First pick
Burgoyne Woods Park
Park or garden
52 ha0.2 km of path
2.8 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Gogerr · CC BY-SA 4.01.2%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in St. Catharines · parks, protected land & trails
A provincial park at St. Catharines’ edge: Short Hills Provincial Park
For walks, 4 named routes run within 2 km, such as the Bruce Trail - Niagara section and Laura Secord Legacy Trail. Within 5 km are 7 beaches; Jones Beach is the nearest. A drive of 63 km reaches Rouge National Urban Park, the nearest national park.
Protected land
1.2%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
15
within 10 km, 6 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
63 km
Rouge National Urban Park
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Short Hills Provincial Park
Walking routes
4
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
7
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where St. Catharines stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
A provincial park at the edgeShort Hills Provincial Park reaches the townWalking routes4 named routes within 2 kmBeaches7 beaches within 5 km
What St. Catharines has most to offer outdoors is a provincial park at its edge, with its choice of walking routes close behind.
Against other towns
How St. Catharines 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. Outdoors isn’t one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
Protected within 10 km1.2%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town1.7%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas6Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes4Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches7Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
St. Catharines sits 9th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (103,888 to 222,031 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
St. Catharines1.2%
Towns its size3.9%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
St. Catharines6
Towns its size15
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
St. Catharines4
Towns its size2
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, St. Catharines does best for walking routes: 10 of the other 39 have more. On protected land nearby it is behind: 31 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maple Ridge BC | 26% | 21% | 101 | 1 | 41 |
| 2 | Coquitlam BC | 25% | 28% | 130 | 5 | 69 |
| 3 | Delta BC | 24% | 17% | 181 | 9 | 19 |
| 4 | Kamloops BC | 14% | 13% | 16 | 0 | 11 |
| 5 | Kelowna BC | 13% | 3.8% | 36 | 0 | 42 |
| 6 | Chilliwack BC | 11% | 7.7% | 36 | 4 | 26 |
| 7 | Saanich BC | 11% | 9.4% | 43 | 7 | 56 |
| 8 | Strathcona County AB | 9.4% | 1.4% | 38 | 7 | 6 |
| 9 | Trois-Rivières QC | 8.4% | 1.2% | 44 | 1 | 10 |
| 10 | Cape Breton NS | 8.2% | 8.6% | 176 | 1 | 74 |
| 11 | Victoria BC | 8% | 0.9% | 20 | 4 | 34 |
| 12 | Pickering ON | 7.6% | 11% | 46 | 1 | 11 |
| 13 | Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury ON | 6.7% | 3.5% | 43 | 5 | 18 |
| 14 | Saguenay QC | 6% | 6.1% | 29 | 0 | 11 |
| 15 | Kingston ON | 5% | 6.2% | 54 | 2 | 5 |
| 16 | Ajax ON | 4.9% | 5.8% | 31 | 1 | 8 |
| 17 | Lévis QC | 4.1% | 0.6% | 62 | 1 | 8 |
| 18 | Sherbrooke QC | 4.1% | 0.8% | 23 | 2 | 3 |
| 19 | Whitby ON | 3.9% | 4.7% | 37 | 1 | 3 |
| 20 | Abbotsford BC | 3.9% | 0.5% | 37 | 2 | 10 |
| 21 | Terrebonne QC | 3.8% | 3.6% | 60 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | Langley BC | 3.5% | 2.9% | 144 | 8 | 10 |
| 23 | Barrie ON | 2.6% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| 24 | Burlington ON | 2.5% | 1.6% | 27 | 2 | 17 |
| 25 | Oshawa ON | 2.4% | 0.3% | 30 | 1 | 4 |
| 26 | St. John's NL | 2.2% | 1.2% | 6 | 1 | 41 |
| 27 | Richmond Hill ON | 1.9% | 8.4% | 51 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | Nanaimo BC | 1.9% | 6.7% | 42 | 2 | 33 |
| 29 | Cambridge ON | 1.7% | 0.4% | 33 | 10 | 2 |
| 30 | Bowmanville ON | 1.6% | 3% | 25 | 2 | 9 |
| 31 | Milton ON | 1.3% | 0% | 38 | 15 | 3 |
| 32 | St. Catharines ON | 1.2% | 1.7% | 15 | 4 | 7 |
| 33 | Niagara Falls ON | 1.1% | 1.7% | 15 | 3 | 4 |
| 34 | Chatham ON | 1% | 1% | 21 | 0 | 8 |
| 35 | Guelph ON | 0.9% | 3.1% | 15 | 10 | 5 |
| 36 | Red Deer AB | 0.7% | 1.2% | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 37 | Waterloo ON | 0.6% | 0% | 17 | 12 | 1 |
| 38 | Lethbridge AB | 0.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Brantford ON | 0.3% | 0% | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 40 | Thunder Bay ON | 0.1% | 0.4% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
The map
Where the green is in St. Catharines
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
30 parks and woods to walk in, in or near St. Catharines
Largest first: Burgoyne Woods Park leads with 52 ha. Numbers match the map.
