First pick
Lower Reach Park
Park or garden
18 ha2 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
1.2 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.07.5%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Smiths Falls · parks, protected land & trails
The The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario) passes Smiths Falls
35 km separate the town from Thousand Islands National Park, its nearest national park. Of the country within 10 km, 7.5% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%. The closest provincial park is Murphys Point Provincial Park, 17 km from the edge of town.
Protected land
7.5%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
5
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
35 km
Thousand Islands National Park
Nearest provincial park
17 km
Murphys Point Provincial Park
Walking routes
2
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
What Smiths Falls has going for it outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
On a national routeThe The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario) passes within 2 kmProtected land all round7.5% of the land within 10 km, more than 80% of Canadian towns
Out of doors, Smiths Falls leads with the The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario), with protected land around it close behind.
Against other towns
Each figure for Smiths Falls, 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. This page carries no grade, because Canada’s grading doesn’t cover the outdoors; the comparisons are the point.
Protected within 10 km7.5%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town6.3%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas1Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes2Named 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
Smiths Falls comes 13th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (10,885 to 11,339 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
Smiths Falls7.5%
Towns its size3.3%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Smiths Falls1
Towns its size11
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Smiths Falls2
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, Smiths Falls’ strong point is protected land nearby, where 12 of 39 top it. For public protected areas, though, 32 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montmagny QC | 26% | 0.1% | 51 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Liverpool NS | 24% | 21% | 230 | 5 | 56 |
| 3 | Timberlea NS | 19% | 30% | 22 | 12 | 7 |
| 4 | Whitehaven - Woodpark - Glabar Park ON | 14% | 5.8% | 31 | 3 | 8 |
| 5 | Carson Grove - Carson Meadows ON | 14% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Laurentian ON | 13% | 0% | 31 | 3 | 8 |
| 7 | Hintonburg-Mechanicsville ON | 11% | 1.4% | 32 | 3 | 5 |
| 8 | Rothwell Heights - Beacon Hill North ON | 11% | 7.8% | 42 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Laval-Ouest QC | 11% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 5 |
| 10 | Yellowhead County AB | 11% | 3.4% | 33 | 2 | 11 |
| 11 | Borden Farm - Fisher Glen ON | 10% | 0.6% | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Vieux Greenfield Park QC | 7.8% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 5 |
| 13 | Smiths Falls ON | 7.5% | 6.3% | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 14 | New Kleinburg ON | 7.5% | 12% | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | La Tuque QC | 7.4% | 7.5% | 372 | 0 | 140 |
| 16 | Wendover ON | 6.7% | 4.4% | 58 | 0 | 4 |
| 17 | Penetanguishene ON | 6.6% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| 18 | Pont-Rouge QC | 5.1% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Snelgrove ON | 3.7% | 18% | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | Lake Bonavista AB | 3.5% | 3.1% | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| 21 | Little Saigon BC | 3.1% | 0% | 13 | 3 | 37 |
| 22 | Cathedraltown ON | 3% | 0% | 38 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Bendale South ON | 2.7% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 24 | Forest Hill South ON | 2.4% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 25 | Broadview North ON | 2.3% | 5.7% | 11 | 4 | 12 |
| 26 | Thornbury ON | 2.2% | 5.5% | 63 | 5 | 8 |
| 27 | Cabbagetown-South St.James Town ON | 2.2% | 0% | 11 | 8 | 33 |
| 28 | Dufferin Grove ON | 1.9% | 0% | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| 29 | East London ON | 1.8% | 1.4% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Sheridan ON | 1.7% | 8.4% | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | Linden Woods MB | 1.5% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | Norquay Village BC | 1.4% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 15 |
| 33 | Peguis MB | 0.5% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Lacombe County AB | 0.4% | 0.4% | 45 | 0 | 11 |
| 35 | Whitehorn AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Farnham QC | 0.2% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 37 | Princess-Rosethorn ON | 0.2% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Creditview ON | 0.2% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Lethbridge County AB | 0.1% | 0.2% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Beddington Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Smiths Falls
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
4 named parks and woods to walk in near Smiths Falls
Lower Reach Park is the largest, at 18 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
4 named parks and woods, 27 ha in all
Parks & gardens 27 ha
Add Lower Reach Park to Community Centre Park Area and you have 87% of it.
