First pick
Bluewater Park
Park or garden
5.9 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
12 km north-eastfrom the centre
Bruce Trail - Sydenham sectionBruce Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.01.4%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Wiarton · parks, protected land & trails
Bruce Peninsula National Park is 28 km from Wiarton
Swimmers have 55 beaches within 5 km, Mallory Beach the nearest. Within 10 km are 64 protected areas. Walkers have 3 mapped routes close by, starting with the Bruce Trail - Peninsula section and Bruce Trail - Peninsula section side trails.
Protected land
1.4%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
64
within 10 km, 16 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
28 km
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Sauble Falls Provincial Park
Walking routes
3
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
55
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
The outdoors in Wiarton, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Beaches55 beaches within 5 kmWalking routes3 named routes within 2 kmA provincial park at the edgeSauble Falls Provincial Park reaches the town
Out of doors, Wiarton leads with its beaches, with its choice of walking routes close behind.
Against other towns
How Wiarton 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. Outdoors isn’t graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
Protected within 10 km1.4%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town2.4%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas16Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes3Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches55Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Among 40 towns its size, Wiarton is 14th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (9,622 to 9,985 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
Wiarton1.4%
Towns its size2.3%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Wiarton16
Towns its size5
Towns in Ontario4
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Wiarton3
Towns its size0
Towns in Ontario1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Wiarton does best for public protected areas: 7 of the other 39 have more. It trails them for protected land nearby, where 25 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electoral Area C (Puntledge - Black Creek), Comox Valley BC | 22% | 12% | 74 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Shawnigan BC | 22% | 6.4% | 66 | 4 | 8 |
| 3 | Shediac NB | 18% | 5.4% | 20 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Hatchet Lake NS | 14% | 36% | 53 | 4 | 23 |
| 5 | Lac-Deschênes QC | 14% | 49% | 32 | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | Antigonish County, Subdivision A NS | 11% | 9.3% | 128 | 1 | 17 |
| 7 | South Cambie BC | 8.6% | 0% | 13 | 2 | 49 |
| 8 | M-Section (bramalea) ON | 5.4% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Lakelands Village ON | 5.2% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | Silverado AB | 4.7% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Argyle North SK | 4.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Qualicum Beach BC | 4.4% | 1.2% | 24 | 0 | 7 |
| 13 | Elizabethtown-Kitley ON | 4.2% | 1.7% | 25 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | Glastonbury AB | 4.2% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Charlesbourg QC | 3.9% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 6 |
| 16 | The Valleys of Thornhill ON | 3.8% | 12% | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Acadia AB | 3.8% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Northeast SK | 3.7% | 0% | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 19 | Shawnessy AB | 3.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| 20 | Laurentian Valley ON | 2.4% | 0.9% | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| 21 | Guildwood ON | 2.2% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| 22 | Rosenberg ON | 2.2% | 9.1% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Lorraine QC | 1.6% | 0.2% | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Blind Bay BC | 1.6% | 1.5% | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| 25 | Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills ON | 1.5% | 3.9% | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| 26 | Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier QC | 1.4% | 0.1% | 27 | 0 | 16 |
| 27 | Wiarton ON | 1.4% | 2.4% | 64 | 3 | 55 |
| 28 | Ladysmith BC | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 2 |
| 29 | Notre-Dame-des-Prairies QC | 1.2% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Lac-Saint-Charles QC | 1% | 1.6% | 21 | 1 | 4 |
| 31 | Willowgrove SK | 0.8% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 32 | Roberval QC | 0.6% | 0.1% | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 33 | Thamesford ON | 0.5% | 0.4% | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| 34 | Stanley MB | 0.5% | 0.8% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 35 | Springbank Hill AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | River Valley Oleskiw AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 37 | Devonshire ON | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Mineola ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 39 | Coaldale AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Olds AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Wiarton
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
Walk in Wiarton: 5 named parks and woods
Bluewater Park is the largest, at 5.9 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
5 named parks and woods, 14 ha in all
Parks & gardens 14 ha
Between them, Bluewater Park and Bannister Park cover 79%.
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
Most of Wiarton is more than 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 (0%)Further (100%)
Wiarton0%
Towns in Ontario90%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town reaches 83%. That leaves about 9,800 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
Around Wiarton, protected areas make up 1.4%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Wiarton2.4%
Within 10 km1.4%
Towns in Ontario2.3%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Governments hold 16 of the 64, and private owners the rest. The largest named one is Hope Bay Forest Provincial Park, at 353 ha. 30 more areas are private land or have no recorded public owner: counted, not named.
