First pick
Papineau Lake Conservation Area
Park or garden
5.5 ha
12 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: P199 · Public domain17%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Papineau-Cameron · parks, protected land & trails
More of the land around Papineau-Cameron is protected than around 9 in 10 Canadian towns
15 protected areas lie within 10 km. Within 5 km are 5 beaches; Bagwa Beach is the nearest. OpenStreetMap shows one walking route nearby, the Kag Trail.
Protected land
17%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
15
within 10 km, 15 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Algonquin Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
5
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
What sets Papineau-Cameron apart outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round17% of the land within 10 km, more than 94% of Canadian townsA provincial park at the edgeAlgonquin Provincial Park reaches the townBeaches5 beaches within 5 km
Out of doors, Papineau-Cameron leads with protected land around it, with a provincial park at its edge close behind.
Against other towns
Papineau-Cameron 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 graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
Protected within 10 km17%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 areas15Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes3Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches5Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Papineau-Cameron has the 4th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (1,136 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
Papineau-Cameron17%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Papineau-Cameron15
Towns its size4
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Papineau-Cameron3
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Papineau-Cameron beats most towns its size for protected land nearby; 3 of 39 do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anmore BC | 22% | 47% | 16 | 5 | 98 |
| 2 | Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska QC | 19% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Gracefield QC | 19% | 19% | 34 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | Papineau-Cameron ON | 17% | 3% | 15 | 3 | 5 |
| 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 Papineau-Cameron
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
2 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Papineau-Cameron
Largest first: Papineau Lake Conservation Area leads with 5.5 ha. Numbers match the map.
Explorer's Point Park
Park or garden · 310 m outside town
1.9 ha
4.6 km north-westfrom the centre
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
Few people in Papineau-Cameron live near 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 (0%)Further (100%)
Papineau-Cameron0%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 1,100 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, above this.
Protected areas
15 protected areas around Papineau-Cameron
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Papineau-Cameron3%
Within 10 km17%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
The 15 are all publicly owned. Biggest of the named areas: Algonquin Provincial Park, 264,674 ha.
Algonquin Provincial ParkProvincial park · 264,674 ha · reaches Papineau-Cameron
Mattawa River Provincial ParkProvincial park · 14,142 ha · reaches Papineau-Cameron
Ottawa River Provincial ParkProvincial park · 10,415 ha · reaches Papineau-Cameron
Samuel de Champlain Provincial ParkProvincial park · 2,550 ha · reaches Papineau-Cameron
Boom Creek Conservation ReserveNature reserve · 590 ha · reaches Papineau-Cameron
Mattawa White-Tailed Deer YardProtected area · 8,547 ha · 0.1 km from the edge of town
Greenbough Esker Conservation ReserveNature reserve · 549 ha · 0.9 km from the edge of town
08151R027 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 158 ha · 1.0 km from the edge of town
Proposed Vallée-de-la-Rivière-Maganasipi Biodiversity ReserveNature reserve · 8,963 ha · 3.9 km from the edge of town
08151R026 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 118 ha · 4.3 km from the edge of town
5 more named areas within 10 km are in the figures.
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
Algonquin Provincial Park starts at the edge of Papineau-Cameron
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
Algonquin Provincial Park
At the edge2,647 km²since 1893
Provincial park
Mattawa River Provincial Park
At the edge141 km²since 1970
Provincial park
Ottawa River Provincial Park
At the edge104 km²
Provincial park
Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park
At the edge26 km²since 1967
Provincial park
Amable du Fond River Provincial Park
5.3 km west7.3 km²since 2003
Provincial park
Bissett Creek Provincial Park
8.5 km east17 km²since 2006
No national park lies within 100 km of Papineau-Cameron; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach. There are 6 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
Papineau-Cameron has 24 km of footpaths in and around it
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
24 km
in and around the town (725.8 km²)
Woodland
87%
about 628.1 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Papineau-CameronTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Papineau-CameronTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland87%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 94% of Canadian towns. For woods, it beats 98% 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
1 walking route near Papineau-Cameron
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Local
Kag Trail8.3 km
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Papineau-Cameron is best on foot in May to August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from North Bay (58 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 |
Rain and snow peak in September (114 mm) and ease in February (54 mm). From -6 °C in January to 26 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. The climate in Papineau-Cameron →
Beaches
For a swim near Papineau-Cameron: Bagwa Beach, 3.6 km off
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Bagwa Beachsand · 3.6 km from town
DirectionsAnother 4 have no name on the map. This page can’t show water quality: no open, Canada-wide record of beach testing exists. Check local advisories first.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Outdoors around Papineau-Cameron: 20 places to go
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
12 campsites top the list.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Colline Anderson1.7 km from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Mattawa Island Conservation Area0.6 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 2
Bastien Creek Picnic Areain town
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 12
Sid Turcotte Park Campground And Cabin Resort0.3 km from town
DirectionsPlus 11 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 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 Papineau-Cameron
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 4–46 km from Papineau-Cameron.
MattawaBonfieldEast FerrisChisholmPapineau-Cameron
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papineau-Cameron | 17% | 15 | 3 | 5 |
| Mattawa 4.3 km | 22% | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Bonfield 36 km | 15% | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| East Ferris 46 km | 10% | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Chisholm 46 km | 5.6% | 5 | 1 | 2 |
None of its neighbours has twice the protected land around it that Papineau-Cameron has.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Papineau-Cameron
How far is the nearest provincial park from Papineau-Cameron?
Algonquin Provincial Park, which reaches the edge of town.
Where can you swim near Papineau-Cameron?
Bagwa Beach, 3.6 km from town, is the nearest mapped beach.
Where can you walk near Papineau-Cameron?
OpenStreetMap maps the Kag Trail close by.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Papineau-Cameron?
Algonquin Provincial Park, a provincial park of 264,674 ha.
How much land around Papineau-Cameron is protected?
Yes: 17% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the nearest national park to Papineau-Cameron?
None within 100 km of Papineau-Cameron.
When should you visit Papineau-Cameron for the outdoors?
On the normals, May to August: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
Sources
The sources behind Papineau-Cameron’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).