First pick
Parc des Loisirs
Park or garden
1.8 ha
9.2 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Jean-Philippe Boulet · CC BY 3.012%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Austin · parks, protected land & trails
Few places match Austin for protected land nearby: more than 9 in 10 Canadian towns
Within 5 km are 12 beaches; Plage municipale is the nearest. OpenStreetMap shows 3 walking routes nearby, including the Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Orford and Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Bolton. No national park lies within 100 km.
Protected land
12%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
62
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec)
Walking routes
3
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
12
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
What Austin has going for it outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round12% of the land within 10 km, more than 90% of Canadian townsOn a national routeThe Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Orford passes within 2 kmWalking routes3 named routes within 2 kmA provincial park at the edgeMont-Orford National Park (Québec) reaches the town
Austin’s best card is protected land around it, with the Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Orford close behind.
Against other towns
How Austin 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 km12%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town5.2%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 routes3Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches12Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Austin comes 5th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (1,959 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
Austin12%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Austin3
Towns its size3
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Austin3
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Austin does best for protected land nearby: 4 of the other 39 have more.
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 | Austin QC | 12% | 5.2% | 62 | 3 | 12 |
| 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 Austin
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
3 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Austin
Parc des Loisirs is the largest, at 1.8 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
Parc Shappie Trough
Park or garden
1.1 ha0.1 km of path
6.2 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Île Lord
Wood or forest · 360 m outside town
3.7 ha
11 km southfrom 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 Austin, 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%)
Austin0%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, above this. That leaves about 2,000 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
62 protected areas around Austin
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Austin5.2%
Within 10 km12%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
3 of the 62 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. Mont-Orford National Park (Québec) leads for size with 5,944 ha. Another 38 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec)Québec national park (provincial) · 5,944 ha · reaches Austin
Rivière aux Cerises White-Tailed Deer YardProtected area · 1,636 ha · 3.7 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
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec) starts at the edge of Austin
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-Orford National Park (Québec)
At the edge59 km²since 1979
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, Austin has its province’s. Despite the name, a Québec parc national is a provincial park.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Austin and its edge hold 37 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
37 km
in and around the town (134.1 km²)
Woodland
72%
about 96.5 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
AustinTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.3
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AustinTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland72%
0%50%100%
It has fewer paths per km² than 74% of Canadian towns. More of it is wooded than in 92% 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
Austin is on the Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Orford
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 de l'Estrie, Zone Orford37.6 km
Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Bolton29.2 km
Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Bolton, accès10.0 km
The Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Orford (38 km) keeps within 2 km of town for 13.7 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
May is the best month for walking in Austin
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Lennoxville, 36 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -4 | -2 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 13 | 6 | -1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 76 | 66 | 68 | 82 | 85 | 102 | 99 | 104 | 96 | 91 | 70 | 75 |
July is the warmest month, with highs around 26 °C; January the coldest, at -4 °C. Rain and snow peak in August (104 mm) and ease in February (66 mm). Expect around 262 cm of snow over a winter. The climate in Austin →
Beaches
Austin has 12 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Plage municipalesand · 1.6 km from town
DirectionsPlage des cantonssand · 4.3 km from town
DirectionsSandy ones: 2. There are also 10 beaches without a name. 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
36 viewpoints near Austin
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
There are 36 viewpoints, more than of anything else. The highest named peak nearby is Mont Orford, at 853 m.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 36
Crête de la demie-montagnein town
DirectionsDes Chênes 1in town
DirectionsDes Chênes 2in town
DirectionsDes Chênes 3in town
DirectionsDes Chênes 4in town
DirectionsDes Chênes 5in town
DirectionsDes Chênes 6in town
DirectionsPV 30in town
DirectionsPlus 28 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 9
Mont Chagnon610 m · in town
DirectionsMont Place480 m · in town
DirectionsPic aux Corbeaux602 m · 0.0 km from town
DirectionsMont Sylvio-Lacharité590 m · 0.5 km from town
DirectionsMont Orford853 m · 0.7 km from town
DirectionsMont Giroux630 m · 0.8 km from town
DirectionsMont Hog's Back530 m · 1.8 km from town
DirectionsPlus 2 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 6
Parcours des droits de l'enfantin town
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
Le Jardin Pionnier Bigelow, 1.6 km from Austin, is the garden to visit
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Le Jardin Pionnier BigelowGarden or park · 1.6 km from town
DirectionsSources: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, and Wikidata (CC0), as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic places from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places and Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel.
Next door
Next to Austin
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
EastmanMagogBolton-EstOrfordStukely-SudStansteadAustin
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | 12% | 62 | 3 | 12 |
| Eastman 5.4 km | 11% | 49 | 5 | 7 |
| Magog 8.7 km | 7.5% | 53 | 1 | 16 |
| Bolton-Est 9.1 km | 13% | 71 | 9 | 4 |
| Orford 9.8 km | 9.3% | 44 | 4 | 15 |
| Stukely-Sud 13 km | 5.1% | 49 | 0 | 3 |
| Stanstead 18 km | 1.3% | 31 | 0 | 6 |
None of its neighbours has twice the protected land around it that Austin has. For walking routes, Bolton-Est leads the area with 9.
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.
- 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.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
Questions about the outdoors in Austin
When is the best time for walking in Austin?
May: long days, mild highs and little rain.
What is the nearest national park to Austin?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Austin.
What is the largest protected area near Austin?
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec), a québec national park (provincial) of 5,944 ha.
Is there protected land near Austin?
Within 10 km, 12% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the nearest provincial park to Austin?
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec) touches the town.
What is the nearest beach to Austin?
The nearest is Plage municipale, 1.6 km from town.
Are there hiking trails near Austin?
Try the Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Orford, Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Bolton and Sentier de l'Estrie, Zone Bolton, accès; more are on the map.
Sources
Where Austin’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.
Gardens: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden) and Wikidata gardens within 15 km, as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic gardens and parks from Canada’s heritage registers (Parks Canada DFHD, the Canadian Register of Historic Places, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel).
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).