First pick
Explorer's Point Park
Park or garden
2.1 ha
0.6 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.022%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Mattawa · parks, protected land & trails
22% of the land within 10 km of Mattawa is protected
2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, none with a name. No national park lies within 100 km. Within 10 km are 7 protected areas.
Protected land
22%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
7
within 10 km, 7 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Ottawa River Provincial Park
Beaches
2
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where Mattawa stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round22% of the land within 10 km, more than 96% of Canadian townsA provincial park at the edgeOttawa River Provincial Park reaches the town
What Mattawa has most to offer outdoors is protected land around it, with a provincial park at its edge close behind.
Against other towns
How Mattawa compares with 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 graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
Protected within 10 km22%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.2%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas7Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches2Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Mattawa comes 2nd of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (2,193 to 2,587 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
Mattawa22%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Mattawa7
Towns its size4
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Mattawa0
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Mattawa does best for protected land nearby: 1 of the other 39 has more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anmore BC | 22% | 47% | 16 | 5 | 98 |
| 2 | Mattawa ON | 22% | 0.2% | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska QC | 19% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Gracefield QC | 19% | 19% | 34 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 | East Preston NS | 16% | 6.3% | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | Clearwater BC | 7.7% | 4.1% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Roberval QC | 6.1% | 1.2% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague QC | 5.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | North Frontenac ON | 5.7% | 5.2% | 13 | 6 | 4 |
| 10 | Cap-Chat QC | 5.3% | 0.4% | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| 11 | Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards ON | 4.4% | 1.5% | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Saint-Polycarpe QC | 4.2% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Macassa ON | 4.1% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Saint-Damien QC | 4% | 3.2% | 22 | 1 | 9 |
| 15 | Unity SK | 3.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Sherwood ON | 3.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | McNab SK | 2.6% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Mandeville QC | 2.5% | 1.8% | 19 | 4 | 7 |
| 19 | Esterhazy SK | 1.8% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | City Commercial Core ON | 1.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Caswell Hill SK | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | Fossambault-sur-le-Lac QC | 1.3% | 7.8% | 15 | 0 | 14 |
| 23 | Pembina MB | 1.1% | 1.8% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Burrows-Keewatin MB | 1% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Elmwood AB | 0.8% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 26 | Hatley QC | 0.7% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| 27 | Munroe West MB | 0.4% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Brooke-Alvinston ON | 0.3% | 0.2% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Rosedale AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Minchau AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Lunenburg NS | 0.1% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 5 |
| 32 | Salisbury NB | 0.1% | 2.1% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Dufferin MB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Ekota AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 35 | Satoo AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce QC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Magrath AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Nanton AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Rimbey AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Sexsmith AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Mattawa
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
A named park or wood to walk in near Mattawa
Largest first: Explorer's Point Park leads with 2.1 ha. Numbers match the map.
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 5 in 10 of Mattawa’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 (52%)Further (48%)
Mattawa52%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town reaches 83%. For about 1,100 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
The 7 protected areas near Mattawa
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Mattawa0.2%
Within 10 km22%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
All 7 are public land. The largest named one is Mattawa River Provincial Park, at 14,142 ha.
Ottawa River Provincial ParkProvincial park · 10,415 ha · reaches Mattawa
Mattawa White-Tailed Deer YardProtected area · 8,547 ha · 0.3 km from the edge of town
Mattawa River Provincial ParkProvincial park · 14,142 ha · 1.0 km from the edge of town
Boom Creek Conservation ReserveNature reserve · 590 ha · 5.7 km from the edge of town
Samuel de Champlain Provincial ParkProvincial park · 2,550 ha · 7.5 km from the edge of town
Land set aside Basses-Collines-du-Ruisseau-SerpentProtected area · 7,287 ha · 9.7 km from the edge of town
08151R026 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 118 ha · 9.9 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
Ottawa River Provincial Park starts at the edge of Mattawa
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
Ottawa River Provincial Park
At the edge104 km²
Provincial park
Mattawa River Provincial Park
1.0 km west141 km²since 1970
Provincial park
Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park
7.5 km west26 km²since 1967
No national park lies within 100 km of Mattawa; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach. 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
2 km of paths in and around Mattawa
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
2.3 km
in and around the town (16.3 km²)
Woodland
62%
about 10.1 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
MattawaTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
MattawaTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland62%
0%50%100%
More of it is wooded than in 88% of Canadian towns. Paths are thinner on the ground than in 82% 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
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Mattawa
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
OpenStreetMap has no named walking route within 2 km of the town. Trails may exist without being mapped as routes.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
The best months for walking in Mattawa: May to August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from North Bay (55 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -4 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 24 | 19 | 12 | 4 | -3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 70 | 54 | 60 | 72 | 89 | 91 | 98 | 93 | 114 | 109 | 97 | 73 |
September is the wettest month (114 mm) and February the driest (54 mm). From -6 °C in January to 26 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. The climate in Mattawa →
Beaches
2 unnamed beaches near Mattawa
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
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
6 things to do outdoors near Mattawa
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
Nature reserves 1
Mattawa Island Conservation Areain town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Sid Turcotte Park Campground And Cabin Resortin town
DirectionsSlipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Mattawa
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 Mattawa with figures are 4–45 km away.
Papineau-CameronBonfieldEast FerrisChisholmMattawa
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mattawa | 22% | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Papineau-Cameron 4.3 km | 17% | 15 | 3 | 5 |
| Bonfield 34 km | 15% | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| East Ferris 43 km | 10% | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Chisholm 45 km | 5.6% | 5 | 1 | 2 |
For protected land, no neighbour of Mattawa doubles its share. More routes are mapped around Papineau-Cameron (3).
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- 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. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
Questions about the outdoors in Mattawa
How much land around Mattawa is protected?
Protected areas cover 22% of the land within 10 km.
What is the nearest national park to Mattawa?
None within 100 km of Mattawa.
What is the nearest beach to Mattawa?
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Mattawa?
May to August: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Which is the biggest protected area near Mattawa?
Mattawa River Provincial Park: 14,142 ha, a provincial park.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Mattawa?
Ottawa River Provincial Park, which reaches the edge of town.
Sources
Sources for this page on Mattawa
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).