First pick
Flower City Community Campus
Park or garden
26 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
1.4 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Sikander Iqbal · CC BY-SA 4.03.6%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Downtown · parks, protected land & trails
A national park 47 km from Downtown: Rouge National Urban Park
The closest provincial park is Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, 22 km from the edge of town. The Etobicoke Creek Trail is the one mapped walking route close by. Count 8 protected areas within 10 km of town.
Protected land
3.6%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
8
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
47 km
Rouge National Urban Park
Nearest provincial park
22 km
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Downtown 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 km3.6%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town2.8%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas1Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named 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
Downtown comes 16th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (15,338 to 16,036 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
Downtown3.6%
Towns its size2%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Downtown1
Towns its size7
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Downtown1
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Downtown does best for protected land nearby: 15 of the other 39 have more. It trails them for public protected areas, where 31 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Golfs QC | 17% | 18% | 40 | 4 | 13 |
| 2 | Mercier QC | 15% | 0% | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Gaspé QC | 13% | 21% | 41 | 13 | 51 |
| 4 | Ledbury-Heron Gate-Ridgemont ON | 12% | 0% | 34 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Lavaltrie QC | 9.9% | 0.3% | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Severn ON | 9.6% | 1.1% | 52 | 1 | 7 |
| 7 | Brookside - Briarbrook - Morgans Grant ON | 8.1% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Vieux-Longueuil QC | 6.4% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | Lougheed BC | 5.6% | 0% | 53 | 2 | 49 |
| 10 | Saint-François QC | 5.4% | 1% | 56 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Vieux-Moulin QC | 4.7% | 0.1% | 20 | 0 | 6 |
| 12 | Jésuites QC | 4.6% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 6 |
| 13 | Parksville BC | 4.4% | 13% | 24 | 0 | 11 |
| 14 | Saint-Louis QC | 4.3% | 0% | 15 | 2 | 4 |
| 15 | Vallée-de-la-Lièvre QC | 4.3% | 16% | 39 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Downtown ON | 3.6% | 2.8% | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | Lachute QC | 3.5% | 0.9% | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | François-Perrault QC | 2.6% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Vanier ON | 2.6% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | Trinity-Bellwoods ON | 2.1% | 0% | 11 | 7 | 24 |
| 21 | North Toronto ON | 1.9% | 0% | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | Little Portugal ON | 1.8% | 0% | 11 | 4 | 20 |
| 23 | Newtonbrook East ON | 1.8% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | East Willowdale ON | 1.7% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Parc-Jarry QC | 1.5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Comox BC | 1.4% | 2.6% | 45 | 0 | 2 |
| 27 | Lansing-Westgate ON | 1.3% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Loretteville QC | 1.1% | 0% | 21 | 1 | 2 |
| 29 | Pembroke ON | 1% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 30 | Kenora ON | 1% | 0% | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| 31 | Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines QC | 0.7% | 0.1% | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | Dorchester ON | 0.6% | 1% | 17 | 2 | 2 |
| 33 | High River AB | 0.6% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Corunna ON | 0.4% | 1% | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 35 | Thorncliffe AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Edenbridge-Humber Valley ON | 0.2% | 2.1% | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| 37 | South Windsor ON | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Sheridan ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 39 | East Riverside ON | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 40 | Edgemont AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
The map
Downtown on the map: green space, protected land and paths
The neighbourhood’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
Walk in Downtown: 30 named parks and woods
Flower City Community Campus is the largest, at 26 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
30 named parks and woods, 166 ha in all
Parks & gardens 158 haWoods 8.1 ha
Spread across many places, the largest holding 16%.
