First pick
Downsview Park
Park or garden
77 ha16.8 km of path
3 h 45 minto walk all 16.8 km of path
1.0 km northfrom the centre
Circuit PathSesquicentennial Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Fabian Roudra Baroi · CC BY-SA 4.01.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Downsview · parks, protected land & trails
Downsview is 23 km from Rouge National Urban Park
OpenStreetMap shows one walking route nearby, the North Park Trail. 8.4 km out lies the largest, E.T. Seton Park, at 130 ha. Of the country within 10 km, 1.1% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%.
Protected land
1.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
14
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
23 km
Rouge National Urban Park
Nearest provincial park
41 km
Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Downsview 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 km1.1%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas3Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named 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
Downsview sits 11th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (17,591 to 18,557 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
Downsview1.1%
Towns its size2.2%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Downsview3
Towns its size4
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Downsview1
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Downsview is weakest for protected land nearby: 29 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fallingbrook ON | 14% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Deux-Montagnes QC | 14% | 2.1% | 33 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Central Saanich BC | 9.2% | 3.3% | 35 | 2 | 29 |
| 4 | Desmarchais-Crawford QC | 8.8% | 1.4% | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Sainte-Catherine QC | 7.9% | 6.3% | 23 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Unionville ON | 7.5% | 0% | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Lake Country BC | 6.1% | 0.5% | 20 | 0 | 22 |
| 8 | Schmidtville NS | 5.9% | 0% | 16 | 4 | 18 |
| 9 | Iberville QC | 5.1% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Fraser Heights BC | 4.1% | 24% | 129 | 4 | 6 |
| 11 | Royal Oak BC | 4.1% | 0% | 27 | 3 | 6 |
| 12 | L'Ancienne-Lorette QC | 3.9% | 0% | 29 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Centre ON | 3.8% | 12% | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Parc-Laurier QC | 3.5% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Morningside ON | 3% | 27% | 16 | 0 | 4 |
| 16 | McKenzie Towne AB | 3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| 17 | Auburn Bay AB | 2.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| 18 | Bay-Cloverhill ON | 2.4% | 0% | 12 | 9 | 18 |
| 19 | Downtown Yonge East ON | 2.3% | 0% | 11 | 10 | 39 |
| 20 | Victoria Village ON | 2.2% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 4 |
| 21 | Credit Valley ON | 2.2% | 5.5% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Fletchers West ON | 2.2% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Thornhill ON | 2.1% | 0.4% | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Greater Napanee ON | 1.9% | 1.2% | 34 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Cold Lake AB | 1.7% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Port Elgin ON | 1.6% | 6.2% | 8 | 0 | 25 |
| 27 | Saint-Sulpice QC | 1.5% | 2.1% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Mahogany AB | 1.4% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| 29 | Clanton Park ON | 1.3% | 0% | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Downsview ON | 1.1% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | Collingwood BC | 0.8% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 6 |
| 32 | Edmundston NB | 0.6% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 33 | Swift Current SK | 0.6% | 0.2% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Listowel ON | 0.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Sylvan Lake AB | 0.5% | 0.1% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Eringate-Centennial-West Deane ON | 0.4% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 37 | Port Hope ON | 0.3% | 0.1% | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 38 | Mimico-Queensway ON | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 3 | 20 |
| 39 | DT Fairview ON | 0.2% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Taradale AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Downsview
The neighbourhood’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
20 named parks and woods to walk in near Downsview
Largest first: Downsview Park leads with 77 ha. Numbers match the map.
20 named parks and woods, 246 ha in all
Parks & gardens 246 ha
Downsview Dells Park and Downsview Park together hold 63% of it.
Downsview Dells Park
Park or garden
78 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
1.5 km westfrom the centre
Black Creek Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Derrydowns Park
Park or garden
62 ha3.9 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.9 km of path
3.3 km north-westfrom the centre
Black Creek Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Roding Park
Park or garden
8.8 ha1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
1.2 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Ancaster Park
Park or garden
3.0 ha0.4 km of path
1.1 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Anthony Road School Park
Park or garden
2.4 ha0.4 km of path
1.1 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Stanley Greene Park
Park or garden
1.9 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
Centralin the middle of Downsview
Directionsto a point inside
All 20 named parks and green spaces
Downsview ParkPark or garden · 77 ha · 16.8 km of path
DirectionsDownsview Dells ParkPark or garden · 78 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsDerrydowns ParkPark or garden · 62 ha · 3.9 km of path
DirectionsRoding ParkPark or garden · 8.8 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsAncaster ParkPark or garden · 3.0 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsAnthony Road School ParkPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsStanley Greene ParkPark or garden · 1.9 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsSeeley GreenbeltPark or garden · 3.0 ha
DirectionsBanting ParkPark or garden · 2.5 ha
DirectionsBrookwell ParkPark or garden · 1.2 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsMichael Mostyn Balmoral ParkPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.1 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsErnie Lustig - Rainbow ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsBenjamin Boake GreenbeltPark or garden · 0.8 ha
DirectionsDogsview ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsRobert Leek Memorial ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsDownsview Memorial ParkettePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsDiana ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsWilson Heights ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha · just outside town
DirectionsMichael Feldman ParkettePark or garden · 0.3 ha · just outside town
DirectionsMilton Berger ParkPark or garden · 0.3 ha · just outside town
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
Nearly all of Downsview is 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 (97%)Further (3.5%)
Downsview97%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
Around 600 residents are further than 400 m from a park. The typical Canadian town manages 83%, so this is better.
