First pick
Union Corner Provincial Park
Park or garden
3.4 ha
8.2 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domain32%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Wellington · parks, protected land & trails
Within 10 km of Wellington, 32% of the land is protected
The closest of Canada’s national parks is Prince Edward Island National Park, at 33 km. For walks, 5 named routes run within 2 km, such as the The Island Walk and Confederation Trail - Tignish to Elmira. 48 km from town is Amherst Shore Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park.
Protected land
32%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
38
within 10 km, 7 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
33 km
Prince Edward Island National Park
Nearest provincial park
48 km
Amherst Shore Provincial Park
Walking routes
5
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
2
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
What sets Wellington apart outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round32% of the land within 10 km, more than 98% of Canadian townsWalking routes5 named routes within 2 kmOn a national routeThe The Island Walk passes within 2 km
Above all, Wellington offers protected land around it, with its choice of walking routes close behind.
Against other towns
Each figure for Wellington, set against 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 km32%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town5.4%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas7Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes5Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches2Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
No town of the 40 its size has more protected land around it than Wellington
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (1,972 to 2,587 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
Wellington32%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Prince Edward Island4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Wellington7
Towns its size4
Towns in Prince Edward Island7
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Wellington5
Towns its size0
Towns in Prince Edward Island11
Typical Canadian town0
For protected land nearby, Wellington tops all 39 other towns its size.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wellington PE | 32% | 5.4% | 38 | 5 | 2 |
| 2 | Anmore BC | 22% | 47% | 16 | 5 | 98 |
| 3 | Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska QC | 19% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Gracefield QC | 19% | 19% | 34 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 | East Preston NS | 16% | 6.3% | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | Clearwater BC | 7.7% | 4.1% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Roberval QC | 6.1% | 1.2% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague QC | 5.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | North Frontenac ON | 5.7% | 5.2% | 13 | 6 | 4 |
| 10 | Cap-Chat QC | 5.3% | 0.4% | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| 11 | Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards ON | 4.4% | 1.5% | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Saint-Polycarpe QC | 4.2% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Macassa ON | 4.1% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Saint-Damien QC | 4% | 3.2% | 22 | 1 | 9 |
| 15 | Unity SK | 3.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Sherwood ON | 3.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | McNab SK | 2.6% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Mandeville QC | 2.5% | 1.8% | 19 | 4 | 7 |
| 19 | Esterhazy SK | 1.8% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | City Commercial Core ON | 1.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Caswell Hill SK | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | Fossambault-sur-le-Lac QC | 1.3% | 7.8% | 15 | 0 | 14 |
| 23 | Pembina MB | 1.1% | 1.8% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Burrows-Keewatin MB | 1% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Elmwood AB | 0.8% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 26 | Hatley QC | 0.7% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| 27 | Munroe West MB | 0.4% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Brooke-Alvinston ON | 0.3% | 0.2% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Rosedale AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Minchau AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Lunenburg NS | 0.1% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 5 |
| 32 | Salisbury NB | 0.1% | 2.1% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Dufferin MB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Ekota AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 35 | Satoo AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce QC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Magrath AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Nanton AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Rimbey AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Sexsmith AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Wellington
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 Wellington: 2 named parks and woods
Union Corner Provincial Park is the largest, at 3.4 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
The Old Mills Park
Park or garden · 150 m outside town
2.2 ha0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1.4 km south-eastfrom 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
In Wellington, parks are rarely a short walk away
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%)
Wellington0%
Towns in Prince Edward Island0.2%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 2,000 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
Protected areas
The 38 protected areas near Wellington
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Wellington5.4%
Within 10 km32%
Towns in Prince Edward Island4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 7 of the 38. Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 22) leads for size with 285,278 ha. 31 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 22)Nature reserve · 285,278 ha · reaches Wellington
Egmont Bay PEI Conservation AgreementNature reserve · 2,958 ha · reaches Wellington
Saint Chrysostome Wildlife Management AreaWildlife area · 368 ha · reaches Wellington
St. Chrysostome Cedars Natural Area and Wildlife Management AreaNature reserve · 59 ha · reaches Wellington
Richmond White Ash Woodland Natural AreaNature reserve · 23 ha · reaches Wellington
Ellerslie Bog Natural AreaNature reserve · 80 ha · 8.0 km from the edge of town
Green Provincial ParkNature reserve · 89 ha · 8.0 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
Prince Edward Island National Park is 33 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
National park
Prince Edward Island National Park
33 km east27 km²since 1937
Provincial park
Amherst Shore Provincial Park
48 km south2.6 km²since 2000
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Wellington has 22 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
22 km
in and around the town (249.9 km²)
Woodland
49%
about 123.3 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
WellingtonTowns in Prince Edward IslandTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
WellingtonTowns in Prince Edward IslandTypical Canadian town
Woodland49%
0%50%100%
More of it is wooded than in 83% of Canadian towns. Paths are thinner on the ground than in 87% 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
Wellington is on the The Island Walk
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
NationalLocal
The Island Walk671.6 km
Confederation Trail (all spurs)341.9 km
Confederation Trail - Tignish to Elmira276.7 km
North Cape Coastal Walk195.1 km
Camp Tamawaby Woodlot Trail1.6 km
33.1 km of the The Island Walk runs within 2 km of town; mapped end to end, it is 672 km. The North Cape Coastal Walk is the big one locally: 195.1 km.
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 Wellington: June to August
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (New Glasgow, 51 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | -3 | -3 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 111 | 91 | 94 | 86 | 90 | 98 | 75 | 88 | 117 | 135 | 130 | 138 |
July is the driest month at 75 mm; December the wettest at 138 mm. July is the warmest month, with highs around 24 °C; January the coldest, at -3 °C. The climate in Wellington →
Beaches
For a swim near Wellington: Yeos Shore, 4.2 km off
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Yeos Shore4.2 km from town
DirectionsThe map adds one unnamed beach. The shoreline runs 117 km within 5 km of town. This page can’t show water quality: no open, Canada-wide record of beach testing exists. Check local advisories first.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
7 things to do outdoors near Wellington
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The most common are playgrounds: 4 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 4
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Wellington
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
MiscoucheCentral PrinceSummersideWellington
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington | 32% | 38 | 5 | 2 |
| Miscouche 12 km | 28% | 12 | 5 | 2 |
| Central Prince 14 km | 19% | 58 | 6 | 13 |
| Summerside 18 km | 25% | 15 | 10 | 7 |
For protected land, no neighbour of Wellington doubles its share. More routes are mapped around Summerside (10).
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Wellington
Are there protected areas near Wellington?
Yes: 32% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the nearest beach to Wellington?
Try Yeos Shore, 4.2 km from town, first of several.
What walking routes are near Wellington?
OpenStreetMap maps the The Island Walk, Confederation Trail - Tignish to Elmira and Confederation Trail (all spurs) close by, with others.
Is Wellington near a national park?
Prince Edward Island National Park is closest, at 33 km.
When is the best time for walking in Wellington?
June to August, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Is there a provincial park near Wellington?
Amherst Shore Provincial Park, 48 km from the edge of town.
What is the largest protected area near Wellington?
It is Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 22), a nature reserve covering 285,278 ha.
Sources
Where Wellington’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).