First pick
Captain Cornelius Park
Park or garden
8.8 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Rolston
Directionsto a point inside
6.5%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Rolston · parks, protected land & trails
The nearest provincial park to Rolston is Bronte Creek Provincial Park, 22 km away
6.5% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). One mapped walking route passes within 2 km: the Bruce Trail - Iroquoia section. One unnamed beach is mapped within 5 km.
Protected land
6.5%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
17
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
87 km
Rouge National Urban Park
Nearest provincial park
22 km
Bronte Creek Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Rolston against 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 km6.5%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 areas3Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named 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
Among 40 towns its size, Rolston ranks 10th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (6,035 to 6,213 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
Rolston6.5%
Towns its size1.7%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Rolston3
Towns its size3
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Rolston1
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Rolston beats most towns its size for protected land nearby; 9 of 39 do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cumberland County, Subdivision C NS | 20% | 8% | 133 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | Sainte-Anne-des-Monts QC | 15% | 0.2% | 17 | 0 | 15 |
| 3 | Playfair Park - Guildwood Estates ON | 13% | 0% | 37 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Civic Hospital ON | 11% | 0% | 34 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Crystal Bay - Lakeview Park ON | 7.1% | 20% | 37 | 5 | 8 |
| 6 | Nouveau Greenfield Park QC | 6.9% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Central Business Dis ON | 6.9% | 11% | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | Cumberland ON | 6.7% | 2.9% | 50 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Fatima QC | 6.6% | 4.5% | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Rolston ON | 6.5% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Tay Valley ON | 5.8% | 3.9% | 37 | 5 | 8 |
| 12 | McMasterville QC | 5.5% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Electoral Area A, Cariboo BC | 5.4% | 6% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Crown Point West ON | 4.1% | 0% | 24 | 1 | 7 |
| 15 | Southwood AB | 4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| 16 | Delta East ON | 3.7% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 6 |
| 17 | Barrhead County No. 11 AB | 3.4% | 1.2% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Rosemount ON | 1.8% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | Sioux Lookout ON | 1.7% | 4.5% | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Haultain SK | 1.7% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 3 |
| 21 | Richmond West MB | 1.6% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Pleasant Hill SK | 1.6% | 6.9% | 17 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 | Glenora AB | 1.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 24 | Richelieu QC | 1.4% | 4.8% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Worthington MB | 1.3% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Dunluce AB | 1.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Saint-Henri QC | 0.5% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Inkster Gardens MB | 0.5% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Saint-Césaire QC | 0.4% | 0% | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| 30 | Capitol Hill AB | 0.4% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Saint-Pie QC | 0.3% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Stettler AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Castleridge AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Forest Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | MacEwan AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Vegreville AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | South Walkerville ON | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Amqui QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 39 | Alberta Avenue AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 40 | Homesteader AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Rolston
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
9 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Rolston
The biggest is Captain Cornelius Park, 8.8 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
9 named parks and woods, 32 ha in all
Parks & gardens 29 haWoods 2.8 ha
Add Captain Cornelius Park to William McCulloch Park and you have 49% of it.
William McCulloch Park
Park or garden · 240 m outside town
6.8 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
1.1 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Gourley Park
Park or garden · 250 m outside town
5.7 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
0.8 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Buchanan Park
Park or garden · 230 m outside town
3.4 ha0.3 km of path
1.1 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Newlands Park
Park or garden
1.9 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
0.6 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Rolston Forest
Wood or forest
2.8 ha0.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Rolston
Directionsto a point inside
Norwood Park
Park or garden · 270 m outside town
1.6 ha
1.5 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Richwill Park
Park or garden · 110 m outside town
0.6 ha0.1 km of path
1.1 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks and green spaces
Captain Cornelius ParkPark or garden · 8.8 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsWilliam McCulloch ParkPark or garden · 6.8 ha · 1.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsGourley ParkPark or garden · 5.7 ha · 0.8 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsBuchanan ParkPark or garden · 3.4 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsNewlands ParkPark or garden · 1.9 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsRolston ForestWood or forest · 2.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsNorwood ParkPark or garden · 1.6 ha · just outside town
DirectionsRichwill ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.1 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsKing's Mead ParkPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: 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 9 in 10 in Rolston
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 (93%)Further (6.6%)
Rolston93%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
A typical Canadian town reaches only 83%. About 400 residents live further than 400 m from one.
Protected areas
Around Rolston, protected areas make up 6.5%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Rolston0%
Within 10 km6.5%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of those 17, 3 are public and the remainder private. At 39 ha, Windermere Basin Park is the largest. 14 more areas within 10 km are private land, held by landowners or conservation groups: counted here, not named.
Former Upper Ottawa LandfillNature reserve · 11 ha · 4.7 km from the edge of town
FarmerProtected area · 15 ha · 7.3 km from the edge of town
Windermere Basin ParkNature reserve · 39 ha · 9.0 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, 87 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
22 km north-east6.8 km²since 1975
National urban park
Rouge National Urban Park
87 km north-east46 km²since 2015
A provincial park is closer: Bronte Creek Provincial Park, at 22 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Rolston and its edge hold 21 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
21 km
in and around the town (10.5 km²)
Woodland
1.2%
about 0.1 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
RolstonTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
RolstonTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland1.2%
0%50%100%
It is less wooded than 80% of Canadian towns. Few places match it for paths: more than 56% of Canadian towns have fewer.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
Rolston has 1 named walking route
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 Rolston in May, June, August and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Hamilton (7.1 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 | 13.4 | 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 |
Highs peak near 27 °C in July and fall to -1 °C in January. Summer storms make July the wettest month, 98 mm; February sees 53 mm. The climate in Rolston →
Beaches
A beach within 5 km of Rolston
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Water quality isn’t shown: there’s no open national record of beach tests. Local health authorities post advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Rolston: 2 viewpoints, 7 waterfalls
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Playgrounds lead the count with 85.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 7
Chedoke Falls1.2 km from town
DirectionsCliffview Falls1.6 km from town
DirectionsLower Cliffview Falls1.7 km from town
DirectionsLower Westcliffe Falls1.7 km from town
DirectionsUpper Sanatorium Falls1.9 km from town
DirectionsLower Sanatorium Cascade2.0 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 85
Jerome Park0.8 km from town
DirectionsFonthill Park Playground1.1 km from town
DirectionsPlus 83 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
Royal Botanical Gardens, 7.0 km from Rolston, is the garden to visit
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 · 7.0 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 Rolston
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
GourleyBuchananGilbertJeromeGreeningdonBalfourRolston
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
No place nearby has double Rolston’s share of protected land.
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.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- Protected land. Measured on CPCAD’s outlines: the part of a 10 km band around the town that lies in a protected or conserved area, water included.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- 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 Rolston
What is the best season to get outdoors in Rolston?
May, June, August and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
What is the nearest national park to Rolston?
The nearest is Rouge National Urban Park, 87 km away.
Which is the biggest protected area near Rolston?
Windermere Basin Park, a nature reserve of 39 ha.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Rolston?
The closest is Bronte Creek Provincial Park, at 22 km.
Where can you walk near Rolston?
The Bruce Trail - Iroquoia section, mapped within 2 km.
Is there a beach near Rolston?
One beach is mapped within 5 km, though without a name.
Are there protected areas near Rolston?
Protected areas cover 6.5% of the land within 10 km.
Sources
The sources behind Rolston’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.
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).