First pick
Brant Park Conservation Area
Park or garden · 90 m outside town
182 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
6.6 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Benjamin Pickles · CC BY-SA 2.00.4%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Paris · parks, protected land & trails
6 mapped walking routes pass Paris
26 protected areas lie within 10 km. For a provincial park, Trillium Woods Provincial Park lies 16 km off. Within 5 km lie 3 beaches, unnamed on the map.
Protected land
0.4%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
26
within 10 km, 16 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
16 km
Trillium Woods Provincial Park
Walking routes
6
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
3
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where Paris stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Walking routes6 named routes within 2 kmLittle protected land0.4% within 10 km; the typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Above all, Paris offers its choice of walking routes. The gap is protected land nearby.
Against other towns
How Paris 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km0.4%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 areas16Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes7Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches3Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Paris has the 7th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (39,668 to 51,756 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
Paris0.4%
Towns its size4.4%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Paris16
Towns its size12
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Paris7
Towns its size1
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Paris does best for walking routes: 6 of the other 39 have more. It trails them for protected land nearby, where 33 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dollard-Des Ormeaux QC | 27% | 3.7% | 40 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Shawinigan QC | 24% | 61% | 40 | 16 | 10 |
| 3 | Vaudreuil-Dorion QC | 20% | 0.7% | 73 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | Mission BC | 19% | 3.5% | 28 | 3 | 33 |
| 5 | Sullivan BC | 15% | 5.6% | 190 | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | Newton BC | 15% | 7.3% | 174 | 6 | 1 |
| 7 | West Kelowna BC | 12% | 2.7% | 29 | 1 | 40 |
| 8 | Sault-Saint-Louis QC | 11% | 10% | 24 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Rouyn-Noranda QC | 11% | 14% | 90 | 15 | 8 |
| 10 | Saint-Eustache QC | 9.9% | 0% | 42 | 0 | 7 |
| 11 | Pointe-aux-Trembles QC | 9.5% | 7.3% | 38 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Rimouski QC | 8.8% | 3.6% | 43 | 10 | 48 |
| 13 | Salaberry-de-Valleyfield QC | 8.8% | 1.9% | 27 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | West Vancouver BC | 8.6% | 21% | 56 | 10 | 132 |
| 15 | Vernon BC | 8.4% | 1.9% | 17 | 0 | 27 |
| 16 | Boucherville QC | 7.1% | 14% | 53 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Anjou QC | 6.5% | 2.4% | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Hagerman's Corners ON | 6.4% | 0% | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | Fabreville QC | 5.8% | 3% | 39 | 0 | 4 |
| 20 | Yaletown BC | 4.7% | 0% | 12 | 3 | 77 |
| 21 | Port-Maurice QC | 4% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Prince Albert SK | 3.3% | 0% | 30 | 0 | 5 |
| 23 | Spruce Grove AB | 3.1% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Kensington-Cedar Cottage BC | 3% | 0% | 14 | 3 | 26 |
| 25 | Timmins ON | 2.7% | 1.8% | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| 26 | Alliston ON | 2.1% | 0.4% | 36 | 2 | 3 |
| 27 | Charlottetown PE | 2% | 2% | 15 | 25 | 13 |
| 28 | Laval-des-Rapides QC | 1.7% | 0.1% | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Quinte West ON | 1.4% | 0.6% | 22 | 3 | 1 |
| 30 | Bradford ON | 1.1% | 1.3% | 28 | 5 | 1 |
| 31 | East Gwillimbury ON | 0.8% | 0.6% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 32 | Hurontario ON | 0.7% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Rocky View County AB | 0.5% | 0.6% | 20 | 9 | 19 |
| 34 | Paris ON | 0.4% | 0.2% | 26 | 7 | 3 |
| 35 | Lakeshore ON | 0.4% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 36 | Churchill Meadows ON | 0.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Innisfil ON | 0.3% | 0.1% | 6 | 1 | 17 |
| 38 | Victoriaville QC | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 39 | St. Thomas ON | 0.2% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 40 | Leduc AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Paris on the map: green space, protected land and paths
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
Walk in Paris: 21 named parks and woods
The biggest is Brant Park Conservation Area, 182 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
21 named parks and woods, 342 ha in all
Parks & gardens 312 haWoods 29 ha
Brant Park Conservation Area plus Paris Fairgrounds account for 64% of the green.
