First pick
Parc de l'O.T.J.
Park or garden
4.5 ha0.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Lac-Mégantic
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Simon Villeneuve · CC BY-SA 3.00.2%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Lac-Mégantic · parks, protected land & trails
Little of the land around Lac-Mégantic is protected: 0.2% within 10 km
La Louise White-Tailed Deer Yard (7,238 ha) is the biggest, 8.4 km from town. For a provincial park, Mont-Mégantic National Park (Québec) lies 18 km off. For a swim, Plage de la Baie-des-Sables is the nearest of 2 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land
0.2%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
1
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
18 km
Mont-Mégantic National Park (Québec)
Beaches
2
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Lac-Mégantic against 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
Protected within 10 km0.2%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
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
Among 40 towns its size, Lac-Mégantic is 7th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (5,819 to 6,059 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
Lac-Mégantic0.2%
Towns its size2%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Lac-Mégantic1
Towns its size4
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Lac-Mégantic0
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
Where Lac-Mégantic trails its peers is protected land nearby; 33 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crowsnest Pass AB | 25% | 20% | 21 | 6 | 0 |
| 2 | Cumberland County, Subdivision C NS | 20% | 8% | 133 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | Electoral Area A, Bulkley-Nechako BC | 15% | 14% | 9 | 0 | 17 |
| 4 | Mile 108 Recreational Ranch BC | 12% | 12% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | East Ferris ON | 10% | 1.8% | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | Lowertown West ON | 10% | 1.5% | 36 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | Verchères QC | 8.9% | 1.7% | 44 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Sainte-Martine QC | 8.8% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Kirkendall North ON | 7.2% | 0% | 23 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | Crystal Bay - Lakeview Park ON | 7.1% | 20% | 37 | 5 | 8 |
| 11 | Spallumcheen BC | 6% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Creston BC | 5.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Cochrane ON | 5.3% | 0.6% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Port Mann BC | 5.1% | 4.4% | 108 | 6 | 7 |
| 15 | Lawfield ON | 4.2% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Stettler County No. 6 AB | 3.9% | 3.3% | 96 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Cedarbrae AB | 3.7% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 18 | Homeside ON | 2.6% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Underwood ON | 2.4% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Country Hills West ON | 2.1% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | River Bend ON | 1.8% | 13% | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | Central Frederick ON | 1.7% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Nutana Urban Centre SK | 1.7% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Broadway-Assiniboine MB | 1.5% | 0% | 23 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | Richelieu QC | 1.4% | 4.8% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Minto MB | 1.4% | 0% | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | Caernarvon AB | 1.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Val-David QC | 1.3% | 8.3% | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| 29 | Brokenhead MB | 1.2% | 2% | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| 30 | University SK | 1.2% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 3 |
| 31 | Saint-Henri QC | 0.5% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Stettler AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Mayland Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | Lac-Mégantic QC | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | Melfort SK | 0.1% | 1.5% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Ellerslie AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 37 | Amqui QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 38 | Redcliff AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 39 | Boyle Street AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 40 | Homesteader AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Lac-Mégantic
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
5 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Lac-Mégantic
Parc de l'O.T.J. is the largest, at 4.5 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
5 named parks and woods, 8 ha in all
Parks & gardens 7.9 ha
The bulk, 72%, is Parc de l'O.T.J. and Parc des Générations.
Parc des Vétérans
Park or garden
1.1 ha0.5 km of path
0.9 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Générations
Park or garden
1.2 ha0.2 km of path
0.7 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Place des Bâtisseurs
Park or garden
0.5 ha0.2 km of path
1.3 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc J.-Émile Cloutier
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.1 km of path
1.1 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
4 in 10 people in Lac-Mégantic 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 (43%)Further (57%)
Lac-Mégantic43%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
About 3,400 residents live further than 400 m from one. In the typical Canadian town the share is 83%, higher than here.
Protected areas
1 protected area lies within 10 km of Lac-Mégantic
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Lac-Mégantic0%
Within 10 km0.2%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
It is public land.
La Louise White-Tailed Deer YardProtected area · 7,238 ha · 8.4 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
18 km to Mont-Mégantic National Park (Québec)
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-Mégantic National Park (Québec)
18 km south-west60 km²since 1994
For a national park, people in Lac-Mégantic 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
12 km of paths in and around Lac-Mégantic
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
12 km
in and around the town (53.9 km²)
Woodland
57%
about 30.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Lac-MéganticTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.2
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Lac-MéganticTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland57%
0%50%100%
Woods cover more of it than in 86% of Canadian towns. For path density, 76% of Canadian towns do better.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
No mapped walking route near Lac-Mégantic
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
No named route shows within 2 km of the town; volunteers map trails unevenly from one region to the next.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Walking season in Lac-Mégantic: May and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from ST Ludger (25 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 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -4 | 1 | 9 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 12 | 5 | -2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 93 | 80 | 77 | 87 | 98 | 113 | 115 | 107 | 90 | 103 | 80 | 88 |
Daytime highs run from -6 °C in January up to 25 °C in July. July is warm and wet, 115 mm; the driest month, March, has 77 mm. Snowfall averages 287 cm a year. The climate in Lac-Mégantic →
Beaches
Lac-Mégantic has 2 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Plage de la Baie-des-Sablesin town
DirectionsAnother beach has no name on the map. Beach water tests aren’t published as open data across Canada, so swimming advisories come from the local health unit.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
2 viewpoints near Lac-Mégantic
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
6 playgrounds top the list.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 1
Montagne de la Croix0.7 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 6
Plus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Camping Baie Des Sablesin town
DirectionsSlipways 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 Lac-Mégantic
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
NantesFrontenacLac-DroletLac-Mégantic
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lac-Mégantic | 0.2% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Nantes 4.5 km | 1.4% | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| Frontenac 4.7 km | 6.5% | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Lac-Drolet 18 km | 0.1% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Around Nantes and Frontenac the protected share is at least double.
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.
- 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. National parks are Parks Canada’s; provincial parks are the province’s or territory’s, Québec’s parcs nationaux among them.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- 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 Lac-Mégantic
Where can you swim near Lac-Mégantic?
The nearest is Plage de la Baie-des-Sables, in town.
How far is Lac-Mégantic from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Lac-Mégantic.
How much land around Lac-Mégantic is protected?
Within 10 km, 0.2% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the nearest provincial park to Lac-Mégantic?
The closest is Mont-Mégantic National Park (Québec), at 18 km.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Lac-Mégantic?
La Louise White-Tailed Deer Yard, a protected area of 7,238 ha.
When is the best time for walking in Lac-Mégantic?
On the normals, May and September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
Sources
The sources behind Lac-Mégantic’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).