First pick
Alcide Trudeau Park (Vars)
Park or garden
2.8 ha0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
0.7 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Fdesjardins · CC BY 3.03.8%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Vars · parks, protected land & trails
From Vars, Plaisance National Park (Québec) is the nearest provincial park (19 km)
10 protected areas lie within 10 km. There is a beach within 5 km, unnamed on the map. A drive of 89 km reaches Thousand Islands National Park, the nearest national park.
Protected land
3.8%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
10
within 10 km, 0 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
89 km
Thousand Islands National Park
Nearest provincial park
19 km
Plaisance National Park (Québec)
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Each figure for Vars, set against 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km3.8%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town1.4%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
Vars comes 18th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (2,731 to 2,806 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
Vars3.8%
Towns its size2.2%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Vars0
Towns its size7
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Vars0
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, Vars’ strong point is protected land nearby, where 17 of 39 top it. For public protected areas, though, 36 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tofino BC | 41% | 21% | 14 | 0 | 34 |
| 2 | Victoria County, Subdivision A NS | 33% | 54% | 152 | 3 | 59 |
| 3 | Highlands BC | 24% | 41% | 40 | 0 | 18 |
| 4 | Atikokan ON | 19% | 1.1% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Electoral Area E, Peace River BC | 19% | 24% | 25 | 2 | 103 |
| 6 | Holyrood NL | 19% | 3.2% | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel QC | 18% | 23% | 83 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | Little Current ON | 13% | 10% | 36 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | Waterridge Village ON | 11% | 9.2% | 39 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Maria QC | 9.5% | 1% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Cultus Lake BC | 9.3% | 52% | 14 | 1 | 17 |
| 12 | Rivière-Beaudette QC | 7.6% | 0.1% | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Marritt ON | 7.2% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Vernon River PE | 5.1% | 4.5% | 48 | 11 | 3 |
| 15 | Cochrane, Unorganized, North Part ON | 5.1% | 4.9% | 81 | 0 | 28 |
| 16 | Yamachiche QC | 5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Front of Yonge ON | 4.9% | 6% | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Vars ON | 3.8% | 1.4% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Saint-Charles-de-Bellechasse QC | 3.6% | 0% | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Wakefield NB | 2.2% | 0.8% | 22 | 0 | 13 |
| 21 | Rosthern No. 403 SK | 2.2% | 2.6% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Sussex NB | 2.1% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 23 | Lacolle QC | 1.9% | 1.1% | 34 | 1 | 3 |
| 24 | Woodcroft AB | 1.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Gore QC | 1.6% | 2.3% | 18 | 0 | 3 |
| 26 | Central River Heights MB | 1.5% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 | Turner Valley AB | 1.4% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Mathers MB | 1.4% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley BC | 1.1% | 3.5% | 28 | 3 | 6 |
| 30 | Upper Mount Royal AB | 0.8% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 31 | Souris MB | 0.5% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Grimshaw AB | 0.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Talbot-Grey MB | 0.5% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Downtown West End AB | 0.5% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 35 | Electoral Area I, Central Kootenay BC | 0.2% | 0.1% | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| 36 | Rivergrove MB | 0.2% | 4.7% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Wickham QC | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Kameyosek AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 39 | Kuujjuaq QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Country Hills Village AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
The green map of Vars
The neighbourhood’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
Walk in Vars: 2 named parks and woods
Alcide Trudeau Park (Vars) is the largest, at 2.8 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on 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
In Vars, parks are rarely a short walk away
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 (0%)Further (100%)
Vars0%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 2,800 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. That is below the typical Canadian town (83%).
Protected areas
3.8% of the land around Vars is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Vars1.4%
Within 10 km3.8%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
None of the 10 is public land. Not named: 10 areas held privately or with no public owner on record.
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
Thousand Islands National Park, 89 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
Plaisance National Park (Québec)
19 km north-east28 km²since 2002
National park
Thousand Islands National Park
89 km south24 km²since 1904
A provincial park is closer: Plaisance National Park (Québec), at 19 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
32 km of paths in and around Vars
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
32 km
in and around the town (134.2 km²)
Woodland
38%
about 50.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
VarsTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
VarsTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland38%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 75% of Canadian towns. For woods, it beats 78% 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
No mapped walking route near Vars
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
The map shows no named route near the neighbourhood. That says more about OpenStreetMap’s coverage than about the paths on the ground.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Vars is best on foot in May and August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Ottawa (Airport) (26 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -4 | 2 | 11 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 13 | 6 | -2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 70 | 50 | 66 | 81 | 75 | 97 | 89 | 79 | 90 | 87 | 74 | 72 |
Snow totals about 232 cm a year. Highs peak near 27 °C in July and fall to -6 °C in January. Precipitation runs from 50 mm in February to 97 mm in June. The climate in Vars →
Beaches
A beach within 5 km of Vars
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
18 things to do outdoors near Vars
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The most common are playgrounds: 18 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 18
Plus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Vars
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Navan - SarsfieldEmbrunEdwards - Carlsbad SpringsPortobello SouthCardinal CreekChapel Hill SouthVars
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vars | 3.8% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| Navan - Sarsfield 8.5 km | 8% | 41 | 0 | 0 |
| Embrun 11 km | 0.8% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| Edwards - Carlsbad Springs 11 km | 5.6% | 39 | 0 | 3 |
| Portobello South 14 km | 12% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| Cardinal Creek 16 km | 11% | 43 | 0 | 1 |
| Chapel Hill South 16 km | 12% | 35 | 0 | 0 |
For protected land, Navan - Sarsfield, Portobello South and Cardinal Creek have twice as much or more.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- 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. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Vars
How far is Vars from a national park?
Thousand Islands National Park is closest, at 89 km.
How much land around Vars is protected?
Yes: 3.8% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the nearest beach to Vars?
One beach is mapped within 5 km, though without a name.
When should you visit Vars for the outdoors?
On the normals, May and August: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Vars?
Plaisance National Park (Québec), 19 km from the edge of town.
Sources
The sources behind Vars’ 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).