30 named parks and woods, 248 ha in all
Parks & gardens 248 ha
The area is spread out: the biggest holds 21% of it.
Richard Pierpoint Park
Park or garden
19 ha2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
1.2 km southfrom the centre
Merritt Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Malcomson Eco-park
Park or garden
20 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
5.7 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Jaycee Gardens Park
Park or garden
12 ha1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
3.3 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Walker's Creek Park
Park or garden
10 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
3.8 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Rotary Park
Park or garden
8.6 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
5.8 km southfrom the centre
Total Access Walking TrailLaura Secord Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Charles Daley Park
Park or garden
9.6 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
6.9 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Pearson Park
Park or garden
8.6 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
1.7 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks and green spaces
Burgoyne Woods ParkPark or garden · 52 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsRichard Pierpoint ParkPark or garden · 19 ha · 2.7 km of path
DirectionsMalcomson Eco-parkPark or garden · 20 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsJaycee Gardens ParkPark or garden · 12 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsWalker's Creek ParkPark or garden · 10 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsRotary ParkPark or garden · 8.6 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsCharles Daley ParkPark or garden · 9.6 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsPearson ParkPark or garden · 8.6 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsLakeside ParkPark or garden · 5.9 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsWest ParkPark or garden · 8.7 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJoseph L. McCaffery Sports ParkPark or garden · 8.9 ha
DirectionsPic Leeson ParkPark or garden · 8.5 ha
DirectionsCherie Road ParkPark or garden · 5.5 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsSunset BeachPark or garden · 7.6 ha
DirectionsCindy Drive ParkPark or garden · 5.6 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsFairview ParkPark or garden · 5.5 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsWoodgale ParkPark or garden · 6.2 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsLancaster ParkPark or garden · 5.3 ha
DirectionsRennie ParkPark or garden · 3.5 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsMontebello ParkPark or garden · 2.7 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsTrapper Leo ParkPark or garden · 3.9 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsSecord Woods ParkPark or garden · 4.8 ha
DirectionsCatherine Street ParkPark or garden · 3.2 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsGuy Road ParkPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsPower Glen ParkPark or garden · 3.3 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsOrchard ParkPark or garden · 3.0 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsEastport ParkPark or garden · 3.2 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsMerritton Lions ParkPark or garden · 3.6 ha
DirectionsRealty ParkPark or garden · 3.4 ha
DirectionsBogart Street ParkPark or garden · 2.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
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
9 in 10 people in St. Catharines 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 (86%)Further (14%)
St. Catharines86%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, lower than here. That leaves about 21,000 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
Around St. Catharines, protected areas make up 1.2%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside St. Catharines1.7%
Within 10 km1.2%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
6 of the 15 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. Short Hills Provincial Park leads for size with 720 ha. Another 9 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Short Hills Provincial ParkProvincial park · 720 ha · reaches St. Catharines
PennachettiProtected area · 2.5 ha · reaches St. Catharines
SigfridProtected area · 2.1 ha · reaches St. Catharines
River RealtyProtected area · 14 ha · 3.7 km from the edge of town
LoweryProtected area · 4.5 ha · 6.5 km from the edge of town
Settlement of St. DavidsProtected area · 0.4 ha · 6.5 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
Rouge National Urban Park, 63 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
Short Hills Provincial Park
At the edge7.2 km²since 1985
National urban park
Rouge National Urban Park
63 km north46 km²since 2015
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
249 km of paths in and around St. Catharines
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
249 km
in and around the town (158.3 km²)
Woodland
10%
