First pick
Utter Park
Park or garden · 60 m outside town
2.1 ha0.2 km of path
13 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 4.00.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Watford · parks, protected land & trails
Little of the land around Watford is protected: 0.1% within 10 km
A provincial park, Pinery Provincial Park, lies 16 km away. Within 10 km are 3 protected areas. One named trail is close: the Rock Glen CA.
Protected land
0.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
3
within 10 km, 0 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
16 km
Pinery Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Watford 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. 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 km0.1%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.2%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 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
Among 40 towns its size, Watford is 8th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,881 to 4,031 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
Watford0.1%
Towns its size1.5%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Watford0
Towns its size3
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Watford1
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Watford is weakest for public protected areas: 31 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electoral Area F, East Kootenay BC | 30% | 23% | 41 | 2 | 10 |
| 2 | Electoral Area J, Central Kootenay BC | 11% | 4.9% | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Lamont County AB | 9.6% | 2.2% | 51 | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | Okanagan Falls BC | 9.1% | 18% | 34 | 0 | 30 |
| 5 | Cap-Santé QC | 8.3% | 0.1% | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Colchester County, Subdivision A NS | 7.5% | 14% | 51 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | Ainslie Wood West ON | 7.5% | 15% | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | East Lawrencetown NS | 5.9% | 2.4% | 20 | 0 | 23 |
| 9 | Stinson ON | 4.9% | 0% | 21 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | Normanview Residents Group SK | 3.7% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Fairview AB | 3.7% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 12 | Belmead AB | 3.7% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | New Richmond QC | 3.4% | 0.5% | 19 | 0 | 3 |
| 14 | Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard QC | 3% | 0.2% | 20 | 4 | 9 |
| 15 | Saint-Faustin--Lac-Carré QC | 3% | 0.2% | 14 | 7 | 8 |
| 16 | Callander ON | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Lisgar ON | 2.8% | 0% | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | Auditorium ON | 1.9% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Norwood East MB | 1.5% | 0% | 21 | 4 | 0 |
| 20 | Keswick AB | 1.5% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Kentley ON | 1.4% | 0% | 13 | 1 | 9 |
| 22 | Bridgeport East ON | 1.2% | 0% | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Forty Mile County No. 8 AB | 1.1% | 1.6% | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Haddow AB | 0.9% | 0% | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | Livingston AB | 0.6% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | University Heights AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 27 | Mission Gardens MB | 0.5% | 2.3% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Leila North MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Templeton-Sinclair MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Pasadena NL | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Fraser AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 32 | Maple AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 33 | Watford ON | 0.1% | 0.2% | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | Danville QC | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Morris-Turnberry ON | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Pincher Creek AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Fort Macleod AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Belle Rive AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Parkdale AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 40 | York AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The map
The green map of Watford
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 named parks and woods to walk in near Watford
Utter Park is the largest, at 2.1 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
Old BP Brownfield
Park or garden · 300 m outside town
0.2 ha
13 km northfrom 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
1 in 10 people in Watford 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 (13%)Further (87%)
Watford13%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 3,500 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, above this.
Protected areas
3 protected areas lie within 10 km of Watford
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Watford0.2%
Within 10 km0.1%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
They belong to private owners or land trusts, so the page leaves their names out.
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
Pinery Provincial Park, 16 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
Pinery Provincial Park
16 km north25 km²since 1957
No national park lies within 100 km of Watford; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach.
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: 6 km in and around Watford
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
6.1 km
in and around the town (380 km²)
Woodland
11%
about 41.8 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
WatfordTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
WatfordTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland11%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 97% of Canadian towns. It is more wooded than 54% 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
1 walking route near Watford
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Local
Rock Glen CA2.4 km
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Watford is best on foot in May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Strathroy-Mullifarry (19 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°C) | -2 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 81 | 62 | 66 | 88 | 84 | 86 | 78 | 81 | 88 | 84 | 90 | 79 |
Some 152 cm of snow falls each winter. Rain and snow peak in November (90 mm) and ease in February (62 mm). Summer highs reach 27 °C in July; in January they stay near -2 °C. The climate in Watford →
Things to do
13 things to do outdoors near Watford
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Picnic sites lead the count with 3.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 3
Warwick Conservation Areain town
DirectionsRock Glenn Conservation Area1.7 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 nature reserve more.
Picnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 2
Plus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Lakeside Campgroundin town
DirectionsWoodlot Campgroundin town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Watford
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Brooke-AlvinstonAdelaide-MetcalfeWatford
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watford | 0.1% | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Brooke-Alvinston 15 km | 0.3% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Adelaide-Metcalfe 18 km | 0.3% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
For protected land, no neighbour of Watford doubles its share.
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.
- 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.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- 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 Watford
What is the nearest national park to Watford?
No national park lies within 100 km of Watford.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Watford?
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 provincial park to Watford?
The closest is Pinery Provincial Park, at 16 km.
Are there protected areas near Watford?
Protected areas cover 0.1% of the land within 10 km.
Where can you walk near Watford?
OpenStreetMap maps the Rock Glen CA close by.
Sources
Where Watford’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).