First pick
Erin Estate
Park or garden
7.4 ha0.3 km of path
12 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 4.02.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Erin · parks, protected land & trails
Walk from Erin: 5 mapped routes
A provincial park, Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, lies 2.7 km away. 48 protected areas lie within 10 km. For a national park, Rouge National Urban Park is 62 km away.
Protected land
2.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
48
within 10 km, 16 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
62 km
Rouge National Urban Park
Nearest provincial park
2.7 km
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
Walking routes
5
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Erin 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 km2.1%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 areas16Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes6Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches1Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Erin has the 18th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (12,661 to 13,184 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
Erin2.1%
Towns its size2.4%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Erin16
Towns its size4
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Erin6
Towns its size1
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Erin does best for walking routes: 4 of the other 39 have more.
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 | Saint-Jean-Vianney QC | 6.9% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | Prince Rupert BC | 5.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Deerfield ON | 5.2% | 6.3% | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Madoc ON | 5.1% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Carrville Corners ON | 4.1% | 0.5% | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Peel Village ON | 3.8% | 0.9% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Highland Creek ON | 3.5% | 0.6% | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| 14 | New Springbrook ON | 3.1% | 2.4% | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | Lakeview AB | 2.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 16 | New Brighton AB | 2.9% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 17 | Stratford PE | 2.7% | 0.9% | 19 | 12 | 13 |
| 18 | Albert Park SK | 2.7% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 19 | Yonge-St.Clair ON | 2.5% | 0% | 14 | 3 | 4 |
| 20 | Ayr ON | 2.4% | 1.8% | 36 | 8 | 4 |
| 21 | Regent Park ON | 2.3% | 0% | 10 | 8 | 40 |
| 22 | Yonge-Bay Corridor ON | 2.2% | 0% | 11 | 9 | 38 |
| 23 | Erin ON | 2.1% | 0.2% | 48 | 6 | 1 |
| 24 | Palmerston-Little Italy ON | 2.1% | 0% | 11 | 6 | 17 |
| 25 | Kings County, Subdivision B NS | 1.7% | 5.9% | 19 | 2 | 9 |
| 26 | Rawdon QC | 1.7% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| 27 | Forest ON | 1.7% | 6.7% | 9 | 2 | 18 |
| 28 | Brighton ON | 1.3% | 4.2% | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| 29 | Winchester ON | 1.2% | 0.6% | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| 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 | Centre-Nord (Montréal-Nord) QC | 0.5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Rutherford AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Sainte-Julienne QC | 0.2% | 1.7% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 38 | Huntington Hills AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Downtown AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 40 | Thompson MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Erin
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 Erin
Erin Estate is the largest, at 7.4 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
4 named parks and woods, 14 ha in all
Parks & gardens 10 haWoods 3.5 ha
Between them, Erin Estate and Forest for the Future cover 80%.
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 2 in 10 in Erin
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 (16%)Further (84%)
Erin16%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, above this. For about 10,900 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
2.1% of the country within 10 km of Erin is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Erin0.2%
Within 10 km2.1%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public bodies own 16 of the 48; land trusts and private owners hold the others. Biggest of the named areas: Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, 289 ha. Another 30 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
WilloughbyNature reserve · 38 ha · 2.5 km from the edge of town
Forks of the Credit Provincial ParkProvincial park · 289 ha · 2.7 km from the edge of town
Forks of the CreditNature reserve · 18 ha · 3.1 km from the edge of town
WeiserProtected area · 8.9 ha · 3.2 km from the edge of town
CooperProtected area · 37 ha · 4.2 km from the edge of town
SinclairProtected area · 13 ha · 4.4 km from the edge of town
HammerProtected area · 7.0 ha · 4.7 km from the edge of town
SpringleProtected area · 15 ha · 5.6 km from the edge of town
VictoriaNature reserve · 7.1 ha · 8.1 km from the edge of town
Amaranth North and South TractsNature reserve · 22 ha · 8.4 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
Rouge National Urban Park, 62 km off
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
2.7 km north-east2.9 km²since 1985
National urban park
Rouge National Urban Park
62 km east46 km²since 2015
Closer to home, Forks of the Credit Provincial Park is 2.7 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
Erin has 37 km of footpaths in and around it
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
37 km
in and around the town (388.1 km²)
Woodland
30%
about 114.7 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
ErinTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
ErinTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland30%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 86% of Canadian towns. For woods, it beats 73% 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
Walks near Erin
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
RegionalOther waymarked
Grand Valley Trail218.5 km
Bruce Trail - Toronto section side trails63.1 km
Bruce Trail - Toronto section50.4 km
Elora Cataract Trailway (hiking)48.8 km
Guelph Radial Line Trail38.1 km
For a longer outing, the Grand Valley Trail runs 218.5 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Erin is best on foot in May and July to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Toronto Pearson (Airport) (38 km), and daylight at the town’s latitude. Good months: 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15–30 °C, little 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) | -3 | -2 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 62 | 50 | 51 | 77 | 78 | 81 | 74 | 69 | 69 | 67 | 72 | 59 |
From -3 °C in January to 25 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. Rain and snow peak in June (81 mm) and ease in February (50 mm). The yearly snowfall is near 115 cm. The climate in Erin →
Beaches
A beach within 5 km of Erin
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
This page can’t show water quality: no open, Canada-wide record of beach testing exists. Check local advisories first.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Erin: one waterfall 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 17 playgrounds, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Waterfalls 1
Terra Cotta Falls1.0 km from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Benham Tract1.1 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 8
Plus 8 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 17
Plus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Blue Springs Scout Reserve1.4 km from town
DirectionsEverton Scout Camp1.7 km from town
DirectionsPlus 2 campsites without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Erin
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
East GarafraxaOrangevilleGeorgetownErin
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erin | 2.1% | 48 | 6 | 1 |
| East Garafraxa 15 km | 1.1% | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| Orangeville 17 km | 4.2% | 38 | 1 | 1 |
| Georgetown 18 km | 1.8% | 38 | 6 | 2 |
Orangeville has at least twice the protected share around it.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- 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 Erin
Where can you swim near Erin?
There is an unnamed beach within 5 km.
What walking routes are near Erin?
The Elora Cataract Trailway (hiking), Grand Valley Trail and Bruce Trail - Toronto section, among the routes mapped within 2 km.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Erin?
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, 2.7 km away.
Is there protected land near Erin?
Within 10 km, 2.1% of the land lies in protected areas.
How far is Erin from a national park?
Rouge National Urban Park, 62 km from the edge of town.
What is the largest protected area near Erin?
It is Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 289 ha.
When should you visit Erin 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.
Sources
Sources for this page on Erin
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).