CollinsProtected area · 31 ha · reaches Wiarton
Sauble Falls Provincial ParkProvincial park · 20 ha · reaches Wiarton
SpearsProtected area · 17 ha · reaches Wiarton
MurrayProtected area · 4.5 ha · reaches Wiarton
CornellProtected area · 0.3 ha · reaches Wiarton
Hope Bay Forest Provincial ParkProvincial park · 353 ha · 0.4 km from the edge of town
HunterProtected area · 3.0 ha · 3.3 km from the edge of town
MackieProtected area · 20 ha · 3.6 km from the edge of town
HamblyProtected area · 13 ha · 5.2 km from the edge of town
Thompson, C.Protected area · 42 ha · 5.3 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 Wiarton
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
Sauble Falls Provincial Park
At the edge0.2 km²since 1971
Provincial park
Hope Bay Forest Provincial Park
0.4 km north3.5 km²since 1985
National park
Bruce Peninsula National Park
28 km north-west125 km²since 1987
There are 2 provincial parks within 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: 159 km in and around Wiarton
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
159 km
in and around the town (773.5 km²)
Woodland
54%
about 415.1 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
WiartonTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
WiartonTowns in OntarioTypical Canadian town
Woodland54%
0%50%100%
It is more wooded than 85% of Canadian towns. It has fewer paths per km² than 77% 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
3 walking routes near Wiarton
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
RegionalOther waymarked
Bruce Trail - Sydenham section166.6 km
Bruce Trail - Peninsula section162.0 km
Bruce Trail - Peninsula section side trails31.6 km
At 166.6 km, the Bruce Trail - Sydenham section is the longest local route.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
The best months for walking in Wiarton: May to August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Wiarton (13 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 | 8.8 |
| High (°C) | -2 | -2 | 3 | 10 | 17 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 111 | 77 | 66 | 84 | 82 | 79 | 70 | 83 | 99 | 110 | 110 | 104 |
Snowfall averages 385 cm a year. Daytime highs run from -2 °C in January up to 24 °C in July. January is the wettest month (111 mm) and March the driest (66 mm). The climate in Wiarton →
Beaches
Wiarton has 55 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Mallory Beachin town
DirectionsAdd 54 unnamed beaches to the count. For water quality, look to the local health unit: no open beach-testing data covers Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Viewpoints and waterfalls near Wiarton: 12 and 1
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
12Viewpoints1Hills and peaks1Waterfalls2Nature reserves3Picnic sites12Playgrounds1Dog parks28Campsites4Slipways
There are 28 campsites, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 12
Plus 12 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 1
Malcolm Bluff0.2 km from town
DirectionsWaterfalls 1
Sauble Fallsin town
DirectionsNature reserves 2
Red Bay Nature Preservein town
DirectionsSpirit Rock Conservation Areain town
DirectionsPicnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 12
Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Tayja’s Dog Parkin town
DirectionsCampsites 28
Bluewater Park Campgroundin town
DirectionsCarson's Campin town
DirectionsHela campin town
DirectionsHoop Dreamsin town
DirectionsRoth Park Family Campgroundin town
DirectionsSauble Falls Park - East Campgroundin town
DirectionsSauble Falls Park - West Campgroundin town
DirectionsSpry Lake Campgroundin town
DirectionsPlus 20 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 4
Plus 4 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Wiarton
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. Distances here run 16–27 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Wiarton.
Georgian BluffsOwen SoundPort ElginWiarton
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiarton | 1.4% | 64 | 3 | 55 |
| Georgian Bluffs 16 km | 1.1% | 67 | 4 | 17 |
| Owen Sound 23 km | 1.3% | 33 | 2 | 12 |
| Port Elgin 27 km | 1.6% | 8 | 0 | 25 |
Next door, protected shares stay within twice Wiarton’s.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected land. Measured on CPCAD’s outlines: the part of a 10 km band around the town that lies in a protected or conserved area, water included.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- 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. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
Questions about the outdoors in Wiarton
What is the nearest provincial park to Wiarton?
Sauble Falls Provincial Park touches the town.
When should you visit Wiarton for the outdoors?
May to August, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Which is the biggest protected area near Wiarton?
It is Hope Bay Forest Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 353 ha.
What is the nearest national park to Wiarton?
Bruce Peninsula National Park, 28 km from the edge of town.
What walking routes are near Wiarton?
OpenStreetMap maps the Bruce Trail - Peninsula section, Bruce Trail - Peninsula section side trails and Bruce Trail - Sydenham section close by, with others.
Is there a beach near Wiarton?
The nearest is Mallory Beach, in town.
Is there protected land near Wiarton?
Protected areas cover 1.4% of the land within 10 km.
Sources
Sources for this page on Wiarton
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).