First pick
Civitan Park
Park or garden
16 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
0.8 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Glenn Ford · CC BY-SA 3.01.9%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Petawawa · parks, protected land & trails
Petawawa borders Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park
For a swim, Black Bear Beach is the nearest of 15 beaches within 5 km. Land set aside Rivière-Dumoine (33,215 ha) is the biggest, 4.4 km from town. National parks are all over 100 km off.
Protected land
1.9%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
9
within 10 km, 8 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park
Beaches
15
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where Petawawa stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
A provincial park at the edgePetawawa Terrace Provincial Park reaches the townBeaches15 beaches within 5 km
For someone who likes to get outside, Petawawa’s draw is a provincial park at its edge, with its beaches close behind.
Against other towns
Each figure for Petawawa, 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
Protected within 10 km1.9%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town1.2%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas8Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches15Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Petawawa has the 11th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (19,270 to 20,080 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
Petawawa1.9%
Towns its size3%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Petawawa8
Towns its size6
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Petawawa0
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, Petawawa’s strong point is public protected areas, where 9 of 39 top it. It trails them for protected land nearby, where 29 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beaconsfield QC | 45% | 3.2% | 47 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Kirkland QC | 41% | 0.2% | 50 | 0 | 6 |
| 3 | Overbrook ON | 14% | 1.1% | 43 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Esquimalt BC | 12% | 1% | 31 | 4 | 19 |
| 5 | Vinegar Hill ON | 8.7% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Greensborough ON | 8.5% | 23% | 44 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Tétreaultville QC | 8% | 0% | 27 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Laflèche QC | 7.4% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | North End NS | 7% | 0% | 14 | 5 | 18 |
| 10 | Purpleville ON | 6.2% | 13% | 65 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | Louis-Riel QC | 6.1% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Kanata Lakes ON | 6% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Evergreen AB | 5.9% | 1.5% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 14 | Riverside South - Leitrim ON | 4.3% | 3.2% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Heart Lake South ON | 4.3% | 4.2% | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Stittsville ON | 4.2% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Lorimier QC | 4% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 3 |
| 18 | Midland ON | 3.4% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 5 |
| 19 | Miramichi NB | 3.2% | 0.1% | 19 | 0 | 7 |
| 20 | Mont-Saint-Hilaire QC | 3% | 24% | 37 | 0 | 3 |
| 21 | Cranston AB | 2.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| 22 | Tuscany AB | 2.8% | 1.2% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 | Pelham ON | 2.7% | 2.5% | 18 | 7 | 1 |
| 24 | Mount Pleasant Village ON | 2.6% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Westmount ON | 2.5% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | Père-Marquette QC | 2.4% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 | Mitchell MB | 2.3% | 0% | 65 | 0 | 3 |
| 28 | Highland ON | 2.2% | 0% | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| 29 | Kemptville ON | 2.1% | 1.7% | 30 | 5 | 3 |
| 30 | Petawawa ON | 1.9% | 1.2% | 9 | 0 | 15 |
| 31 | Henry Farm ON | 1.9% | 3.8% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Central London ON | 1.9% | 0% | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | Port Alberni BC | 1.8% | 2.8% | 11 | 31 | 4 |
| 34 | Fort York-Liberty Village ON | 1.7% | 0% | 11 | 6 | 34 |
| 35 | Nicolas-Viel QC | 1.3% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Loyalist ON | 1.2% | 2.2% | 24 | 0 | 2 |
| 37 | Sainte-Sophie QC | 1% | 0.2% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 38 | Stony Plain AB | 0.7% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 39 | Niagara-on-the-Lake ON | 0.6% | 0.4% | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| 40 | Walkerville ON | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The map
The green map of Petawawa
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 Petawawa: 18 named parks and woods
Civitan Park is the largest, at 16 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
18 named parks and woods, 69 ha in all
Parks & gardens 46 haWoods 22 ha
43% of the area is in just two places: Civitan Park and Volturno Street Park.