Protected areas
Within 10 km of Downsview, 1.1% is protected land
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Downsview0%
Within 10 km1.1%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
On public land: 3 of the 14. The others are private conservation land. E.T. Seton Park leads for size with 130 ha. The count includes 11 areas that are private or not recorded as public; they aren’t named.
E.T. Seton ParkNature reserve · 130 ha · 8.4 km from the edge of town
Humber MarshesNature reserve · 31 ha · 8.5 km from the edge of town
Webster ParkNature reserve · 18 ha · 9.5 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
Big parks near Downsview
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
National urban park
Rouge National Urban Park
23 km east46 km²since 2015
Provincial park
Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Park
41 km north0.3 km²since 1994
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Downsview has 55 km of footpaths in and around it
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
55 km
in and around the town (24.6 km²)
Woodland
3.5%
about 0.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
DownsviewTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths2.2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
DownsviewTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland3.5%
0%50%100%
Paths are denser here than in 59% of Canadian towns. 67% of Canadian towns are more wooded.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
Downsview has 1 named walking route
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Other waymarked
North Park Trail1.2 km
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Downsview is best on foot in May and July to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Toronto (City) (9.4 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 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 65 | 54 | 53 | 78 | 76 | 82 | 77 | 72 | 69 | 69 | 71 | 58 |
Precipitation runs from 53 mm in March to 82 mm in June. From 0 °C in January to 27 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. The yearly snowfall is near 115 cm. The climate in Downsview →
Things to do
Near Downsview: 4 viewpoints on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The tallest named summit close by is The Mound (212 m). The map shows 142 playgrounds, ahead of the rest.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 2
Mini Mound206 m · in town
DirectionsThe Mound212 m · in town
DirectionsPicnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 142
Play Zonein town
DirectionsGiovanni Caboto Park0.3 km from town
DirectionsJumpstart Playground1.7 km from town
DirectionsPlus 139 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Dogsview Parkin town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
Near Downsview: 3 gardens and parks to visit
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Downsview ParkGarden or park · at the edge of town
DirectionsHigh ParkGarden or park · 8.8 km from town
DirectionsQueen's ParkGarden or park · 9.0 km from town
DirectionsSources: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, and Wikidata (CC0), as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic places from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places and Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel.
Next door
Next to Downsview
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Maple LeafOakdale-Beverley HeightsRusticYorkdale-Glen ParkYork University HeightsGlenfield-Jane HeightsDownsview
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downsview | 1.1% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Maple Leaf 1.7 km | 0.5% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Oakdale-Beverley Heights 2.4 km | 0.9% | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Rustic 2.7 km | 0.3% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Yorkdale-Glen Park 2.9 km | 1.3% | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| York University Heights 3.1 km | 2.7% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Glenfield-Jane Heights 3.1 km | 1.6% | 11 | 0 | 0 |
York University Heights 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. 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.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
Questions about the outdoors in Downsview
What is the best season to get outdoors in Downsview?
May and July to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
How far is Downsview from a national park?
Rouge National Urban Park, 23 km from the edge of town.
What is the nearest provincial park to Downsview?
Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Park, 41 km away.
Is there protected land near Downsview?
Within 10 km, 1.1% of the land lies in protected areas.
Which is the biggest protected area near Downsview?
It is E.T. Seton Park, a nature reserve covering 130 ha.
Where can you walk near Downsview?
OpenStreetMap maps the North Park Trail close by.
Sources
Sources for this page on Downsview
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.
Gardens: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden) and Wikidata gardens within 15 km, as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic gardens and parks from Canada’s heritage registers (Parks Canada DFHD, the Canadian Register of Historic Places, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel).
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).