First pick
Fingal Ball Park
Park or garden
5.4 ha
2.7 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Unknown. Canada. Department of National Defence. · Public domain0.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Southwold · parks, protected land & trails
4 named trails run within 2 km of Southwold
John E. Pearce Provincial Park is the closest provincial park, at 9.9 km. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 0.1% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. Swimmers have 5 beaches within 5 km, Erie Rest Beach the nearest.
Protected land
0.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
5
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
9.9 km
John E. Pearce Provincial Park
Walking routes
4
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
5
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
The outdoors in Southwold, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Walking routes4 named routes within 2 kmBeaches5 beaches within 5 kmLittle protected land0.1% within 10 km; the typical Canadian town: 2.3%
What Southwold has most to offer outdoors is its choice of walking routes, with its beaches close behind. Less going for it: protected land nearby.
Against other towns
How Southwold 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 km0.1%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.1%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 routes4Named 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
Among 40 towns its size, Southwold is 8th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (5,368 to 5,568 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
Southwold0.1%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Southwold1
Towns its size2
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Southwold4
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
For protected land nearby, Southwold lags towns its size: 32 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue QC | 43% | 33% | 45 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | Inverness County, Subdivision A NS | 29% | 40% | 156 | 2 | 35 |
| 3 | Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay BC | 25% | 28% | 28 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Hudson QC | 20% | 1.1% | 52 | 0 | 5 |
| 5 | Juan de Fuca (Part 1) BC | 14% | 50% | 64 | 12 | 71 |
| 6 | Island Park-Wellington Village ON | 12% | 2.9% | 35 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Billings Bridge - Heron Park ON | 11% | 2.4% | 35 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | Burton NB | 9.5% | 2% | 36 | 0 | 7 |
| 9 | Garner ON | 6.5% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | Carillon / Saint-Pie-X QC | 5.4% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | Espanola ON | 4.5% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Woodlands AB | 3.9% | 9.6% | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 13 | Gananoque ON | 3.3% | 1.5% | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Saint-Boniface QC | 3.1% | 0% | 13 | 5 | 4 |
| 15 | West Meadowlark Park AB | 2.5% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | New Glasgow PE | 2.2% | 3% | 20 | 12 | 17 |
| 17 | Huron South ON | 2.1% | 2.4% | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | North Gower - Kars ON | 2% | 3% | 22 | 0 | 3 |
| 19 | Carlton AB | 2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Metcalfe ON | 1.9% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 21 | Stirling ON | 1.3% | 1.5% | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| 22 | Burrows Central MB | 1.1% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Windsor QC | 1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Saint-Jean-de-Matha QC | 0.7% | 0.1% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | West Lorne ON | 0.6% | 0.6% | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| 26 | Cookshire-Eaton QC | 0.4% | 0.7% | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 27 | Mandalay West MB | 0.4% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Riverbend MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Coral Springs AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Belgravia AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 31 | Hillview AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 32 | Larkspur AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 33 | Southwold ON | 0.1% | 0.1% | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| 34 | Grand Falls / Grand-Sault NB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | Chisasibi QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 36 | Wingham ON | 0% | 0.2% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 37 | Stonewall MB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Crystallina Nera East AB | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Kilkenny AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Riverdale AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
The map
Where the green is in Southwold
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 Southwold: 3 named parks and woods
The biggest is Fingal Ball Park, 5.4 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
Muncey Delaware Nation Park
Park or garden · 260 m outside town
3.5 ha
14 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 Southwold 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%)
Southwold0%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town reaches 83%. That leaves about 5,500 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
Southwold has 5 protected areas within 10 km
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Southwold0.1%
Within 10 km0.1%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
1 of the 5 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. Another 4 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
John E. Pearce Provincial ParkProvincial park · 68 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
John E. Pearce Provincial Park is 9.9 km away
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
John E. Pearce Provincial Park
9.9 km south-west0.7 km²since 1957
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, Southwold has its province’s.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Paths to walk: 60 km in and around Southwold
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
60 km
in and around the town (406.1 km²)
Woodland
16%
about 66 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
SouthwoldTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
SouthwoldTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland16%
0%50%100%
Woods cover more of it than in 62% of Canadian towns. It has fewer paths per km² than 81% 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
Trails around Southwold
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
RegionalLocal
Thames Valley Trail141.3 km
Elgin Trail45.9 km
Kettle Creek Conservation Area11.3 km
Dorothy Palmer Memorial Trail3.4 km
For a longer outing, the Thames Valley Trail runs 141.3 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
The best months for walking in Southwold: May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from London (35 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°C) | -2 | -1 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 79 | 63 | 67 | 89 | 89 | 86 | 81 | 67 | 93 | 83 | 88 | 79 |
July is the warmest month, with highs around 27 °C; January the coldest, at -2 °C. September is the wettest month (93 mm) and February the driest (63 mm). Expect around 152 cm of snow over a winter. The climate in Southwold →
Beaches
5 beaches within 5 km of Southwold
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Erie Rest Beachsand · 0.4 km from town
DirectionsPort Stanley Main Beachsand · 1.4 km from town
DirectionsLittle Beach1.6 km from town
DirectionsAdd 2 unnamed beaches to the count. 2 are mapped as sand. No open data on beach water quality covers every province, so check with public health before a swim.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
A viewpoint near Southwold
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The map shows 13 playgrounds, ahead of the rest.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 3
Deer Ridge Conservation Areain town
DirectionsFingal Wildlife Management Areain town
DirectionsUnion Pond Conservation Area1.0 km from town
DirectionsDog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park 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 Southwold
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Oneida 41St. ThomasCentral ElginDuttonLambethSouthwold
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwold | 0.1% | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Oneida 41 12 km | 0.2% | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| St. Thomas 13 km | 0.2% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Central Elgin 14 km | 0.2% | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Dutton 17 km | 0.2% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Lambeth 19 km | 1.8% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
Lambeth has at least twice the protected share around it. More routes are mapped around Central Elgin (7).
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- 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. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
Questions about the outdoors in Southwold
How far is the nearest provincial park from Southwold?
Pearce Provincial Park, 9.9 km away.
Are there protected areas near Southwold?
Yes: 0.1% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the largest protected area near Southwold?
Pearce Provincial Park: 68 ha, a provincial park.
Where can you swim near Southwold?
Erie Rest Beach, 0.4 km from town, is the nearest mapped beach.
Are there hiking trails near Southwold?
Try the Elgin Trail, Thames Valley Trail and Dorothy Palmer Memorial Trail; more are on the map.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Southwold?
May to September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
What is the nearest national park to Southwold?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Southwold.
Sources
Where Southwold’s 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).