First pick
Memorial Park
Park or garden
19 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
2.8 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain3.2%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Welland · parks, protected land & trails
5.9 km from Welland to Short Hills Provincial Park
Rouge National Urban Park is the closest national park, 86 km from town. Count 14 protected areas within 10 km of town. The protected share within 10 km is 3.2%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%.
Protected land
3.2%
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
86 km
Rouge National Urban Park
Nearest provincial park
5.9 km
Short Hills Provincial Park
Against other towns
Welland beside other Canadian towns, figure by figure
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 graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
Protected within 10 km3.2%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 routes0Named 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
Welland comes 19th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (51,346 to 85,944 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
Welland3.2%
Towns its size2.4%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Welland3
Towns its size6
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Welland0
Towns its size1
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
For protected land nearby, Welland sits near the top of its size group: 18 of 39 have more. It trails them for walking routes, where 28 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort McMurray AB | 34% | 35% | 21 | 1 | 289 |
| 2 | Langford BC | 27% | 18% | 41 | 7 | 19 |
| 3 | Shawinigan QC | 24% | 61% | 40 | 16 | 10 |
| 4 | Châteauguay QC | 19% | 0.8% | 34 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Port Coquitlam BC | 15% | 5.6% | 125 | 3 | 30 |
| 6 | Saint John NB | 14% | 11% | 63 | 3 | 97 |
| 7 | Rimouski QC | 8.8% | 3.6% | 43 | 10 | 48 |
| 8 | Whalley BC | 8.2% | 1% | 125 | 5 | 7 |
| 9 | Fleetwood BC | 7.8% | 7.9% | 162 | 10 | 0 |
| 10 | Lindsay ON | 7.6% | 9.2% | 60 | 5 | 9 |
| 11 | North Vancouver BC | 7.5% | 0% | 13 | 4 | 66 |
| 12 | North Bay ON | 7.4% | 5.6% | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 13 | Mirabel QC | 5.9% | 0.3% | 76 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | Stouffville ON | 5.9% | 0.5% | 51 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Fredericton NB | 4.3% | 0% | 26 | 2 | 16 |
| 16 | Mascouche QC | 4% | 0% | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Chomedey QC | 3.9% | 0.1% | 43 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | St. Albert AB | 3.4% | 2.1% | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| 19 | Welland ON | 3.2% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Granby QC | 2.5% | 3.6% | 18 | 0 | 6 |
| 21 | Simcoe ON | 2.3% | 4.7% | 102 | 5 | 36 |
| 22 | Aurora ON | 2.2% | 0.6% | 42 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Georgetown ON | 1.8% | 3.5% | 38 | 6 | 2 |
| 24 | Grande Prairie AB | 1.7% | 0% | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| 25 | Sault Ste. Marie ON | 1.6% | 7.5% | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| 26 | Belleville ON | 1.2% | 1.8% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | Blainville QC | 1.1% | 0% | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | Bradford ON | 1.1% | 1.3% | 28 | 5 | 1 |
| 29 | Brandon MB | 1.1% | 0.9% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Saint-Jérôme QC | 1% | 0.1% | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Saint-Hyacinthe QC | 0.7% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Keswick ON | 0.7% | 0.9% | 13 | 1 | 14 |
| 33 | Roseborough ON | 0.7% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Woodstock ON | 0.4% | 0% | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 35 | Prince George BC | 0.3% | 0.5% | 5 | 1 | 51 |
| 36 | Caledonia ON | 0.2% | 0.4% | 17 | 4 | 7 |
| 37 | Sarnia ON | 0.2% | 0.3% | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 38 | Drummondville QC | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 39 | Cornwall ON | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Medicine Hat AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
The map
Welland on the map: green space, protected land and paths
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
30 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Welland
Largest first: Memorial Park leads with 19 ha. Numbers match the map.
30 named parks and woods, 142 ha in all
Parks & gardens 142 ha
Many small places make up the total; the biggest is 13%.
