First pick
Marcel Leger Park
Park or garden
3.7 ha0.3 km of path
0.6 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Hearst1958 · CC BY-SA 4.02%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Hearst · parks, protected land & trails
12 km from Hearst to Fushimi Lake Provincial Park
There is one protected area within 10 km. Within 100 km there is no national park. Within 5 km is one beach, Jonhson Lake Beach.
Protected land
2%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
1
within 10 km, 0 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
12 km
Fushimi Lake Provincial Park
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Hearst 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. 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 km2%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 areas0Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named 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
Hearst has the 20th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,960 to 5,106 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
Hearst2%
Towns its size2.1%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Hearst0
Towns its size7
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Hearst0
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Where Hearst trails its peers is public protected areas; 35 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Donat QC | 41% | 6.7% | 21 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Electoral Area F, Cariboo BC | 29% | 27% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Electoral Area D, Peace River BC | 19% | 18% | 56 | 3 | 123 |
| 4 | Northern Bruce Peninsula ON | 11% | 30% | 97 | 2 | 13 |
| 5 | Bells Corners East ON | 9.2% | 4.6% | 21 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | Lemoyne QC | 7.6% | 0% | 26 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | Falkirk East ON | 7% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Cobble Hill BC | 6.6% | 4.5% | 51 | 0 | 6 |
| 9 | Electoral Area C, North Okanagan BC | 6.1% | 19% | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Webber Greens AB | 6.1% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Electoral Area F, North Okanagan BC | 5.9% | 4.7% | 26 | 0 | 7 |
| 12 | Nipawin SK | 4.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Palliser AB | 4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 14 | Annapolis County, Subdivision B NS | 3.9% | 0.9% | 44 | 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Tyendinaga ON | 3% | 2.8% | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Huntington ON | 2.9% | 0% | 19 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | Idlewood ON | 2.8% | 12% | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | Gibsons BC | 2.7% | 4.8% | 43 | 0 | 57 |
| 19 | Cumberland BC | 2.6% | 8.1% | 44 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | Morin-Heights QC | 2.2% | 0.9% | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 21 | Hearst ON | 2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Big Lakes County AB | 1.8% | 1.9% | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| 23 | Meinzinger Park-Lakeside ON | 1.7% | 4.4% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Bridgwater Forest MB | 1.7% | 4.1% | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | River-Osborne MB | 1.5% | 0% | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 26 | Central Business District SK | 1.5% | 5.4% | 17 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Lord Roberts MB | 1.4% | 0% | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | Edgemont AB | 1.4% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Westmount ON | 1.3% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 30 | Westmount AB | 0.9% | 0% | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 31 | Robertson MB | 0.7% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | North Park SK | 0.7% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 3 |
| 33 | Sussex NB | 0.5% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | Kildonan Drive MB | 0.3% | 1.3% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Twin Brooks AB | 0.3% | 0.4% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Anthony Henday South East AB | 0.2% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 37 | Saint-Germain-de-Grantham QC | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Carbonear NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 39 | Altona MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Capilano AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
The map
The green map of Hearst
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; 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
4 named parks and woods to walk in near Hearst
Largest first: Marcel Leger Park leads with 3.7 ha. Numbers match the map.
4 named parks and woods, 5 ha in all
Parks & gardens 5.4 ha
Between them, Marcel Leger Park and Bernard Park cover 84%.
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 4 in 10 in Hearst
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 (38%)Further (63%)
Hearst38%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
That is below the typical Canadian town (83%). Around 3,100 residents are further than 400 m from a park.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 2% of the land near Hearst
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Hearst0%
Within 10 km2%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
It belongs to a private owner or a land trust, so the page leaves its name out.
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
Fushimi Lake Provincial Park, 12 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
Fushimi Lake Provincial Park
12 km north-west53 km²since 1979
Canada’s national parks are all more than 100 km from Hearst, so the parks here are provincial.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Hearst and its edge hold 19 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
19 km
in and around the town (144.2 km²)
Woodland
76%
about 109.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
HearstTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
HearstTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland76%
0%50%100%
It is more wooded than 94% of Canadian towns. 82% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km².
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Hearst
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
No walking route is mapped within 2 km of the town. Mapping of trails as routes varies a great deal across Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Hearst is best on foot in May and June
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Kapuskasing (92 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) | 8.6 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 | 16.3 | 15.9 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 9.0 | 8.1 |
| High (°C) | -12 | -9 | -1 | 7 | 16 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 17 | 9 | 0 | -7 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 48 | 33 | 45 | 58 | 67 | 74 | 99 | 79 | 99 | 85 | 67 | 53 |
In July the typical high is 24 °C; in January, -12 °C. Precipitation runs from 33 mm in February to 99 mm in September. The climate in Hearst →
Beaches
Hearst has 1 beach close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Jonhson Lake Beachsand · in town
DirectionsWhether 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
15 things to do outdoors near Hearst
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, 11 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 11
Plus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Plus 2 campsites 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 Hearst
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. No closer places have figures: these lie 95–113 km from Hearst.
KapuskasingHornepayneMoonbeamHearst
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearst | 2% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kapuskasing 95 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hornepayne 96 km | 1.1% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Moonbeam 113 km | 3.1% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Next door, protected shares stay within twice Hearst’s.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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.
- Protected land. CPCAD maps each protected area; the page counts how much of the 10 km around the town they cover, lakes and sea included.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
Questions about the outdoors in Hearst
Is there a provincial park near Hearst?
It is Fushimi Lake Provincial Park, 12 km away.
What is the nearest beach to Hearst?
Try Jonhson Lake Beach, in town.
Is there protected land near Hearst?
Yes: 2% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Is Hearst near a national park?
None within 100 km of Hearst.
When should you visit Hearst for the outdoors?
On the normals, May and June: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
Sources
The sources behind Hearst’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).