First pick
Penn Lake Park
Park or garden
44 ha2.9 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.9 km of path
1.1 km north-eastfrom the centre
Penn Lake Park Hiking Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: davestew89 · CC BY 3.04.6%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Marathon · parks, protected land & trails
Pukaskwa National Park is 9.3 km from Marathon
30 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Cummings Beach. One mapped walking route passes within 2 km: the Voyageur Trail. The protected share within 10 km is 4.6%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%.
Protected land
4.6%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
4
within 10 km, 4 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
9.3 km
Pukaskwa National Park
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Red Sucker Point Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
30
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where Marathon stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
A national park nearbyPukaskwa National Park, 9.3 km awayBeaches30 beaches within 5 kmOn a national routeThe Voyageur Trail passes within 2 kmA provincial park at the edgeRed Sucker Point Provincial Park reaches the town
Marathon is strongest on Pukaskwa National Park within easy reach, with its beaches close behind.
Against other towns
Marathon 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. 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 km4.6%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town3%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
Beaches30Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Marathon comes 17th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,173 to 3,273 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
Marathon4.6%
Towns its size3.7%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Marathon4
Towns its size4
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Marathon1
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pincher Creek No. 9 AB | 32% | 30% | 74 | 11 | 43 |
| 2 | Annapolis County, Subdivision D NS | 25% | 31% | 135 | 5 | 5 |
| 3 | Electoral Area C (Part 1), Kitimat-Stikine BC | 21% | 17% | 36 | 0 | 84 |
| 4 | Electoral Area A, Sunshine Coast BC | 16% | 11% | 27 | 0 | 37 |
| 5 | Saint-Alexis-des-Monts QC | 16% | 12% | 43 | 15 | 8 |
| 6 | Dalhousie NB | 13% | 0.2% | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | New Maryland NB | 11% | 25% | 28 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | North Cypress-Langford MB | 9.8% | 6.1% | 44 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | French River / Rivière des Français ON | 9.5% | 8.1% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré QC | 9.1% | 0.2% | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Roblin MB | 8.8% | 0.5% | 37 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Beaumont QC | 7.7% | 0.1% | 42 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Gilbert ON | 7.2% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Electoral Area D, North Okanagan BC | 6.2% | 6.4% | 26 | 0 | 10 |
| 15 | Adstock QC | 5% | 8.3% | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 16 | Hill Park ON | 4.9% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 3 |
| 17 | Marathon ON | 4.6% | 3% | 4 | 1 | 30 |
| 18 | St. Clair ON | 4.5% | 0% | 23 | 1 | 3 |
| 19 | Pilot Butte SK | 3.8% | 0% | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| 20 | Hampton NB | 3.7% | 1% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 21 | Lake City BC | 3.7% | 1.2% | 33 | 2 | 27 |
| 22 | Val-Morin QC | 2.5% | 5.7% | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| 23 | Normanhurst ON | 2% | 0% | 15 | 1 | 7 |
| 24 | Athlone AB | 2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Cedar Hill ON | 1.9% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Greater Madawaska ON | 1.8% | 1.6% | 10 | 1 | 8 |
| 27 | Erlton AB | 1.2% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 28 | Jasper Park AB | 1.1% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 29 | Sturgeon Creek MB | 1% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 37 |
| 30 | Canossa AB | 0.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Seven Oaks MB | 0.4% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Rosslyn AB | 0.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Stoke QC | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 34 | Adelaide-Metcalfe ON | 0.3% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Bulyea Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 36 | Weinlos AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 37 | Enniskillen ON | 0.2% | 0.3% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Hazeldean AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 39 | Coalhurst AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Beverly Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Marathon
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
5 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Marathon
Penn Lake Park is the largest, at 44 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
5 named parks and woods, 54 ha in all
Parks & gardens 50 haWoods 4.6 ha
Most of it sits in Penn Lake Park and Marathon Scout Camp: 90% together.
Dyer's Baseball Park
Park or garden
2.8 ha0.3 km of path
0.6 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Del Earle Park
Park or garden
0.5 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Marathon
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
A park is within a short walk for 5 in 10 in Marathon
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 (50%)Further (50%)
Marathon50%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
A median Canadian town manages 83%. That leaves about 1,600 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
Within 10 km of Marathon, 4.6% is protected land
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Marathon3%
Within 10 km4.6%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Every one of the 4 is on public land. At 187,780 ha, Pukaskwa National Park is the largest.
Craig's Pit Provincial ParkProvincial park · 530 ha · reaches Marathon
Red Sucker Point Provincial ParkProvincial park · 360 ha · reaches Marathon
Neys Provincial ParkProvincial park · 5,475 ha · 2.4 km from the edge of town
Pukaskwa National ParkNational park · 187,780 ha · 9.3 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 parks within reach of Marathon
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
Craig's Pit Provincial Park
At the edge5.3 km²since 1985
Provincial park
Red Sucker Point Provincial Park
At the edge3.6 km²since 1985
Provincial park
Neys Provincial Park
2.4 km west55 km²since 1965
National park
Pukaskwa National Park
9.3 km south-east1,878 km²since 1971
There are 3 provincial parks within 10 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
28 km of paths in and around Marathon
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
28 km
in and around the town (249 km²)
Woodland
83%
about 206.3 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
MarathonTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
MarathonTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland83%
0%50%100%
For woods, it beats 97% of Canadian towns. It has fewer paths per km² than 84% 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
The Voyageur Trail runs past Marathon
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
National
Voyageur Trail2.0 km
Of the Voyageur Trail’s 2 km, 2.0 km passes close to town.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
The walking year in Marathon
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Geraldton, 125 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.8 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | -12 | -9 | -1 | 7 | 15 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 17 | 8 | -1 | -8 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 36 | 26 | 33 | 49 | 78 | 82 | 108 | 76 | 102 | 84 | 53 | 37 |
Summer highs reach 24 °C in July; in January they stay near -12 °C. Summer brings the most rain: 108 mm in July; February gets 26 mm. The climate in Marathon →
Beaches
Marathon has 30 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Cummings Beachsand · in town
DirectionsPebble Beachpebbles · in town
DirectionsAngler Beachsand · in town
DirectionsCarden Cove Beachsand · 0.1 km from town
DirectionsAnother 26 have no name on the map. Sandy ones: 3. 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
Near Marathon: 2 viewpoints, 2 waterfalls
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Red Sucker Point Provincial Parkin town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Free Campsite0.2 km from town
DirectionsSlipways 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 Marathon
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. The nearest places to Marathon with figures are 54–66 km away.
Terrace BayManitouwadgeSchreiberMarathon
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon | 4.6% | 4 | 1 | 30 |
| Terrace Bay 54 km | 56% | 9 | 1 | 191 |
| Manitouwadge 60 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Schreiber 66 km | 48% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Around Terrace Bay and Schreiber the protected share is at least double.
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.
- 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. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
Questions about the outdoors in Marathon
What is the nearest provincial park to Marathon?
Red Sucker Point Provincial Park, which reaches the edge of town.
Is Marathon near a national park?
The nearest is Pukaskwa National Park, 9.3 km away.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Marathon?
Pukaskwa National Park, a national park of 187,780 ha.
Is there protected land near Marathon?
Yes: 4.6% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Are there hiking trails near Marathon?
The Voyageur Trail, mapped within 2 km.
Is there a beach near Marathon?
Cummings Beach, in town, is the nearest mapped beach.
Sources
Where Marathon’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.
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).