Photo: P199 · Public domainMore of the land around Chalk River is protected than around 8 in 10 Canadian towns
CPCAD lists 29 protected areas within 10 km. Swimmers have 21 beaches within 5 km, Pine Point Beach the nearest. There is no national park within 100 km of the town.
Where Chalk River stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Chalk River’s best card is protected land around it, with the number of public protected areas close by close behind.
Chalk River against 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Chalk River comes 12th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,100 to 3,196 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Chalk River beats most towns its size for public protected areas; 3 of 39 do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trois-Pistoles QC | 44% | 0.9% | 20 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | Pincher Creek No. 9 AB | 32% | 30% | 74 | 11 | 43 |
| 3 | Electoral Area C (Part 1), Kitimat-Stikine BC | 21% | 17% | 36 | 0 | 84 |
| 4 | Saint-Alexis-des-Monts QC | 16% | 12% | 43 | 15 | 8 |
| 5 | Welcome Beach BC | 15% | 8.8% | 37 | 0 | 60 |
| 6 | Percé QC | 15% | 2.2% | 39 | 2 | 20 |
| 7 | Queensway Terrace North ON | 12% | 0% | 26 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | French River / Rivière des Français ON | 9.5% | 8.1% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré QC | 9.1% | 0.2% | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Roblin MB | 8.8% | 0.5% | 37 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Saint-David-de-Falardeau QC | 8.6% | 3.7% | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Chalk River ON | 8.2% | 1% | 29 | 0 | 21 |
| 13 | Beaumont QC | 7.7% | 0.1% | 42 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Kingsclear NB | 7.4% | 7.7% | 31 | 1 | 14 |
| 15 | Ainslie Wood East ON | 7.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| 16 | Gilbert ON | 7.2% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | Paspébiac QC | 6.5% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Electoral Area D, North Okanagan BC | 6.2% | 6.4% | 26 | 0 | 10 |
| 19 | Clear Hills AB | 5.4% | 5.4% | 31 | 0 | 115 |
| 20 | Clermont QC | 4.1% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Blakeley ON | 4.1% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| 22 | Cedar Hill ON | 1.9% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Garrison Woods AB | 1.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Lakeshore ON | 1.5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| 25 | Minburn County No. 27 AB | 1.2% | 0.9% | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Thorhild County AB | 1.2% | 1.9% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Brooklands MB | 1.1% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Mont-Saint-Grégoire QC | 0.9% | 0.8% | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Lower Mount Royal AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Ange-Gardien QC | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Adelaide-Metcalfe ON | 0.3% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Westgate AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Brookside AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 34 | Enniskillen ON | 0.2% | 0.3% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Valhalla MB | 0.2% | 0.6% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Bishop's Falls NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Saint-Liboire QC | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 38 | La Loche SK | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Houston BC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 40 | Crystallina Nera West AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Parks, woods and paths around Chalk River
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
Walk in Chalk River: 4 named parks and woods
Davis Island is the largest, at 13 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
Between them, Davis Island and Green Island cover 74%.
Green Island
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.
In Chalk River, parks are rarely a short walk away
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.
Around 3,100 residents are further than 400 m from a park. Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
29 protected areas around Chalk River
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
On public land: 26 of the 29. The others are private conservation land. Biggest of the named areas: Algonquin Provincial Park, 264,674 ha. 3 more areas within 10 km are private land, held by landowners or conservation groups: counted here, not named.
16 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.
Algonquin Provincial Park starts at the edge of Chalk River
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.
Algonquin Provincial Park
Ottawa River Provincial Park
Barron River Provincial Park
Driftwood Provincial Park
Canada’s national parks are all more than 100 km from Chalk River, so the parks here are provincial. Within 10 km are 4 provincial parks.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
136 km of paths in and around Chalk River
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 · km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
For woods, it beats 96% of Canadian towns. 80% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km².
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Chalk River
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
No named walking or hiking route is mapped near the town; local paths may simply not be on OpenStreetMap as routes.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
The best months for walking in Chalk River: May and July to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Petawawa, 16 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 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -4 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 13 | 5 | -2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 68 | 51 | 58 | 79 | 85 | 96 | 89 | 90 | 83 | 83 | 77 | 72 |
The warmest days come in July (26 °C highs), the coldest in January (-6 °C). February is the driest month at 51 mm; June the wettest at 96 mm. Winter brings about 199 cm of snow. The climate in Chalk River →
Chalk River has 21 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Another 19 have no name on the map. 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.
Near Chalk River: 8 viewpoints, 6 waterfalls
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Campsites lead the count with 29.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 4
Nature reserves 2
Picnic sites 1
Playgrounds 5
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 29
Plus 29 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 8
Plus 5 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next to Chalk River
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. The nearest places to Chalk River with figures are 8–37 km away.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chalk River | 8.2% | 29 | 0 | 21 |
| Deep River 7.7 km | 8.1% | 18 | 0 | 10 |
| Petawawa 23 km | 1.9% | 9 | 0 | 15 |
| Laurentian Valley 35 km | 2.4% | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| L'Isle-aux-Allumettes 36 km | 2.1% | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| Pembroke 37 km | 1% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
For protected land, no neighbour of Chalk River doubles its share.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. The 10 km band starts at the town’s outline, not its centre, so a large municipality reaches further than a small town.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
Questions about the outdoors in Chalk River
Is there protected land near Chalk River?
Yes: 8.2% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Which is the biggest protected area near Chalk River?
It is Algonquin Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 264,674 ha.
Is Chalk River near a national park?
No national park lies within 100 km of Chalk River.
Where can you swim near Chalk River?
Try Pine Point Beach, 1.5 km from town, first of several.
When should you visit Chalk River for the outdoors?
On the normals, May and July to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Chalk River?
Algonquin Provincial Park begins at the town’s edge.
Where Chalk River’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).