Photo: Froliking on the Iceshield · CC BY 2.083% of the ground inside Blanc-Sablon is protected
Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 21% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. Proposed basses collines du lac Guernesé Biodiversity Reserve (202,200 ha) is the biggest, 9.7 km from town. Within 5 km lie 7 beaches, unnamed on the map.
The outdoors in Blanc-Sablon, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Above all, Blanc-Sablon offers protected land inside its own boundary, with protected land around it close behind.
Each figure for Blanc-Sablon, 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Blanc-Sablon comes 2nd of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (1,090 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.
Among its peers, Blanc-Sablon’s strong point is protected land nearby, where 1 of 39 tops 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 | Blanc-Sablon QC | 21% | 83% | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 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 |
Parks, woods and paths around Blanc-Sablon
The town’s parks, woods, protected land and paths, with its named places numbered.
A named park or wood to walk in near Blanc-Sablon
The biggest is Parc Goodchild, 4.0 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.
Most of Blanc-Sablon 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.
That leaves about 1,100 people more than a short walk away. For comparison, the typical Canadian town has 83%.
Around Blanc-Sablon, protected areas make up 21%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Governments hold 5 of the 8, and private owners the rest. Proposed basses collines du lac Guernesé Biodiversity Reserve is the biggest, 202,200 ha. 3 areas, privately held or of unrecorded ownership, are left unnamed.
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.
28 km to Pinware River Provincial Park
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.
Pinware River Provincial Park
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, Blanc-Sablon has its province’s. A Québec parc national belongs to the province, not to Parks Canada.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Paths to walk: 10 km in and around Blanc-Sablon
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 · km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
More of it is wooded than in 53% of Canadian towns. It has fewer paths per km² than 96% 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.
No named walking route passes Blanc-Sablon on the map
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
The map shows no named route near the town. That says more about OpenStreetMap’s coverage than about the paths on the ground.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Walking season in Blanc-Sablon: July and August
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Lourdes de Blanc Sablon, 3.8 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | -7 | -7 | -3 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 2 | -3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 77 | 81 | 91 | 53 | 67 | 78 | 94 | 91 | 102 | 85 | 84 | 98 |
The wettest month, September, brings 102 mm, against 53 mm in April. Summer highs reach 17 °C in August; in January they stay near -7 °C. Some 346 cm of snow falls each winter. The climate in Blanc-Sablon →
7 unnamed beaches near Blanc-Sablon
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Within 5 km is 149 km of coastline. No open data on beach water quality covers every province, so check with public health before a swim.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Blanc-Sablon has 16 viewpoints and 2 waterfalls nearby
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 Parent rises to 107 m. The most common are viewpoints: 16 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 16
Plus 14 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 3
Waterfalls 2
Plus 2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Slipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next to Blanc-Sablon
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 37–110 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Blanc-Sablon.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanc-Sablon | 21% | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| Division No. 9, Subdivision C 37 km | 0.5% | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| St. Anthony 110 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No neighbouring place reaches twice Blanc-Sablon’s protected share.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. National parks are Parks Canada’s; provincial parks are the province’s or territory’s, Québec’s parcs nationaux among them.
- 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.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- Walking routes. A route counts when 300 m or more of it lies within 2 km of the town. Coverage of trails on OpenStreetMap varies by region.
- Private land. Land owned by individuals, companies or conservation groups counts toward the figures but is never named: a person’s land isn’t a place to visit.
Questions about the outdoors in Blanc-Sablon
What is the best season to get outdoors in Blanc-Sablon?
July and August: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Is there a provincial park near Blanc-Sablon?
Pinware River Provincial Park, 28 km from the edge of town.
Is there a beach near Blanc-Sablon?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
What is the nearest national park to Blanc-Sablon?
None within 100 km of Blanc-Sablon.
Is there protected land near Blanc-Sablon?
Yes: 21% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the largest protected area near Blanc-Sablon?
It is Proposed basses collines du lac Guernesé Biodiversity Reserve, a nature reserve covering 202,200 ha.
The sources behind Blanc-Sablon’s outdoors figures
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).