Green Lane Sports Complex
Park or garden
27 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
2.8 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
George Jones Fields - Brantford Harlequins RFC
Park or garden
12 ha
15 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Princeton Park
Park or garden · 290 m outside town
6.9 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
12 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
John Wright Soccer Complex
Park or garden · 210 m outside town
6.5 ha
13 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 21 named parks and green spaces
Brant Park Conservation AreaPark or garden · 182 ha · 2.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsParis FairgroundsPark or garden · 36 ha
DirectionsGreen Lane Sports ComplexPark or garden · 27 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsGeorge Jones Fields - Brantford Harlequins RFCPark or garden · 12 ha
DirectionsBurford FairgroundsPark or garden · 11 ha
DirectionsPrinceton ParkPark or garden · 6.9 ha · 1.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsCathcart Trail SystemWood or forest · 29 ha
DirectionsJohn Wright Soccer ComplexPark or garden · 6.5 ha · just outside town
DirectionsGrandville ParkPark or garden · 5.3 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsOptimist ParkPark or garden · 5.2 ha
DirectionsKing William ParkPark or garden · 2.7 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsArena ParkPark or garden · 2.7 ha
DirectionsSunny Hill ParkPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsJohnson ParkPark or garden · 2.0 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsPark Avenue Soccer ParkPark or garden · 2.4 ha
DirectionsElliot FieldPark or garden · 2.1 ha
DirectionsOrchard ParkPark or garden · 2.1 ha · just outside town
DirectionsRest Acres Ridge ParkPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsForest ParkPark or garden · 1.5 ha
DirectionsSnowball ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsWhitlaw Way ParkPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSource: 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 3 in 10 in Paris
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 (32%)Further (68%)
Paris32%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
That is below the typical Canadian town (83%). For about 31,000 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
Protected land at the edge of Paris: Barker's Bush/Lion's Park
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Paris0.2%
Within 10 km0.4%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 16 of the 26. Biggest of the named areas: Barker's Bush/Lion's Park, 80 ha. Another 10 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Barker's Bush/Lion's ParkNature reserve · 80 ha · reaches Paris
Burford Lions Art Cadman ParkNature reserve · 26 ha · reaches Paris
Cainsville LagoonsNature reserve · 24 ha · reaches Paris
County of Brant NHSNature reserve · 19 ha · reaches Paris
County of Brant NHSNature reserve · 11 ha · reaches Paris
County of Brant NHSNature reserve · 7.7 ha · reaches Paris
County of Brant NHSNature reserve · 7.4 ha · reaches Paris
Jacob’s Woods ParkNature reserve · 3.8 ha · reaches Paris
County of Brant NHSNature reserve · 3.0 ha · reaches Paris
County of Brant NHSNature reserve · 2.8 ha · reaches Paris
6 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
Trillium Woods Provincial Park, 16 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
Trillium Woods Provincial Park
16 km west0.1 km²since 1969
No national park lies within 100 km of Paris; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
226 km of paths in and around Paris
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
226 km
in and around the town (1,079.8 km²)
Woodland
16%
about 176.1 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
ParisTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
ParisTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland16%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 77% of Canadian towns. More of it is wooded than in 63% 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
Walks near Paris
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Grand Valley Trail218.5 km
Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail32.1 km
TH&B Rail Trail (hiking)20.0 km
Waterford Heritage Trail (hiking)18.5 km
Morton Trail3.5 km
Captain Kidd Trail2.6 km
The longest of the rest is the Grand Valley Trail, 218.5 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Paris is best on foot in May, June, August and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Kitchener/Waterloo, 31 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°C) | -2 | -1 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 14 | 7 | 1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 66 | 46 | 57 | 81 | 80 | 81 | 96 | 67 | 75 | 71 | 75 | 55 |
Summer highs reach 27 °C in July; in January they stay near -2 °C. The warmest month, July, is also the wettest (96 mm), while February is driest at 46 mm. The climate in Paris →
Beaches
3 unnamed beaches near Paris
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
No national or provincial register of beach water quality is published as open data, so check the local health unit before swimming.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Paris has 6 viewpoints within 2 km
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
There are 109 playgrounds, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 6
Perched Prairie Fen0.3 km from town
DirectionsPlus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 3
Apps' Mill Conservation Areain town
DirectionsPinehurst Lake Conservation Areain town
DirectionsFWR Dickson Conservation Area0.4 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 6
Plus 6 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 109
CEFOntario playgroundin town
DirectionsPleasant Ridge Park0.5 km from town
DirectionsPlus 107 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 2
Off leash dog parkin town
DirectionsForrest Pet Foods Off Leash Play Area1.7 km from town
DirectionsCampsites 16
Camp Tekahionwakein town
Directionscircle square ranchin town
DirectionsPinehurst Lake - Area 1in town
DirectionsPinehurst Lake - Area 2in town
DirectionsPinehurst Lake - Area 3in town
DirectionsPinehurst Lake - Area 4in town
DirectionsTwin Springsin town
DirectionsChiefswood Park1.5 km from town
DirectionsPlus 8 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 8
Plus 8 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Paris
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
BrantfordAyrPlattsvilleParis
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 0.4% | 26 | 7 | 3 |
| Brantford 9.6 km | 0.3% | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Ayr 14 km | 2.4% | 36 | 8 | 4 |
| Plattsville 16 km | 0.4% | 19 | 2 | 2 |
For walking routes, Ayr leads the area with 8. Around Ayr the protected share is at least double.
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.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- 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.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
Questions about the outdoors in Paris
Are there protected areas near Paris?
Yes: 0.4% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What walking routes are near Paris?
OpenStreetMap maps the Grand Valley Trail, TH&B Rail Trail (hiking) and Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail close by, with others.
Where can you swim near Paris?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
Is there a provincial park near Paris?
Trillium Woods Provincial Park, 16 km away.
When is the best time for walking in Paris?
May, June, August and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
What is the largest protected area near Paris?
It is Barker's Bush/Lion's Park, a nature reserve covering 80 ha.
How far is Paris from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Paris.
Sources
Where Paris’ 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).