First pick
Utter Park
Park or garden
2.1 ha0.2 km of path
11 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: bgilliard from St. Catharines, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.01.7%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Forest · parks, protected land & trails
Step out of Forest into Pinery Provincial Park
For a swim, Ipperwash Beach is the nearest of 18 beaches within 5 km. For walks, 2 named routes run within 2 km, such as the Ausable River Trail and Rock Glen CA. Within 10 km are 9 protected areas.
Protected land
1.7%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
9
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Pinery Provincial Park
Walking routes
2
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
18
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
What Forest has going for it outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Out of doors, Forest leads with a provincial park at its edge, with its beaches close behind.
Against other towns
Each figure for Forest, set against 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 one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
Protected within 10 km1.7%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town6.7%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 routes2Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches18Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Forest sits 14th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (12,707 to 13,221 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
Forest1.7%
Towns its size2.5%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Forest1
Towns its size4
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Forest2
Towns its size1
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, Forest’s strong point is walking routes, where 11 of 39 top it. For public protected areas, though, 31 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 | 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 | Springdale ON | 4.9% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Aloha Estates BC | 4.3% | 2% | 111 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | Carrville Corners ON | 4.1% | 0.5% | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Peel Village ON | 3.8% | 0.9% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | New Springbrook ON | 3.1% | 2.4% | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Lakeview AB | 2.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 17 | New Brighton AB | 2.9% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 18 | Stratford PE | 2.7% | 0.9% | 19 | 12 | 13 |
| 19 | Albert Park SK | 2.7% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 20 | Yonge-St.Clair ON | 2.5% | 0% | 14 | 3 | 4 |
| 21 | Ayr ON | 2.4% | 1.8% | 36 | 8 | 4 |
| 22 | Regent Park ON | 2.3% | 0% | 10 | 8 | 40 |
| 23 | Yonge-Bay Corridor ON | 2.2% | 0% | 11 | 9 | 38 |
| 24 | Erin ON | 2.1% | 0.2% | 48 | 6 | 1 |
| 25 | Palmerston-Little Italy ON | 2.1% | 0% | 11 | 6 | 17 |
| 26 | Rawdon QC | 1.7% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| 27 | Forest ON | 1.7% | 6.7% | 9 | 2 | 18 |
| 28 | Corso Italia-Davenport ON | 1.4% | 0% | 11 | 2 | 8 |
| 29 | Brighton ON | 1.3% | 4.2% | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| 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
The green map of Forest
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
Walk in Forest: 3 named parks and woods
Largest first: Utter Park leads with 2.1 ha. Numbers match the map.
Rotary International Park
Park or garden
0.4 ha0.3 km of path
14 km south-westfrom 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
2 in 10 people in Forest 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 (16%)Further (84%)
Forest16%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 10,900 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. In the typical Canadian town the share is 83%, higher than here.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 1.7% of the land near Forest
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Forest6.7%
Within 10 km1.7%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 1 of the 9. 8 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
Pinery Provincial ParkProvincial park · 2,532 ha · reaches Forest
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 meets Forest
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
At the edge25 km²since 1957
No national park lies within 100 km of Forest; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Forest and its edge hold 171 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
171 km
in and around the town (472.5 km²)
Woodland
20%
about 95.5 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
ForestTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.4
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
ForestTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland20%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 70% of Canadian towns. For woods, it beats 67% 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
Forest has 2 named walking routes
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Local
Ausable River Trail13.8 km
Rock Glen CA2.4 km
The Ausable River Trail is the big one locally: 13.8 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 Forest: May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Strathroy-Mullifarry (30 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 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 |
Most rain and snow falls in November, 90 mm; February sees 62 mm. In July the typical high is 27 °C; in January, -2 °C. A typical year sees 152 cm of snow. The climate in Forest →
Beaches
Forest has 18 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Ipperwash Beachsand · in town
DirectionsPort Franks Private Beachsand · in town
DirectionsDog Beachin town
DirectionsIpperwash Beachsand · in town
DirectionsGrand Bend Public Beachsand · 0.3 km from town
Directions4 are mapped as sand. 13 more are mapped without a name. Whether the water is fit for a swim isn’t in any open national dataset; public health posts the local advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Forest has 12 viewpoints and 1 waterfalls nearby
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The most common are campsites: 18 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 12
Beach lookout (Wilderness trail)in town
DirectionsPlus 11 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 1
Mystery Falls0.4 km from town
DirectionsNature reserves 3
Ipperwash Provincial Parkin town
DirectionsPort Franks Conservation Areain town
DirectionsRock Glenn Conservation Areain town
DirectionsPicnic sites 5
Plus 5 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 7
Plus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Campsites 18
Group campground 1in town
DirectionsGroup campground 2in town
DirectionsGroup campground 3in town
DirectionsLambton Centrein town
DirectionsOakridge Family Campgroundin town
DirectionsPinery Park - Burley Campgroundin town
DirectionsPinery Park - Dunes Campgroundin town
DirectionsPinery Park - Riverside Campgroundin town
DirectionsPlus 10 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 4
Plus 4 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Forest
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Kettle Point 44ParkhillForest
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | 1.7% | 9 | 2 | 18 |
| Kettle Point 44 12 km | 0.6% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Parkhill 15 km | 1.4% | 11 | 3 | 2 |
No place nearby has double Forest’s share of protected land.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Private land. Land owned by individuals, companies or conservation groups counts toward the figures but is never named: a person’s land isn’t a place to visit.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- 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.
- 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. 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 Forest
Which is the biggest protected area near Forest?
Pinery Provincial Park: 2,532 ha, a provincial park.
What is the nearest national park to Forest?
None within 100 km of Forest.
Are there protected areas near Forest?
Yes: 1.7% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Are there hiking trails near Forest?
The Ausable River Trail and Rock Glen CA, among the routes mapped within 2 km.
Is there a beach near Forest?
Ipperwash Beach, in town, is the nearest mapped beach.
What is the nearest provincial park to Forest?
Pinery Provincial Park touches the town.
When is the best time for walking in Forest?
May to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Sources
The sources behind Forest’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).