First pick
Peasemarsh Park
Park or garden
6.8 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
0.8 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Skytrain3514 at English Wikipedia · Public domain2.2%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Thornbury · parks, protected land & trails
Thornbury has 34 public protected areas within 10 km
Walkers have 5 mapped routes close by, starting with the Bruce Trail - Beaver Valley section and Bruce Trail - Blue Mountains section. Within 5 km lie 8 beaches, unnamed on the map. Georgian Bay Islands National Park is the closest national park, 48 km from town.
Protected land
2.2%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
63
within 10 km, 34 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
48 km
Georgian Bay Islands National Park
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park
Walking routes
5
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
8
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where Thornbury stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Many protected areas34 public areas within 10 kmWalking routes5 named routes within 2 kmA provincial park at the edgeDuncan Escarpment Provincial Park reaches the townBeaches8 beaches within 5 km
Thornbury is strongest on the number of public protected areas close by, with its choice of walking routes close behind.
Against other towns
How Thornbury 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
Protected within 10 km2.2%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town5.5%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas34Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes5Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches8Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Thornbury has the 16th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (10,966 to 11,365 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
Thornbury2.2%
Towns its size3.3%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Thornbury34
Towns its size11
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Thornbury5
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Thornbury does best for public protected areas: 3 of the other 39 have more. It trails them for protected land nearby, where 24 of 39 have more.
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 | Penetanguishene ON | 6.6% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| 17 | Hochelaga QC | 5.3% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 4 |
| 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 | Forest Hill South ON | 2.4% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 24 | Broadview North ON | 2.3% | 5.7% | 11 | 4 | 12 |
| 25 | Thornbury ON | 2.2% | 5.5% | 63 | 5 | 8 |
| 26 | Cabbagetown-South St.James Town ON | 2.2% | 0% | 11 | 8 | 33 |
| 27 | Dufferin Grove ON | 1.9% | 0% | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| 28 | East London ON | 1.8% | 1.4% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Sheridan ON | 1.7% | 8.4% | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Linden Woods MB | 1.5% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Bridgwater Trails MB | 1.4% | 0% | 20 | 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
Thornbury on the map: green space, protected land and paths
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
9 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Thornbury
Peasemarsh Park is the largest, at 6.8 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
9 named parks and woods, 20 ha in all
Parks & gardens 20 ha
Add Peasemarsh Park to Bayview Park and you have 50% of it.
Delphi Point Park
Park or garden
3.3 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
5.0 km eastfrom the centre
Delphi Point Park Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Bayview Park
Park or garden
3.5 ha0.4 km of path
1.7 km north-westfrom the centre
Bayview Park Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Northwinds Beach
Park or garden
2.4 ha0.2 km of path
8.6 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Nipissing Ridge Park
Park or garden
0.7 ha0.2 km of path
8.0 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks and green spaces
Peasemarsh ParkPark or garden · 6.8 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsDelphi Point ParkPark or garden · 3.3 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsBayview ParkPark or garden · 3.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsNorthwinds BeachPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsLora Bay ParkPark or garden · 1.5 ha
DirectionsTyrolean ParkPark or garden · 1.3 ha
DirectionsNipissing Ridge ParkPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsCouncil BeachPark or garden · 0.9 ha
DirectionsMoreau Park Off-Leash Dog 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 1 in 10 of Thornbury’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 (14%)Further (86%)
Thornbury14%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
A median Canadian town manages 83%. About 9,600 residents live further than 400 m from one.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 2.2% of the land near Thornbury
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Thornbury5.5%
Within 10 km2.2%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of those 63, 34 are public and the remainder private. At 1,099 ha, Pretty River Valley Provincial Park is the largest. Another 20 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Pretty River Valley Provincial ParkProvincial park · 1,099 ha · reaches Thornbury
Duncan Escarpment Provincial ParkProvincial park · 161 ha · reaches Thornbury
Craigleith Provincial ParkProvincial park · 67 ha · reaches Thornbury
SlyProtected area · 38 ha · reaches Thornbury
Wilson, H.Protected area · 30 ha · reaches Thornbury
Wilson, D.Protected area · 26 ha · reaches Thornbury
GoodchildProtected area · 22 ha · reaches Thornbury
SkeltonProtected area · 19 ha · reaches Thornbury
Wilson, A.Protected area · 12 ha · reaches Thornbury
WoodProtected area · 8.7 ha · reaches Thornbury
10 more named areas within 10 km are in the figures.