Volturno Street Park
Park or garden
13 ha0.3 km of path
1.8 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Centennial Park
Park or garden
5.2 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1.2 km northfrom the centre
Petawawa Centennial Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Davis Island
Wood or forest · 170 m outside town
13 ha
11 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Indian Diamond Park
Park or garden
2.8 ha0.1 km of path
0.9 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Scentral Bark Dog Park
Park or garden
1.7 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1.1 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Citivan Kiddyland Park
Park or garden
1.7 ha0.3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Petawawa
Directionsto a point inside
All 18 named parks and green spaces
Civitan ParkPark or garden · 16 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsVolturno Street ParkPark or garden · 13 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsCentennial ParkPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsDavis IslandWood or forest · 13 ha · just outside town
DirectionsIndian Diamond ParkPark or garden · 2.8 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsGreen IslandWood or forest · 9.6 ha
DirectionsScentral Bark Dog ParkPark or garden · 1.7 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsCitivan Kiddyland ParkPark or garden · 1.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSouth Side Community Centre ParkPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsColborne Road ParkPark or garden · 0.8 ha
DirectionsFish Hatchery ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsPetawawa Heritage VillagePark or garden · 0.8 ha
DirectionsJack Pine ParkPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsMenin Road ParkPark or garden · 0.7 ha
DirectionsLaurentian Highlands ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsArras Road ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsNature's Acre ParkPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsWoodland ParkPark or garden · 0.2 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
About 3 in 10 of Petawawa’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 (34%)Further (66%)
Petawawa34%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
Around 12,900 residents are further than 400 m from a park. In the typical Canadian town the share is 83%, higher than here.
Protected areas
Within 10 km of Petawawa, 1.9% 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 Petawawa1.2%
Within 10 km1.9%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
8 of the 9 are on public land. Land set aside Rivière-Dumoine covers 33,215 ha, the most of any named area. One area belongs to a private owner or a land trust and isn’t named here.
Barron River Provincial ParkProvincial park · 539 ha · reaches Petawawa
Petawawa Terrace Provincial ParkProvincial park · 201 ha · reaches Petawawa
Baie O'Brien (N.O. du Lac aux Allum Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 119 ha · 2.4 km from the edge of town
Land set aside Rivière-DumoineProtected area · 33,215 ha · 4.4 km from the edge of town
Sud de l'Île Henri Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 74 ha · 5.5 km from the edge of town
Rocher-à-l'Oiseau Forest RefugeWildlife area · 15 ha · 5.7 km from the edge of town
07151R029 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 52 ha · 7.5 km from the edge of town
Rapides-Des-Allumettes (Île Morrison) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 76 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
Barron River Provincial Park meets Petawawa
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
Barron River Provincial Park
At the edge5.4 km²since 2006
Provincial park
Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park
At the edge2.0 km²since 2006
Canada’s national parks are all more than 100 km from Petawawa, so the parks here are provincial. Within 10 km are 2 provincial parks.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
113 km of paths in and around Petawawa
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
113 km
in and around the town (268 km²)
Woodland
53%
about 142.4 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
PetawawaTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.4
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PetawawaTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland53%
0%50%100%
69% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km². More of it is wooded than in 85% 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 Petawawa
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 town. 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
Walking season in Petawawa: May and July to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Petawawa (7.4 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 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -4 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 13 | 5 | -2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 68 | 51 | 58 | 79 | 85 | 96 | 89 | 90 | 83 | 83 | 77 | 72 |
The warmest days come in July (26 °C highs), the coldest in January (-6 °C). Most rain and snow falls in June, 96 mm; February sees 51 mm. Winter brings about 199 cm of snow. The climate in Petawawa →
Beaches
15 beaches within 5 km of Petawawa
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Black Bear Beachsand · in town
DirectionsPetawawa Pointsand · in town
DirectionsSandy ones: 2. OpenStreetMap shows 13 more, nameless. 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
7 viewpoints near Petawawa
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: 14 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 7
Plus 7 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 4
Beacon Hillin town
DirectionsSpring Hillin town
DirectionsMacGregor Hill0.8 km from town
DirectionsClement Hill1.0 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 14
Plus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Scentral Bark Dog Parkin town
DirectionsSlipways 6
Fort William Steenburgen Boat Launch0.5 km from town
DirectionsPlus 5 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Petawawa
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Laurentian ValleyPembrokeL'Isle-aux-AllumettesPetawawa
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petawawa | 1.9% | 9 | 0 | 15 |
| Laurentian Valley 13 km | 2.4% | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| Pembroke 14 km | 1% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| L'Isle-aux-Allumettes 17 km | 2.1% | 20 | 0 | 12 |
No place nearby has double Petawawa’s share of protected land.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- National and provincial parks. National parks are Parks Canada’s; provincial parks are the province’s or territory’s, Québec’s parcs nationaux among them.
- 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.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
Questions about the outdoors in Petawawa
When should you visit Petawawa for the outdoors?
May and July to September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Is there a provincial park near Petawawa?
Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park begins at the town’s edge.
Is there protected land near Petawawa?
Protected areas cover 1.9% of the land within 10 km.
What is the nearest national park to Petawawa?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Petawawa.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Petawawa?
It is Land set aside Rivière-Dumoine, a protected area covering 33,215 ha.
Where can you swim near Petawawa?
The nearest is Black Bear Beach, in town.
Sources
Sources for this page on Petawawa
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).