ReserveNature reserve · 693 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
Middle River Wilderness AreaNature reserve · 661 ha · reaches Victoria County, Subdivision B
3 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
21 km to Cape Breton Highlands National Park
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
Barra Forest and MacNeils Vale Provincial Park
At the edge7.3 km²since 2020
National park
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
21 km north948 km²since 1936
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
53 km of paths in and around Victoria County, Subdivision B
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
53 km
in and around the town (1,599.7 km²)
Woodland
62%
about 986.1 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Victoria County, Subdivision BTowns in Nova ScotiaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Victoria County, Subdivision BTowns in Nova ScotiaTypical Canadian town
Woodland62%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 94% of Canadian towns. For woods, it beats 88% 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
The International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia) runs past Victoria County, Subdivision B
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
National
International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia)495.5 km
The International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia) is 496 km long on the map, and 45.2 km of it lies within 2 km of town.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Walking season in Victoria County, Subdivision B: June to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Sydney, 55 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | -1 | -1 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 13 | 8 | 3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 139 | 131 | 121 | 120 | 99 | 101 | 87 | 99 | 118 | 147 | 149 | 170 |
The warmest days come in July (23 °C highs), the coldest in February (-1 °C). The wettest month, December, brings 170 mm, against 87 mm in July. The climate in Victoria County, Subdivision B →
Beaches
Victoria County, Subdivision B has 21 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Bens Beachin town
DirectionsBig Grappling Beachin town
DirectionsGillis Beachin town
DirectionsGooseberry Beachin town
DirectionsLittle Grappling Beachin town
DirectionsSandy Beachin town
DirectionsWeed Pond Beachin town
DirectionsMcNeil Beach0.1 km from town
DirectionsSt. Anns Beach0.8 km from town
DirectionsRaymonds Beach1.6 km from town
DirectionsWithin 5 km is 652 km of coastline. Add 7 unnamed beaches to the count. 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
Viewpoints and waterfalls near Victoria County, Subdivision B: 7 and 4
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The highest named peak nearby is Kelly's Mountain, at 240 m. There are 26 hills and peaks, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 7
Powerline Road Outlookin town
DirectionsView form Taop of the Rock0.7 km from town
DirectionsLake View0.9 km from town
DirectionsPlus 4 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 26
Bald Mountainin town
DirectionsBeinn Bhreaghin town
DirectionsBeinn Scalpiein town
DirectionsBig Hillin town
DirectionsBras d'Or Lookoffin town
DirectionsCains Mountainin town
DirectionsCape Dauphin Mountainin town
DirectionsCrowdis Mountainin town
DirectionsPlus 18 hills and peaks more.
Waterfalls 4
Gerlock Fallsin town
DirectionsUisge Ban Fallsin town
DirectionsPlus 2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 6
Dalem Lake Provincial Parkin town
DirectionsMiddle River Wilderness Areain town
DirectionsSeven Falls Nature Reservein town
DirectionsWashabuck River Nature Reservein town
DirectionsSpectacle Island Game Sanctuary0.3 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve more.
Picnic sites 8
Plus 8 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 6
Adventures East Campgroundin town
DirectionsBaddeck Cabot Trail Campgroundin town
DirectionsBras d'Or Lakes Campgroundin town
DirectionsNorth Sydney / Cabot Trail KOAin town
DirectionsPlus 2 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 6
Plus 6 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Victoria County, Subdivision B
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 21–45 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Victoria County, Subdivision B.
Eskasoni 3Membertou 28BCape BretonVictoria County, Subdivision B
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria County, Subdivision B | 12% | 244 | 1 | 21 |
| Eskasoni 3 21 km | 2.1% | 27 | 0 | 1 |
| Membertou 28B 43 km | 0.7% | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| Cape Breton 45 km | 8.2% | 176 | 1 | 74 |
No place nearby has double Victoria County, Subdivision B’s share of protected land.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. National parks are Parks Canada’s; provincial parks are the province’s or territory’s, Québec’s parcs nationaux among them.
- 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. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- 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. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
Questions about the outdoors in Victoria County, Subdivision B
Which is the biggest protected area near Victoria County, Subdivision B?
Middle River Wilderness Area: 5,618 ha, a nature reserve.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Victoria County, Subdivision B?
June to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Is Victoria County, Subdivision B near a national park?
Cape Breton Highlands National Park, 21 km from the edge of town.
What is the nearest beach to Victoria County, Subdivision B?
The nearest is Bens Beach, in town.
What walking routes are near Victoria County, Subdivision B?
The International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia), mapped within 2 km.
What is the nearest provincial park to Victoria County, Subdivision B?
Barra Forest and MacNeils Vale Provincial Park, which reaches the edge of town.
Is there protected land near Victoria County, Subdivision B?
Protected areas cover 12% of the land within 10 km.
Sources
Where Victoria County, Subdivision B’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).