First pick
Stirling Fairground
Park or garden
13 ha
3.4 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Robert Taylor from Stirling, ON, Canada · CC BY 2.01.3%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Stirling · parks, protected land & trails
The The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario) runs by Stirling
A provincial park, Ferris Provincial Park, lies 10 km away. CPCAD lists 17 protected areas within 10 km. The closest of Canada’s national parks is Thousand Islands National Park, at 81 km.
Protected land
1.3%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
17
within 10 km, 0 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
81 km
Thousand Islands National Park
Nearest provincial park
10 km
Ferris Provincial Park
Walking routes
2
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Stirling against 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
Protected within 10 km1.3%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town1.5%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas0Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes3Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Stirling has the 19th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (5,386 to 5,597 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
Stirling1.3%
Towns its size2%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Stirling0
Towns its size2
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Stirling3
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Stirling is weakest for public protected areas: 34 of 39 have more.
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 | Greenboro West ON | 9.7% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 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 | Countryside ON | 4.4% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Woodlands AB | 3.9% | 9.6% | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 14 | Gananoque ON | 3.3% | 1.5% | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| 15 | Saint-Boniface QC | 3.1% | 0% | 13 | 5 | 4 |
| 16 | West Meadowlark Park AB | 2.5% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | New Glasgow PE | 2.2% | 3% | 20 | 12 | 17 |
| 18 | Huron South ON | 2.1% | 2.4% | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | North Gower - Kars ON | 2% | 3% | 22 | 0 | 3 |
| 20 | Carlton AB | 2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Metcalfe ON | 1.9% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | Stirling ON | 1.3% | 1.5% | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| 23 | Burrows Central MB | 1.1% | 0% | 14 | 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 | Wolfville NS | 0.5% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | Cookshire-Eaton QC | 0.4% | 0.7% | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 28 | Mandalay West MB | 0.4% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Riverbend MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Coral Springs AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Belgravia AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 32 | Hillview AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 33 | Larkspur AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | Southwold ON | 0.1% | 0.1% | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| 35 | Grand Falls / Grand-Sault NB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 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
The green map of Stirling
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
Green: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, playing fields and woods. Hatched: CPCAD protected areas.© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); CPCAD (OGL-Canada)
Places to walk
2 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Stirling
Largest first: Stirling Fairground leads with 13 ha. Numbers match the map.
Station Park
Park or garden
1.3 ha0.4 km of path
3.6 km south-eastfrom 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
3 in 10 people in Stirling 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 (33%)Further (67%)
Stirling33%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
A median Canadian town manages 83%. Around 3,700 residents are further than 400 m from a park.
Protected areas
Around Stirling, protected areas make up 1.3%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Stirling1.5%
Within 10 km1.3%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Every one is privately held, and none is named: private land isn’t a place to visit.
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
The nearest big park: Thousand Islands National Park, 81 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
Ferris Provincial Park
10 km west2.0 km²since 1971
National park
Thousand Islands National Park
81 km south-east24 km²since 1904
A provincial park is closer: Ferris Provincial Park, at 10 km.
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: 75 km in and around Stirling
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
75 km
in and around the town (370.2 km²)
Woodland
40%
about 149.6 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
StirlingTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
StirlingTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland40%
0%50%100%
78% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km². It is more wooded than 79% 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
Where to walk from Stirling
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
NationalLocal
The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario)239.5 km
Stirling Rail Trail11.8 km
Of the The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario)’s 240 km, 28.1 km passes close to town.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Get out in Stirling in May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Trenton (22 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | -2 | -1 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 14 | 7 | 1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 78 | 60 | 64 | 84 | 81 | 83 | 75 | 70 | 92 | 91 | 84 | 77 |
Expect around 155 cm of snow over a winter. For dry weather, February is best (60 mm); September gets 92 mm. July is the warmest month, with highs around 27 °C; January the coldest, at -2 °C. The climate in Stirling →
Things to do
Outdoors around Stirling: 7 places to go
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Playgrounds lead the count with 4.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 2
King's Mill Conservation Areain town
DirectionsCallaghans Rapids Conservation Area0.2 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 4
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Island Park RV Resort1.6 km from town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Stirling
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. The nearest places to Stirling with figures are 19–22 km away.
CampbellfordQuinte WestMarmoraCentre HastingsBellevilleStirling
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stirling | 1.3% | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| Campbellford 19 km | 0.8% | 24 | 7 | 0 |
| Quinte West 20 km | 1.4% | 22 | 3 | 1 |
| Marmora 20 km | 5.5% | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Centre Hastings 21 km | 2.5% | 30 | 2 | 3 |
| Belleville 22 km | 1.2% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
Campbellford has the most mapped walking routes nearby: 7. Marmora has at least twice the protected share around it.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- 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. CPCAD maps each protected area; the page counts how much of the 10 km around the town they cover, lakes and sea included.
Questions about the outdoors in Stirling
What is the best season to get outdoors in Stirling?
May to September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
How far is Stirling from a national park?
The nearest is Thousand Islands National Park, 81 km away.
What walking routes are near Stirling?
The The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario) and Stirling Rail Trail, among the routes mapped within 2 km.
How much land around Stirling is protected?
Protected areas cover 1.3% of the land within 10 km.
What is the nearest provincial park to Stirling?
The closest is Ferris Provincial Park, at 10 km.
Sources
The sources behind Stirling’s outdoors figures
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).