Chris Gibson Community Park
Park or garden
20 ha2.2 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.2 km of path
1.1 km westfrom the centre
Fletchers Creek Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Centennial Park
Park or garden
18 ha2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
0.9 km eastfrom the centre
Etobicoke Creek Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Ridgehill Park
Park or garden
16 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
2.0 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Duggan Park
Park or garden
13 ha1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
1.0 km northfrom the centre
Etobicoke Creek Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Fairglen Park
Park or garden · 310 m outside town
14 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1.5 km westfrom the centre
Fletchers Creek Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Calvert Park
Park or garden
8.5 ha1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
1.6 km north-westfrom the centre
Etobicoke Creek Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Old Fairgrounds Park
Park or garden
7.4 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
0.7 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks and green spaces
Flower City Community CampusPark or garden · 26 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsChris Gibson Community ParkPark or garden · 20 ha · 2.2 km of path
DirectionsCentennial ParkPark or garden · 18 ha · 2.7 km of path
DirectionsRidgehill ParkPark or garden · 16 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsDuggan ParkPark or garden · 13 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsFairglen ParkPark or garden · 14 ha · 1.1 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsCalvert ParkPark or garden · 8.5 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsOld Fairgrounds ParkPark or garden · 7.4 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsTara ParkPark or garden · 6.2 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsWoodview ParkPark or garden · 5.1 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsMeadowland ParkPark or garden · 4.9 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsRosalea ParkPark or garden · 2.2 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsGage ParkPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsCentral Public School Recreation and Art CentrePark or garden · 2.8 ha
DirectionsEnglish Street ParkPark or garden · 1.9 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsTalbot ParkPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsKen Whillans ParkPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsRoyce ParkWood or forest · 5.0 ha
DirectionsBeatty Fleming ParkPark or garden · 1.4 ha · just outside town
DirectionsNorth Fletchers Creek ParkWood or forest · 3.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsVodden ParkPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsKen Whillans SquarePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsJessie ParkPark or garden · 1.2 ha
DirectionsTreleaven ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsScott Street ParkettePark or garden · 0.8 ha
DirectionsSheridan ParkettePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsSalisbury Circle ParkettePark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.1 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsAlderleaPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsNanny McCredie ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsMcLoughlin ParkPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSource: 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 9 in 10 in Downtown
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 (91%)Further (9.1%)
Downtown91%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
Few do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%. For about 1,400 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 3.6% of the land near Downtown
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Downtown2.8%
Within 10 km3.6%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public bodies own 1 of the 8; land trusts and private owners hold the others. Another 7 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Brampton Natural Heritage SystemNature reserve · 1,126 ha · reaches Downtown
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
The parks within reach of Downtown
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
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
22 km north-west2.9 km²since 1985
National urban park
Rouge National Urban Park
47 km east46 km²since 2015
Closer to home, Forks of the Credit Provincial Park is 22 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
45 km of paths in and around Downtown
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
45 km
in and around the town (16.9 km²)
Woodland
2%
about 0.3 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
DowntownTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths2.7
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
DowntownTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland2%
0%50%100%
Woods cover less of it than in 75% of Canadian towns. Paths are denser here than in 67% 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
1 walking route near Downtown
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Local
Etobicoke Creek Trail37.3 km
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 Downtown: May and July to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Toronto Pearson (Airport), 11 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | -1 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 62 | 50 | 51 | 77 | 78 | 81 | 74 | 69 | 69 | 67 | 72 | 59 |
The yearly snowfall is near 115 cm. From -1 °C in January to 27 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. February is the driest month at 50 mm; June the wettest at 81 mm. The climate in Downtown →
Things to do
Near Downtown: 106 outdoor spots on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The map shows 105 playgrounds, ahead of the rest.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 105
Ravenscliffe Playground1.3 km from town
DirectionsBerisford Park playground1.4 km from town
DirectionsSplash pad1.6 km from town
DirectionsPlus 102 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Duggan Off Leash Dog Park0.1 km from town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Downtown
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Northwood ParkPeel VillageRidgehill / Armbro HeightsCentreRoyal OrchardFletchers WestDowntown
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown | 3.6% | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Northwood Park 2.0 km | 2.5% | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Peel Village 2.1 km | 3.8% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Ridgehill / Armbro Heights 2.2 km | 2.3% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Centre 2.2 km | 3.8% | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Royal Orchard 2.3 km | 3% | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Fletchers West 2.6 km | 2.2% | 7 | 1 | 0 |
Around Downtown, nobody nearby has double its protected land.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- 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.
- 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 Downtown
When is the best time for walking in Downtown?
May and July to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Downtown?
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, 22 km away.
Is Downtown near a national park?
Rouge National Urban Park, 47 km from the edge of town.
Are there protected areas near Downtown?
Yes: 3.6% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Are there hiking trails near Downtown?
The Etobicoke Creek Trail, mapped within 2 km.
What is the largest protected area near Downtown?
It is Brampton Natural Heritage System, a nature reserve covering 1,126 ha.
Sources
The sources behind Downtown’s outdoors figures
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).