First pick
Neustadt Community Park
Park or garden
5.6 ha
17 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Tabercil · CC BY 3.00.3%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Durham · parks, protected land & trails
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park, 17 km away, is the closest provincial park to Durham
Of the country within 10 km, 0.3% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%. OpenStreetMap shows 2 unnamed beaches within 5 km. For a national park, Georgian Bay Islands National Park is 85 km away.
Protected land
0.3%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
19
within 10 km, 7 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
85 km
Georgian Bay Islands National Park
Nearest provincial park
17 km
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park
Beaches
2
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Durham 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. There is no Outdoors grade for Canadian towns; the figures stand beside the country’s towns of 2,500+ without a letter.
Protected within 10 km0.3%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.2%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas7Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named 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
Durham sits 7th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (14,105 to 14,608 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
Durham0.3%
Towns its size2.6%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Durham7
Towns its size8
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Durham0
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Where Durham trails its peers is protected land nearby; 33 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gravenhurst ON | 18% | 24% | 27 | 4 | 7 |
| 2 | Kerrisdale BC | 18% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 33 |
| 3 | Convent Glen - Orleans Woods ON | 13% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Chapel Hill South ON | 12% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Bayshore ON | 11% | 0% | 23 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Matane QC | 11% | 0.1% | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| 7 | La Crète AB | 11% | 7.9% | 9 | 0 | 112 |
| 8 | Mont-Laurier QC | 9.7% | 4.6% | 29 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Maricourt QC | 6.5% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Peace Village ON | 5.7% | 0.6% | 44 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Manor Park NS | 5.3% | 0% | 22 | 6 | 21 |
| 12 | Maizerets QC | 5.2% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | Vieux-Limoilou QC | 4.9% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 7 |
| 14 | Pointe-de-Sainte-Foy QC | 4.8% | 0% | 15 | 2 | 3 |
| 15 | Val-des-Monts QC | 4.4% | 2.6% | 55 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Saint-Amable QC | 4.3% | 0% | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Plateau QC | 4.1% | 0% | 18 | 2 | 4 |
| 18 | Bourg-Royal QC | 4.1% | 0.5% | 19 | 0 | 8 |
| 19 | Tiny ON | 3.9% | 7.9% | 23 | 0 | 61 |
| 20 | Long Sault ON | 2.6% | 2.5% | 14 | 0 | 9 |
| 21 | Louis-Hébert QC | 2.5% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Southcrest ON | 2.5% | 7.8% | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | South Glengarry ON | 2.3% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| 24 | Ridgehill / Armbro Heights ON | 2.3% | 9.7% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | Greenwood-Coxwell ON | 2.2% | 0% | 12 | 3 | 38 |
| 26 | Harbour Landing SK | 2.2% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | Prévost QC | 2.1% | 3.5% | 18 | 2 | 2 |
| 28 | Rosemère QC | 1.8% | 2.4% | 29 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Colchester County, Subdivision C NS | 1.7% | 1.8% | 125 | 5 | 1 |
| 30 | Hickory Woods ON | 1.6% | 0% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | Forest Heights ON | 1.6% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Pont-Viau QC | 1.3% | 0% | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Briar Hill-Belgravia ON | 1% | 0% | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| 34 | Durham ON | 0.3% | 0.2% | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | Junction Area ON | 0.3% | 0% | 8 | 4 | 10 |
| 36 | Warman SK | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Martindale AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Mount Forest ON | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Sandwich ON | 0.1% | 2.9% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Grand Falls-Windsor NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 2 |
The map
Durham 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
4 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Durham
The biggest is Neustadt Community Park, 5.6 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
4 named parks and woods, 12 ha in all
Parks & gardens 12 ha
Between them, Neustadt Community Park and Hanover Kinsmen Ball Park cover 74%.
Hanover Kinsmen Ball Park
Park or garden · 320 m outside town
3.6 ha
14 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Saugeen Valley Conservation Park
Park or garden
2.2 ha
1.8 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Markdale Rotary Park
Park or garden · 60 m outside town
1.1 ha
21 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
1 in 10 people in Durham 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 (7.7%)Further (92%)
Durham7.7%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town does better, at 83%. Around 13,200 residents are further than 400 m from a park.
Protected areas
Durham has 19 protected areas within 10 km
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Durham0.2%
Within 10 km0.3%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
On public land: 7 of the 19. The others are private conservation land. At 37 ha, Fawcett is the largest. Another 12 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
FawcettProtected area · 37 ha · 6.0 km from the edge of town
HarshmanProtected area · 25 ha · 6.5 km from the edge of town
Mills (Pollock)Protected area · 34 ha · 6.7 km from the edge of town
FreemanProtected area · 1.7 ha · 8.1 km from the edge of town
GutzmerProtected area · 20 ha · 8.2 km from the edge of town
White-CampbellProtected area · 16 ha · 8.3 km from the edge of town
Wilson, E.Protected area · 15 ha · 8.5 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
The nearest big park: Georgian Bay Islands National Park, 85 km away
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
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park
17 km north-east1.6 km²since 1985
National park
Georgian Bay Islands National Park
85 km north-east14 km²since 1930
A provincial park is closer: Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park, at 17 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Paths to walk: 34 km in and around Durham
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
34 km
in and around the town (1,072.8 km²)
Woodland
36%
about 387.4 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
DurhamTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
DurhamTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland36%
0%50%100%
For woods, it beats 77% of Canadian towns. 95% 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.
Walking routes
No mapped walking route near Durham
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
OpenStreetMap has no named walking route within 2 km of the town. Trails may exist without being mapped as routes.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Get out in Durham in May to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Mount Forest, 24 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 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | -3 | -3 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 13 | 6 | -1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 92 | 73 | 68 | 74 | 98 | 100 | 98 | 84 | 85 | 81 | 92 | 90 |
The warmest days come in July (25 °C highs), the coldest in January (-3 °C). Expect 100 mm in June, the wettest month, and 68 mm in March. The climate in Durham →
Beaches
2 beaches within 5 km of Durham, none named
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
No open data on beach water quality covers every province, so check with public health before a swim.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Durham: 41 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.
There are 18 campsites, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 1
Durham Conservation Areain town
DirectionsPicnic sites 3
Normanby Jr Farmers Parkin town
DirectionsPlus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 18
Plus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 18
Saugeen Cedars Family Campgroundin town
DirectionsPlus 17 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 Durham
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. No closer places have figures: these lie 15–29 km from Durham.
HanoverChatsworthWalkertonDundalkMildmayDurham
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | 0.3% | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| Hanover 15 km | 0.1% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Chatsworth 24 km | 0.6% | 45 | 1 | 1 |
| Walkerton 24 km | 0.1% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Dundalk 27 km | 0.1% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Mildmay 29 km | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
None of the places nearby has twice as much protected land around it as Durham.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- 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.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
Questions about the outdoors in Durham
Is there a provincial park near Durham?
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park, 17 km away.
Are there protected areas near Durham?
Within 10 km, 0.3% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the nearest beach to Durham?
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
What is the largest protected area near Durham?
Fawcett: 37 ha, a protected area.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Durham?
May to September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
What is the nearest national park to Durham?
Georgian Bay Islands National Park, 85 km from the edge of town.
Sources
The sources behind Durham’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).