First pick
Parc David-Thomas
Park or garden
2.8 ha
7.7 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain3.2%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Amherst · parks, protected land & trails
Amherst is on the Sentier National
Within 5 km are 9 beaches; Plage Municipale de Brébeuf is the nearest. The closest provincial park is Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec), 15 km from the edge of town. Count 15 protected areas within 10 km of town.
Protected land
3.2%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
15
within 10 km, 14 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
15 km
Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec)
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
9
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
What Amherst has going for it outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Amherst’s best card is the Sentier National, with its beaches close behind.
Against other towns
Each figure for Amherst, 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 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 town6.2%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas14Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches9Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Amherst comes 16th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (1,703 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
Amherst3.2%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Amherst14
Towns its size4
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Amherst1
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, Amherst’s strong point is public protected areas, where 7 of 39 top it.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anmore BC | 22% | 47% | 16 | 5 | 98 |
| 2 | Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska QC | 19% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Gracefield QC | 19% | 19% | 34 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | East Preston NS | 16% | 6.3% | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Clearwater BC | 7.7% | 4.1% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Roberval QC | 6.1% | 1.2% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague QC | 5.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | North Frontenac ON | 5.7% | 5.2% | 13 | 6 | 4 |
| 9 | Cap-Chat QC | 5.3% | 0.4% | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| 10 | Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards ON | 4.4% | 1.5% | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | Saint-Polycarpe QC | 4.2% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Macassa ON | 4.1% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | Saint-Damien QC | 4% | 3.2% | 22 | 1 | 9 |
| 14 | Unity SK | 3.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Sherwood ON | 3.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | Amherst QC | 3.2% | 6.2% | 15 | 1 | 9 |
| 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
Amherst on the map: green space, protected land and paths
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
2 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Amherst
Parc David-Thomas is the largest, at 2.8 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
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
Few people in Amherst 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 (0%)Further (100%)
Amherst0%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
That is below the typical Canadian town (83%). For about 1,700 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
3.2% of the land around Amherst is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Amherst6.2%
Within 10 km3.2%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 14 of the 15. Biggest of the named areas: Lac de la Sucrerie White-Tailed Deer Yard, 2,768 ha. One area belongs to a private owner or a land trust and isn’t named here.
Lac de la Sucrerie White-Tailed Deer YardProtected area · 2,768 ha · reaches Amherst
06151R009 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 61 ha · reaches Amherst
07251R026 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 73 ha · 0.7 km from the edge of town
lac de L'ile HeronryProtected area · 24 ha · 0.9 km from the edge of town
06151R008 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 91 ha · 2.0 km from the edge of town
Îles du lac a l'Ours HeronryProtected area · 24 ha · 3.5 km from the edge of town
Lac-Preston Old-Growth ForestNature reserve · 311 ha · 4.4 km from the edge of town
06151R010 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 106 ha · 5.6 km from the edge of town
07251R010 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 94 ha · 6.6 km from the edge of town
Lac Larouche HeronryProtected area · 31 ha · 7.9 km from the edge of town
4 more named areas within 10 km are in the figures.
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
Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec), 15 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
Québec national park (provincial)
Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec)
15 km north-east1,510 km²since 1981
No national park lies within 100 km of Amherst; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach. The province names its big parks parcs nationaux, though they are provincial.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Amherst and its edge hold 32 km of footpath
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
32 km
in and around the town (339.6 km²)
Woodland
88%
about 298.7 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
AmherstTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AmherstTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland88%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 87% of Canadian towns. It is more wooded than 99% 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
Walks near Amherst
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
National
Sentier National340.0 km
The Sentier National (340 km) keeps within 2 km of town for 6.5 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Amherst is best on foot in May to August
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Lachute, 60 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 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -3 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 12 | 5 | -3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 97 | 72 | 74 | 100 | 89 | 111 | 112 | 104 | 114 | 120 | 93 | 94 |
Daytime highs run from -6 °C in January up to 25 °C in July. Precipitation runs from 72 mm in February to 120 mm in October. The climate in Amherst →
Beaches
Plage Municipale de Brébeuf, 2.7 km away, is the beach near Amherst
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Plage Municipale de Brébeufsand · 2.7 km from town
DirectionsAdd 8 unnamed beaches to the count. Water quality isn’t shown: there’s no open national record of beach tests. Local health authorities post advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Amherst has 2 viewpoints within 2 km
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
For a climb, Mont des Corbeaux rises to 495 m. The most common are hills and peaks: 12 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 12
Mont des Corbeaux495 m · in town
DirectionsMont du Cimetièrein town
DirectionsMont Hulot365 m · in town
DirectionsMontagne de la Tour400 m · in town
DirectionsMontagne du Deuxième Lac420 m · in town
DirectionsMont des Érables0.9 km from town
DirectionsMont du Lac de la Fraye440 m · 1.0 km from town
DirectionsMontagne Alarie415 m · 1.5 km from town
DirectionsPlus 4 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Stationnement public lac et rivière maskinongésin town
DirectionsPlus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Slipways 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 Amherst
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
BrébeufLa ConceptionMont-TremblantAmherst
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | 3.2% | 15 | 1 | 9 |
| Brébeuf 11 km | 0.4% | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| La Conception 12 km | 13% | 15 | 1 | 12 |
| Mont-Tremblant 19 km | 27% | 20 | 0 | 18 |
La Conception and Mont-Tremblant have at least twice the protected share around them.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- Protected land. The 10 km band starts at the town’s outline, not its centre, so a large municipality reaches further than a small town.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Amherst
Is there a beach near Amherst?
Plage Municipale de Brébeuf, 2.7 km from town, is the nearest mapped beach.
Where can you walk near Amherst?
The Sentier National, mapped within 2 km.
How far is Amherst from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Amherst.
Are there protected areas near Amherst?
Yes: 3.2% of the land within 10 km is protected.
When should you visit Amherst 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.
What is the largest protected area near Amherst?
It is Lac de la Sucrerie White-Tailed Deer Yard, a protected area covering 2,768 ha.
What is the nearest provincial park to Amherst?
Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec), 15 km from the edge of town.
Sources
Sources for this page on Amherst
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).