First pick
Bruce Park
Park or garden · 230 m outside town
3.7 ha0.3 km of path
1.0 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 4.05.7%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Balfour · parks, protected land & trails
Bronte Creek Provincial Park, 21 km away, is the closest provincial park to Balfour
Protected areas cover 5.7% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%. The Bruce Trail - Iroquoia section is the one mapped walking route close by. Within 5 km lie 3 beaches, unnamed on the map.
Protected land
5.7%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
19
within 10 km, 4 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
86 km
Rouge National Urban Park
Nearest provincial park
21 km
Bronte Creek Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
3
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Balfour beside other Canadian towns, figure by figure
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 km5.7%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 areas4Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches3Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Balfour has the 11th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,103 to 4,237 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
Balfour5.7%
Towns its size1.8%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Balfour4
Towns its size5
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Balfour1
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
For protected land nearby, Balfour sits near the top of its size group: 10 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Pocatière QC | 35% | 0.2% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Anderson Walk BC | 23% | 8.2% | 180 | 8 | 4 |
| 3 | Electoral Area F, Central Kootenay BC | 22% | 2.9% | 13 | 2 | 12 |
| 4 | Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen BC | 12% | 12% | 52 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Westphal NS | 12% | 0.5% | 14 | 1 | 7 |
| 6 | Fort Nelson BC | 11% | 9.8% | 36 | 0 | 330 |
| 7 | Carleton-sur-Mer QC | 10% | 0.1% | 26 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | Merivale Gardens - Grenfell Glen - Pineglen - Country Place ON | 9.5% | 23% | 29 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Spring Valley ON | 6.4% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | L'Ange-Gardien QC | 6.3% | 0% | 37 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | Balfour ON | 5.7% | 0% | 19 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | Electoral Area B, Cariboo BC | 5.4% | 4.8% | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | Lake of Bays ON | 4.8% | 1.8% | 12 | 1 | 6 |
| 14 | Electoral Area E, Kitimat-Stikine BC | 4.8% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Port Hardy BC | 4.1% | 2.2% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Barry's Bay ON | 3.9% | 1.9% | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| 17 | Templemead ON | 2.3% | 0% | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | Pioneer Tower West ON | 2.3% | 3.9% | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | West River PE | 2.2% | 2.9% | 18 | 8 | 15 |
| 20 | Elbow Park AB | 2% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 21 | Vermilion AB | 1.5% | 9.3% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Calder AB | 1.4% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Métabetchouan--Lac-à-la-Croix QC | 1% | 1% | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 24 | Northern Lights County AB | 0.9% | 0.6% | 30 | 0 | 67 |
| 25 | Fraipont MB | 0.7% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Island Lakes MB | 0.6% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Banff Trail AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 28 | Sunalta AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Wildwood AB | 0.5% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 30 | Beaumaris AB | 0.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Patterson AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 32 | Callaghan AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 | Jackson Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | Leger AB | 0.3% | 0% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | Malmo Plains AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 36 | Crabtree QC | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Napierville QC | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Forest Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 39 | Killarney AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 40 | Ozerna AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Balfour
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the neighbourhood; tap a number for its park or wood.
Green: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, playing fields and woods. Hatched: CPCAD protected areas.© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); CPCAD (OGL-Canada)
Places to walk
Walk in Balfour: 6 named parks and woods
Largest first: Bruce Park leads with 3.7 ha. Numbers match the map.
6 named parks and woods, 14 ha in all
Parks & gardens 14 ha
Two places, Auchmar Estate and Bruce Park, make up 55% of the total.
Buchanan Park
Park or garden · 340 m outside town
3.4 ha0.3 km of path
1.0 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Richwill Park
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Balfour
Directionsto a point inside
T. Melville Bailey Park
Park or garden · 360 m outside town
0.6 ha
1.2 km northfrom 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 7 in 10 of Balfour’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 (71%)Further (29%)
Balfour71%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 1,200 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. The typical Canadian town does better, at 83%.
Protected areas
Around Balfour, protected areas make up 5.7%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Balfour0%
Within 10 km5.7%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 4 of the 19. Windermere Basin Park covers 39 ha, the most of any named area. The figures include 15 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
Former Upper Ottawa LandfillNature reserve · 11 ha · 4.2 km from the edge of town
Windermere Basin ParkNature reserve · 39 ha · 7.7 km from the edge of town
FarmerProtected area · 15 ha · 8.8 km from the edge of town
BontaProtected area · 8.3 ha · 9.6 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: Rouge National Urban Park, 86 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
Bronte Creek Provincial Park
21 km north-east6.8 km²since 1975
National urban park
Rouge National Urban Park
86 km north-east46 km²since 2015
A provincial park is closer: Bronte Creek Provincial Park, at 21 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Balfour and its edge hold 22 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
22 km
in and around the town (9.2 km²)
Woodland
2.7%
about 0.2 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
BalfourTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths2.5
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BalfourTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland2.7%
0%50%100%
For path density, it beats 63% of Canadian towns. 71% of Canadian towns are more wooded.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
1 walking route near Balfour
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Regional
Bruce Trail - Iroquoia section124.0 km
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 Balfour in May, June, August and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Hamilton, 8.4 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°C) | -1 | -1 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 73 | 53 | 69 | 81 | 81 | 78 | 98 | 67 | 74 | 84 | 78 | 67 |
The wettest month is the warmest, July (98 mm); February has 53 mm. Highs peak near 27 °C in July and fall to -1 °C in January. The climate in Balfour →
Beaches
3 beaches within 5 km of Balfour, none named
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
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
Balfour has 5 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.
Top of the list: playgrounds, 74 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 5
Plus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 1
Chedoke Falls1.5 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Corktown Dog Park1.6 km from town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
A garden to visit near Balfour: Royal Botanical Gardens, 6.0 km away
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Royal Botanical GardensNational Historic Site · 6.0 km from town
Its pageOne is a National Historic Site.
Sources: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, and Wikidata (CC0), as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic places from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places and Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel.
Next door
Next to Balfour
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
GreeningdonHill ParkCentremountBuchananBrulevilleRolstonBalfour
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balfour | 5.7% | 19 | 1 | 3 |
| Greeningdon 0.7 km | 5.4% | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Hill Park 0.8 km | 4.9% | 17 | 1 | 3 |
| Centremount 1.3 km | 5.6% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| Buchanan 1.4 km | 6.3% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| Bruleville 1.5 km | 4.9% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Rolston 1.5 km | 6.5% | 17 | 1 | 1 |
None of the places nearby has twice as much protected land around it as Balfour.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- 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.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Balfour
How far is Balfour from a national park?
It is Rouge National Urban Park, 86 km off.
Are there protected areas near Balfour?
Yes: 5.7% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Are there hiking trails near Balfour?
OpenStreetMap maps the Bruce Trail - Iroquoia section close by.
Where can you swim near Balfour?
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
Is there a provincial park near Balfour?
It is Bronte Creek Provincial Park, 21 km away.
When is the best time for walking in Balfour?
May, June, August and 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 largest protected area near Balfour?
It is Windermere Basin Park, a nature reserve covering 39 ha.
Sources
Where Balfour’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.
Gardens: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden) and Wikidata gardens within 15 km, as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic gardens and parks from Canada’s heritage registers (Parks Canada DFHD, the Canadian Register of Historic Places, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel).
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).