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: Georgian Bay Islands National Park, 48 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
Pretty River Valley Provincial Park
At the edge11 km²since 1985
Provincial park
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park
At the edge1.6 km²since 1985
Provincial park
Craigleith Provincial Park
At the edge0.7 km²since 1967
Provincial park
Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park
0.6 km south-east1.3 km²since 1994
National park
Georgian Bay Islands National Park
48 km north-east14 km²since 1930
Within 10 km are 4 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
272 km of paths in and around Thornbury
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
272 km
in and around the town (380 km²)
Woodland
40%
about 151.3 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
ThornburyTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.7
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
ThornburyTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland40%
0%50%100%
It is more wooded than 79% of Canadian towns. For path density, 62% 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
5 mapped routes to walk from Thornbury
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
RegionalLocalOther waymarked
Bruce Trail - Beaver Valley section117.6 km
Bruce Trail - Blue Mountains section68.2 km
Logan's Run2.3 km
Bruce Trail - Blue Mountain section side trails2.2 km
The Swamp Climbers' Trail1.6 km
Among local routes, the Bruce Trail - Beaver Valley section is longest at 117.6 km. 3 are short walks under 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
Get out in Thornbury in May to August
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Wiarton, 58 km away). Good months: long days, highs of 15–30 °C, light 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 | 8.8 |
| High (°C) | -1 | -1 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 14 | 8 | 2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 111 | 77 | 66 | 84 | 82 | 79 | 70 | 83 | 99 | 110 | 110 | 104 |
For dry weather, March is best (66 mm); January gets 111 mm. From -1 °C in January to 25 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. The climate in Thornbury →
Beaches
8 unnamed beaches near Thornbury
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Beach water tests aren’t published as open data across Canada, so swimming advisories come from the local health unit.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Viewpoints and waterfalls near Thornbury: 20 and 3
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
20Viewpoints2Hills and peaks3Waterfalls5Nature reserves1Picnic sites12Playgrounds1Dog parks1Campsites
There are 20 viewpoints, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 20
Plus 20 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 2
Blue Mountainsin town
DirectionsOsler Bluffin town
DirectionsWaterfalls 3
Plus 3 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 5
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Parkin town
DirectionsLittle Germany Management Areain town
DirectionsMetcalfe Rockin town
DirectionsPetun Conservation Areain town
DirectionsChristie Beach Conservation Area0.0 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Moreau Park Off-Leash Dog Parkin town
DirectionsCampsites 1
Craigleith Provincial Park Campgroundin town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Thornbury
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 Thornbury with figures are 17–27 km away.
CollingwoodMeafordGrey HighlandsThornbury
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornbury | 2.2% | 63 | 5 | 8 |
| Collingwood 17 km | 3.9% | 15 | 0 | 3 |
| Meaford 20 km | 1.1% | 70 | 4 | 21 |
| Grey Highlands 27 km | 1.3% | 77 | 4 | 0 |
Its neighbours have no more than twice Thornbury’s protected share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- 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. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
Questions about the outdoors in Thornbury
Which is the biggest protected area near Thornbury?
It is Pretty River Valley Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 1,099 ha.
Is there a beach near Thornbury?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
Where can you walk near Thornbury?
Try the Bruce Trail - Beaver Valley section, Bruce Trail - Blue Mountains section and Logan's Run; more are on the map.
What is the nearest provincial park to Thornbury?
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park touches the town.
Are there protected areas near Thornbury?
Within 10 km, 2.2% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the nearest national park to Thornbury?
Georgian Bay Islands National Park, 48 km from the edge of town.
When is the best time for walking in Thornbury?
May to August, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Sources
The sources behind Thornbury’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).