First pick
Port Blake Conservation Area
Park or garden
7.3 ha
19 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Deconstructhis · Public domain1.5%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Exeter · parks, protected land & trails
Exeter is 1.2 km from Pinery Provincial Park
Swimmers have 5 beaches within 5 km, Grand Bend Public Beach the nearest. 8 protected areas lie within 10 km. No national park lies within 100 km.
Protected land
1.5%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
8
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
1.2 km
Pinery Provincial Park
Beaches
5
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Exeter 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. Outdoors isn’t graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
Protected within 10 km1.5%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0%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 routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches5Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Among 40 towns its size, Exeter is 13th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (10,545 to 11,059 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
Exeter1.5%
Towns its size2.5%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Exeter1
Towns its size8
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Exeter0
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Where Exeter trails its peers is public protected areas; 29 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ocean Park BC | 27% | 4% | 100 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | Liverpool NS | 24% | 21% | 230 | 5 | 56 |
| 3 | Timberlea NS | 19% | 30% | 22 | 12 | 7 |
| 4 | Hintonburg-Mechanicsville ON | 11% | 1.4% | 32 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Rothwell Heights - Beacon Hill North ON | 11% | 7.8% | 42 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Laval-Ouest QC | 11% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | Yellowhead County AB | 11% | 3.4% | 33 | 2 | 11 |
| 8 | Contrecoeur QC | 10% | 6.3% | 40 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Vieux Greenfield Park QC | 7.8% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 5 |
| 10 | Wendover ON | 6.7% | 4.4% | 58 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | Bassin-de-la-Lièvre QC | 6.2% | 20% | 54 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Montecito BC | 5.5% | 0% | 22 | 2 | 53 |
| 13 | Yarmouth NS | 4.7% | 4.9% | 79 | 0 | 15 |
| 14 | Birdland BC | 4.3% | 9.7% | 119 | 4 | 6 |
| 15 | Saint-Sacrement QC | 4% | 0% | 19 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 | Eastern Passage NS | 3.6% | 2.2% | 14 | 2 | 21 |
| 17 | Cathedraltown ON | 3% | 0% | 38 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Bendale South ON | 2.7% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | Shelburne ON | 2.6% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Grand River South ON | 2.5% | 16% | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Forest Hill South ON | 2.4% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | Dutrisac QC | 1.8% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | East London ON | 1.8% | 1.4% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Bois-des-Filion QC | 1.7% | 3.3% | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Westminster ON | 1.7% | 28% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | Victoria Hills ON | 1.6% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Alexandria ON | 1.5% | 0.4% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Exeter ON | 1.5% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| 29 | West St. Paul MB | 1.5% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Ponoka County AB | 0.5% | 0.2% | 36 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | Whitecourt AB | 0.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Weston-Pelham Park ON | 0.5% | 0% | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| 33 | Rundle AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | Temple AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Markland Wood ON | 0.2% | 0% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | Creditview ON | 0.2% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Walkerton ON | 0.1% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Lethbridge County AB | 0.1% | 0.2% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Morinville AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Hidden Valley AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Exeter
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 named parks and woods to walk in near Exeter
Largest first: Port Blake Conservation Area leads with 7.3 ha. Numbers match the map.
4 named parks and woods, 9 ha in all
Parks & gardens 9.3 ha
88% of the area is in just two places: Port Blake Conservation Area and Gulens Memorial Park.
MacNaughton Park
Park or garden
0.4 ha0.3 km of path
4.0 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
About 2 in 10 of Exeter’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 (23%)Further (77%)
Exeter23%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%. That leaves about 8,300 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 1.5% of the land near Exeter
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Exeter0%
Within 10 km1.5%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Governments hold 1 of the 8, and private owners the rest. 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.
Pinery Provincial ParkProvincial park · 2,532 ha · 1.2 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
Pinery Provincial Park is 1.2 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
Pinery Provincial Park
1.2 km west25 km²since 1957
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, Exeter has its province’s.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
20 km of paths in and around Exeter
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
20 km
in and around the town (564.6 km²)
Woodland
9.5%
about 53.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
ExeterTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
ExeterTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland9.5%
0%50%100%
It has fewer paths per km² than 94% of Canadian towns. More of it is wooded than in 51% 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
No named walking route passes Exeter on the map
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Nothing near the town is mapped as a named walking route, which often means the trails just haven’t been entered 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
The best months for walking in Exeter: May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Strathroy-Mullifarry (43 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 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°C) | -2 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 81 | 62 | 66 | 88 | 84 | 86 | 78 | 81 | 88 | 84 | 90 | 79 |
A typical year sees 152 cm of snow. In July the typical high is 27 °C; in January, -2 °C. February is the driest month at 62 mm; November the wettest at 90 mm. The climate in Exeter →
Beaches
Beaches near Exeter: 5 within 5 km
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Grand Bend Public Beachsand · 0.1 km from town
DirectionsDog Beach3.3 km from town
Directions3 more are mapped without a name. 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.
Things to do
3 viewpoints near Exeter
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The map shows 6 playgrounds, ahead of the rest.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 3
Plus 3 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Merrison Dam Conservation Areain town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 6
Plus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Plus 1 campsite 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 Exeter
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
BayfieldLucanExeter
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
Exeter holds its own on protected land: no neighbour has twice its share. Bayfield has the most mapped walking routes nearby: 2.
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. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- 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.
- Walking routes. A route counts when 300 m or more of it lies within 2 km of the town. Coverage of trails on OpenStreetMap varies by region.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
Questions about the outdoors in Exeter
When is the best time for walking in Exeter?
May to September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Exeter?
Pinery Provincial Park, 1.2 km away.
Where can you swim near Exeter?
Grand Bend Public Beach, 0.1 km from town, is the nearest mapped beach.
Is there protected land near Exeter?
Yes: 1.5% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the nearest national park to Exeter?
None within 100 km of Exeter.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Exeter?
It is Pinery Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 2,532 ha.
Sources
The sources behind Exeter’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).