Community Centre Park Area
Park or garden
5.2 ha
0.9 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Victoria Park
Park or garden
1.8 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
0.6 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Murphy Park
Park or garden
1.6 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Smiths Falls
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
About 8 in 10 of Smiths Falls’ 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 (78%)Further (22%)
Smiths Falls78%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
That is below the typical Canadian town (83%). About 2,400 residents live further than 400 m from one.
Protected areas
Around Smiths Falls, protected areas make up 7.5%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Smiths Falls6.3%
Within 10 km7.5%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of the 5, 1 are public land; the others are privately held. 4 areas, privately held or of unrecorded ownership, are left unnamed.
Rideau Canal National Historic SiteProtected area · 19,972 ha · reaches Smiths Falls
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, 35 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
Murphys Point Provincial Park
17 km south-west11 km²since 1967
National park
Thousand Islands National Park
35 km south24 km²since 1904
A provincial park is closer: Murphys Point Provincial Park, at 17 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Smiths Falls and its edge hold 14 km of footpath
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
14 km
in and around the town (32.1 km²)
Woodland
31%
about 9.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Smiths FallsTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.4
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Smiths FallsTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland31%
0%50%100%
More of it is wooded than in 74% of Canadian towns. For path density, 68% of Canadian towns do better.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
Trails around Smiths Falls
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
NationalRegional
The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario)239.5 km
Rideau Trail - Central Section61.4 km
The The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario) (240 km) keeps within 2 km of town for 4.9 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Smiths Falls is best on foot in May and August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Drummond Centre (23 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°C) | -5 | -2 | 4 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 13 | 6 | -1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 74 | 57 | 62 | 78 | 74 | 89 | 89 | 88 | 91 | 87 | 75 | 74 |
Precipitation runs from 57 mm in February to 91 mm in September. Highs peak near 27 °C in July and fall to -5 °C in January. Snow totals about 187 cm a year. The climate in Smiths Falls →
Beaches
One beach near Smiths Falls
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Murphy Park Beachsand · in town
DirectionsWhether the water is fit for a swim isn’t in any open national dataset; public health posts the local advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Smiths Falls: 13 outdoor spots on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Count 9 picnic sites, the biggest group.
Every named place, with directions
Picnic sites 9
Plus 9 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Smiths Falls
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
MontagueMerrickvilleDrummond/North ElmsleyPerthSmiths Falls
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smiths Falls | 7.5% | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Montague 6.9 km | 3% | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| Merrickville 12 km | 2.9% | 12 | 5 | 2 |
| Drummond/North Elmsley 16 km | 4.9% | 22 | 4 | 5 |
| Perth 19 km | 5.4% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
For walking routes, Montague leads the area with 5. For protected land, no neighbour of Smiths Falls doubles its share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- 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 Smiths Falls
What is the nearest national park to Smiths Falls?
Thousand Islands National Park is closest, at 35 km.
When is the best time for walking in Smiths Falls?
On the normals, May and August: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
What is the largest protected area near Smiths Falls?
Rideau Canal National Historic Site, a protected area of 19,972 ha.
What is the nearest provincial park to Smiths Falls?
Murphys Point Provincial Park, 17 km from the edge of town.
Is there protected land near Smiths Falls?
Protected areas cover 7.5% of the land within 10 km.
What is the nearest beach to Smiths Falls?
Try Murphy Park Beach, in town.
Where can you walk near Smiths Falls?
Try the The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario) and Rideau Trail - Central Section; more are on the map.
Sources
Where Smiths Falls’ 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).