Chippawa Park
Park or garden
11 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
0.7 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Maple Park
Park or garden
9.0 ha0.4 km of path
2.5 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Welland Sports Complex
Park or garden
8.7 ha0.2 km of path
3.8 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Merritt Island
Park or garden
5.7 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
1.2 km north-eastfrom the centre
Merritt Island Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Rotary Park
Park or garden
5.2 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
1.2 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Woodlawn Park
Park or garden
6.7 ha0.3 km of path
2.8 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks and green spaces
Memorial ParkPark or garden · 19 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsChippawa ParkPark or garden · 11 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsMaple ParkPark or garden · 9.0 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsWelland Sports ComplexPark or garden · 8.7 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsMerritt IslandPark or garden · 5.7 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsCooks Mills ParkPark or garden · 8.1 ha
DirectionsRotary ParkPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsWoodlawn ParkPark or garden · 6.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSeaway ParkPark or garden · 6.2 ha
DirectionsSt. George ParkPark or garden · 6.2 ha
DirectionsHarold Black ParkPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsLancaster ParkPark or garden · 4.1 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsTrelawn ParkPark or garden · 3.4 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsThe Cove – Rob Fulbrook ParkPark or garden · 4.4 ha
DirectionsPlymouth ParkPark or garden · 4.1 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSherwood Forest ParkPark or garden · 2.5 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsRicelawn ParkPark or garden · 2.8 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsJennifer ParkPark or garden · 2.5 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsRaillands ParkPark or garden · 3.3 ha
DirectionsGlenwood ParkPark or garden · 2.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsGlen ParkPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsHooker Street ParkPark or garden · 2.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsPrince Charles ParkPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsQuaker Road ParkPark or garden · 2.3 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSparrow Meadows ParkPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsMerritt Meadows ParkPark or garden · 2.3 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsBemus ParkPark or garden · 2.5 ha
DirectionsCoyle Creek ParkPark or garden · 1.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsManchester ParkPark or garden · 2.2 ha
DirectionsMerritt ParkPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.5 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
8 in 10 people in Welland 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 (78%)Further (22%)
Welland78%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
That is below the typical Canadian town (83%). That leaves about 14,000 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 3.2% of the land near Welland
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Welland0%
Within 10 km3.2%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
3 of the 14 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. Biggest of the named areas: Short Hills Provincial Park, 720 ha. The figures include 11 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
Wainfleet Bog Conservation ReserveNature reserve · 322 ha · 1.8 km from the edge of town
Short Hills Provincial ParkProvincial park · 720 ha · 5.9 km from the edge of town
SigfridProtected area · 2.1 ha · 9.1 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, 86 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
5.9 km north7.2 km²since 1985
National urban park
Rouge National Urban Park
86 km north46 km²since 2015
Short Hills Provincial Park, a provincial park, is nearer at 5.9 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
104 km of paths in and around Welland
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
104 km
in and around the town (138.5 km²)
Woodland
18%
about 24.5 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
WellandTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.8
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
WellandTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland18%
0%50%100%
Woods cover more of it than in 65% of Canadian towns. It has fewer paths per km² than 61% 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
No mapped walking route near Welland
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
No walking route is mapped within 2 km of the town. Mapping of trails as routes varies a great deal across Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Welland is best on foot in May to August
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Welland-Pelham, 0.3 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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 |
| High (°C) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 9 | 3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 82 | 53 | 70 | 83 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 96 | 89 | 84 | 82 |
In July the typical high is 27 °C; in January, 0 °C. Precipitation runs from 53 mm in February to 96 mm in September. A typical year sees 141 cm of snow. The climate in Welland →
Things to do
55 things to do outdoors near Welland
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Top of the list: playgrounds, 51 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 1
Mud Lake Conservation Area0.4 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 51
Plus 51 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 2
Ontario Road Dog Parkin town
DirectionsElm Street Leash-Free Dog Park1.3 km from town
DirectionsSlipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Welland
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
PelhamPort ColborneThoroldWainfleetNiagara FallsWelland
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welland | 3.2% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Pelham 6.6 km | 2.7% | 18 | 7 | 1 |
| Port Colborne 11 km | 2% | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| Thorold 13 km | 1.6% | 16 | 7 | 1 |
| Wainfleet 14 km | 1.4% | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| Niagara Falls 17 km | 1.1% | 15 | 3 | 4 |
Next door, protected shares stay within twice Welland’s. For walking routes, Pelham leads the area with 7.
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.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- Private land. CPCAD includes conservation land held privately; the page counts it and leaves the names out.
- 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 Welland
What is the nearest provincial park to Welland?
It is Short Hills Provincial Park, 5.9 km away.
When is the best time for walking in Welland?
May to August, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
What is the largest protected area near Welland?
Short Hills Provincial Park: 720 ha, a provincial park.
What is the nearest national park to Welland?
It is Rouge National Urban Park, 86 km off.
Is there protected land near Welland?
Yes: 3.2% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Sources
Sources for this page on Welland
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).