First pick
Parc Héritage
Park or garden
18 ha2.2 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.2 km of path
1.3 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain0.8%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Bedford · parks, protected land & trails
Yamaska National Park (Québec), 42 km away, is the closest provincial park to Bedford
10 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. No national park lies within 100 km. Biggest among them: Rivière-aux-Brochets Ecological Reserve, 126 ha, 7.6 km off.
Protected land
0.8%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
10
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
42 km
Yamaska National Park (Québec)
Against other towns
Bedford 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. This page carries no grade, because Canada’s grading doesn’t cover the outdoors; the comparisons are the point.
Protected within 10 km0.8%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 areas1Areas 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
Bedford has the 13th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (2,809 to 2,880 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
Bedford0.8%
Towns its size3.2%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Bedford1
Towns its size4
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Bedford0
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
For public protected areas, Bedford lags towns its size: 28 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Léry QC | 27% | 3.4% | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Forestville QC | 26% | 1% | 22 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | O'Leary PE | 25% | 4.9% | 53 | 9 | 22 |
| 4 | Labelle QC | 25% | 19% | 22 | 1 | 8 |
| 5 | Parry Sound, Unorganized, Centre Part ON | 15% | 16% | 43 | 0 | 19 |
| 6 | Saint-Côme QC | 9.2% | 0.8% | 24 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Addington Highlands ON | 8.9% | 8.2% | 37 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | South Keys ON | 8.3% | 0.1% | 27 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Navan - Sarsfield ON | 8% | 0.3% | 41 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Westcliffe East ON | 7.1% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | Senneterre QC | 7% | 9.3% | 166 | 0 | 8 |
| 12 | Leeming ON | 6.6% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Saint-Anicet QC | 6.1% | 4.9% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Ferme-Neuve QC | 5.6% | 8.2% | 42 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 | Saint-Michel-des-Saints QC | 5.5% | 1% | 31 | 0 | 4 |
| 16 | Jerome ON | 5.3% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Crerar ON | 4.8% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Laurier-Station QC | 3.7% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Normanview West SK | 3.7% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Regent Park SK | 3.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Perry ON | 2.9% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 22 | Minnedosa MB | 2.9% | 0% | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | Rougemont QC | 1.5% | 1.6% | 30 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Dundonald SK | 1.4% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Westmount SK | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 26 | Sicamous BC | 0.9% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Bridgeport North ON | 0.9% | 4.2% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | Bedford QC | 0.8% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Weedon QC | 0.6% | 0.4% | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 30 | Grassie MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Westbrook Estates AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Greenview AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 33 | McKernan AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 34 | Meyonohk AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 35 | Tipaskan AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Harbour Grace NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 37 | Saint-Elzéar QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Kildare AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Newton AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 40 | Overlanders AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Bedford
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
3 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Bedford
The biggest is Parc Héritage, 18 ha. Biggest first, 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
6 in 10 people in Bedford 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 (59%)Further (42%)
Bedford59%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town does better, at 83%. About 1,200 residents live further than 400 m from one.
Protected areas
10 protected areas lie within 10 km of Bedford
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Bedford0%
Within 10 km0.8%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of the 10, 1 are public land; the others are privately held. Not named: 9 areas held privately or with no public owner on record.
Rivière-aux-Brochets Ecological ReserveNature reserve · 126 ha · 7.6 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
The nearest big park: Yamaska National Park (Québec), 42 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
Québec national park (provincial)
Yamaska National Park (Québec)
42 km north-east13 km²since 1983
For a national park, people in Bedford travel more than 100 km. Note that Québec calls its provincial parks parcs nationaux; Sépaq manages them.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
6 km of paths in and around Bedford
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
5.6 km
in and around the town (17.6 km²)
Woodland
22%
about 3.8 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
BedfordTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.3
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BedfordTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland22%
0%50%100%
For path density, 72% of Canadian towns do better. For woods, it beats 69% 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
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Bedford
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
Get out in Bedford in May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Sutton (24 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°C) | -3 | -2 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 0 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 97 | 84 | 100 | 111 | 115 | 114 | 128 | 123 | 119 | 127 | 112 | 111 |
The warmest days come in July (26 °C highs), the coldest in January (-3 °C). Summer storms make July the wettest month, 128 mm; February sees 84 mm. Winter brings about 321 cm of snow. The climate in Bedford →
Things to do
A viewpoint near Bedford
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, 4 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 4
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Bedford
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Saint-ArmandSainte-SabineVenise-en-QuébecDunhamSaint-AlexandreFrelighsburgBedford
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | 0.8% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Saint-Armand 11 km | 1.9% | 49 | 0 | 5 |
| Sainte-Sabine 14 km | 0.1% | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Venise-en-Québec 14 km | 4.8% | 58 | 0 | 5 |
| Dunham 16 km | 0.4% | 24 | 0 | 2 |
| Saint-Alexandre 17 km | 0.6% | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| Frelighsburg 17 km | 0.4% | 19 | 0 | 1 |
For protected land, Saint-Armand and Venise-en-Québec have twice as much or more.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Bedford
How far is Bedford from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Bedford.
When should you visit Bedford for the outdoors?
On the normals, May to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
What is the largest protected area near Bedford?
Rivière-aux-Brochets Ecological Reserve: 126 ha, a nature reserve.
Are there protected areas near Bedford?
Protected areas cover 0.8% of the land within 10 km.
Is there a provincial park near Bedford?
It is Yamaska National Park (Québec), 42 km away.
Sources
Sources for this page on Bedford
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).