First pick
Memorial Park
Park or garden
0.5 ha
1.0 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: P199 · Public domain1.3%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Brighton · parks, protected land & trails
Presqu'Ile Provincial Park begins where Brighton ends
For walks, 2 named routes run within 2 km, such as the Newcastle Trail and Oak Ridges Trail. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, none with a name. Thousand Islands National Park is the closest national park, 84 km from town.
Protected land
1.3%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
14
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
84 km
Thousand Islands National Park
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Presqu'Ile Provincial Park
Walking routes
2
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
2
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Brighton 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km1.3%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town4.2%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas3Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes2Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches2Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Brighton sits 14th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (12,639 to 13,177 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
Brighton1.3%
Towns its size2.3%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Brighton3
Towns its size4
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Brighton2
Towns its size1
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
For walking routes, Brighton sits near the top of its size group: 12 of 39 have more. For protected land nearby, though, 26 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | View Royal BC | 21% | 45% | 35 | 3 | 20 |
| 2 | Westboro ON | 13% | 5.5% | 32 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | Centre-Ville QC | 11% | 22% | 40 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | North Saanich BC | 9.2% | 5.1% | 37 | 0 | 24 |
| 5 | Quantztown ON | 8.5% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Windsor Park NS | 7.6% | 0% | 18 | 4 | 17 |
| 7 | Prince Rupert BC | 5.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Deerfield ON | 5.2% | 6.3% | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Madoc ON | 5.1% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | Carrville Corners ON | 4.1% | 0.5% | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Peel Village ON | 3.8% | 0.9% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Highland Creek ON | 3.5% | 0.6% | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| 13 | New Springbrook ON | 3.1% | 2.4% | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Lakeview AB | 2.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 15 | New Brighton AB | 2.9% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 16 | Stratford PE | 2.7% | 0.9% | 19 | 12 | 13 |
| 17 | Albert Park SK | 2.7% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 18 | Yonge-St.Clair ON | 2.5% | 0% | 14 | 3 | 4 |
| 19 | Ayr ON | 2.4% | 1.8% | 36 | 8 | 4 |
| 20 | Regent Park ON | 2.3% | 0% | 10 | 8 | 40 |
| 21 | Yonge-Bay Corridor ON | 2.2% | 0% | 11 | 9 | 38 |
| 22 | Erin ON | 2.1% | 0.2% | 48 | 6 | 1 |
| 23 | Palmerston-Little Italy ON | 2.1% | 0% | 11 | 6 | 17 |
| 24 | Kings County, Subdivision B NS | 1.7% | 5.9% | 19 | 2 | 9 |
| 25 | Rawdon QC | 1.7% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| 26 | Forest ON | 1.7% | 6.7% | 9 | 2 | 18 |
| 27 | Brighton ON | 1.3% | 4.2% | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| 28 | Winchester ON | 1.2% | 0.6% | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | Meaford ON | 1.1% | 2.1% | 70 | 4 | 21 |
| 30 | Kincardine ON | 1% | 0.9% | 7 | 0 | 19 |
| 31 | Dakota Crossing MB | 0.8% | 2.1% | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Gander NL | 0.7% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 33 | Amos QC | 0.5% | 0.2% | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | Lloydminster (Part) SK | 0.5% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Lac Ste. Anne County AB | 0.5% | 0.4% | 33 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Centre-Nord (Montréal-Nord) QC | 0.5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Rutherford AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Sainte-Julienne QC | 0.2% | 1.7% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 39 | Downtown AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 40 | Thompson MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Brighton
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
Walk in Brighton: 3 named parks and woods
Largest first: Memorial Park leads with 0.5 ha. Numbers match the map.
Hilda Montgomery Memorial Park
Park or garden
0.5 ha
3.1 km southfrom 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
About 3 in 10 of Brighton’s residents are a short walk from 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 (31%)Further (69%)
Brighton31%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 8,900 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. For comparison, the typical Canadian town has 83%.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 1.3% of the land near Brighton
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Brighton4.2%
Within 10 km1.3%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 3 of the 14. Presqu'Ile Provincial Park covers 982 ha, the most of any named area. The figures include 11 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
Presqu'Ile Provincial ParkProvincial park · 982 ha · reaches Brighton
Wellers Bay National Wildlife AreaWildlife area · 83 ha · 3.8 km from the edge of town
Ferris Provincial ParkProvincial park · 198 ha · 5.0 km from the edge of town
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
84 km to Thousand Islands 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
Presqu'Ile Provincial Park
At the edge9.8 km²since 1922
Provincial park
Ferris Provincial Park
5.0 km north2.0 km²since 1971
National park
Thousand Islands National Park
84 km east24 km²since 1904
Within 10 km are 2 provincial parks.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Brighton and its edge hold 64 km of footpath
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
64 km
in and around the town (331.2 km²)
Woodland
36%
about 119.1 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
BrightonTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BrightonTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland36%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 78% of Canadian towns. Woods cover more of it than in 77% 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
2 walking routes near Brighton
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
RegionalLocal
Oak Ridges Trail272.4 km
Newcastle Trail5.2 km
The Oak Ridges Trail is the big one locally: 272.4 km.
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 Brighton: May to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Trenton, 18 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | -2 | -1 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 14 | 7 | 1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 78 | 60 | 64 | 84 | 81 | 83 | 75 | 70 | 92 | 91 | 84 | 77 |
The wettest month, September, brings 92 mm, against 60 mm in February. The warmest days come in July (27 °C highs), the coldest in January (-2 °C). Winter brings about 155 cm of snow. The climate in Brighton →
Beaches
2 beaches within 5 km of Brighton, none named
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Water quality isn’t shown: there’s no open national record of beach tests. Local health authorities post advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Brighton: 4 viewpoints on the map
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: campsites, 10 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 4
Plus 4 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 1
The Bluffin town
DirectionsNature reserves 3
Brighton Provincial Wildlife Areain town
DirectionsGoodrich-Loomis Conservation Areain town
DirectionsProctor Park Conservation Areain town
DirectionsPicnic sites 7
Plus 7 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 10
Presqu'ile Park - Craigs Campgroundin town
DirectionsPresqu'ile Park - Elmvale Campgroundin town
DirectionsPresqu'ile Park - Hidden Valley Campgroundin town
DirectionsPresqu'ile Park - High Bluff Campgroundin town
DirectionsPresqu'ile Park - Maples Campgroundin town
DirectionsPresqu'ile Park - Pines Campgroundin town
DirectionsPresqu'ile Park - Riverside Campgroundin town
DirectionsPresqu'ile Park - Trails End Campgroundin town
DirectionsPlus 2 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Brighton
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
ColborneQuinte WestBrighton
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton | 1.3% | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| Colborne 12 km | 2.2% | 28 | 1 | 2 |
| Quinte West 17 km | 1.4% | 22 | 3 | 1 |
Brighton is not outdone two to one on protected land by any neighbour.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- Protected land. Protected here means in CPCAD, Canada’s official list: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and other conserved land, measured within 10 km of the town’s edge.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Brighton
Which is the biggest protected area near Brighton?
Presqu'Ile Provincial Park: 982 ha, a provincial park.
What is the nearest provincial park to Brighton?
Presqu'Ile Provincial Park begins at the town’s edge.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Brighton?
On the normals, May to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
Is there protected land near Brighton?
Protected areas cover 1.3% of the land within 10 km.
How far is Brighton from a national park?
It is Thousand Islands National Park, 84 km off.
Where can you walk near Brighton?
The Newcastle Trail and Oak Ridges Trail, among the routes mapped within 2 km.
Where can you swim near Brighton?
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
Sources
The sources behind Brighton’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).