about 16.2 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
St. CatharinesTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths1.6
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
St. CatharinesTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland10%
0%50%100%
For woods, it beats 53% of Canadian towns. It has fewer paths per km² than 50% 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
4 walking routes near St. Catharines
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
RegionalLocal
Bruce Trail - Niagara section81.8 km
Laura Secord Legacy Trail33.1 km
Grantham Rail Trail5.0 km
Laura Secord Trail1.1 km
Among local routes, the Bruce Trail - Niagara section is longest at 81.8 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
St. Catharines is best on foot in May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Vineland (15 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°C) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 16 | 9 | 3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 71 | 52 | 62 | 83 | 70 | 78 | 74 | 69 | 69 | 77 | 72 | 62 |
Summer highs reach 27 °C in July; in January they stay near 0 °C. Rain and snow peak in April (83 mm) and ease in February (52 mm). Some 141 cm of snow falls each winter. The climate in St. Catharines →
Beaches
St. Catharines has 7 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Jones Beachin town
DirectionsLakeshore Park Beachsand · in town
DirectionsSunset Beachsand · in town
DirectionsAdd 4 unnamed beaches to the count. Sandy ones: 2. 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
Viewpoints and waterfalls near St. Catharines: 6 and 17
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
6Viewpoints1Hills and peaks17Waterfalls3Nature reserves8Picnic sites151Playgrounds2Dog parks2Campsites4Slipways
The map shows 151 playgrounds, ahead of the rest.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 6
Plus 6 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 1
Plus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 17
Decew Fallsin town
DirectionsLower Decew Fallsin town
DirectionsLower Scout Falls0.3 km from town
DirectionsScout Falls0.4 km from town
DirectionsLower Rockway Falls0.6 km from town
DirectionsEffingham Falls1.0 km from town
DirectionsRockway Falls1.0 km from town
DirectionsTerrace Falls1.1 km from town
DirectionsPlus 9 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 3
Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Sitein town
DirectionsRockway Conservation Area0.2 km from town
DirectionsWoodend Conservation Area1.5 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 8
Picnic shelter B0.2 km from town
DirectionsPicnic shelter C0.2 km from town
DirectionsPlus 6 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 151
Lakeside park Carouselin town
DirectionsPrincess Parkin town
DirectionsRalph Reid playground0.3 km from town
DirectionsPlus 148 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 2
Plus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Plus 2 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 4
Kayak launchin town
DirectionsSt. Catharines Game & Fish boat launchin town
DirectionsPlus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to St. Catharines
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
ThoroldNiagara-on-the-LakeNiagara FallsBeamsvillePelhamSt. Catharines
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Catharines | 1.2% | 15 | 4 | 7 |
| Thorold 7.3 km | 1.6% | 16 | 7 | 1 |
| Niagara-on-the-Lake 11 km | 0.6% | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| Niagara Falls 14 km | 1.1% | 15 | 3 | 4 |
| Beamsville 15 km | 1.2% | 26 | 5 | 9 |
| Pelham 16 km | 2.7% | 18 | 7 | 1 |
Around Pelham the protected share is at least double. Thorold has the most mapped walking routes nearby: 7.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Private land. Land owned by individuals, companies or conservation groups counts toward the figures but is never named: a person’s land isn’t a place to visit.
- Protected land. The share is of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s outline, from CPCAD’s mapped areas; marine areas count, so a coastal town can score high on water.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in St. Catharines
Is there protected land near St. Catharines?
Yes: 1.2% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Is there a beach near St. Catharines?
The nearest is Jones Beach, in town.
What walking routes are near St. Catharines?
OpenStreetMap maps the Bruce Trail - Niagara section, Laura Secord Legacy Trail and Grantham Rail Trail close by, with others.
What is the nearest provincial park to St. Catharines?
Short Hills Provincial Park, which reaches the edge of town.
What is the largest protected area near St. Catharines?
Short Hills Provincial Park, a provincial park of 720 ha.
What is the nearest national park to St. Catharines?
Rouge National Urban Park, 63 km from the edge of town.
What is the best season to get outdoors in St. Catharines?
On the normals, May to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
Sources
Where St. Catharines’ 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).