First pick
Parc Familiale de Pessamit
Park or garden
1.3 ha
Centralin the middle of Pessamit
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.024%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Pessamit · parks, protected land & trails
Within 10 km of Pessamit, 24% of the land is protected
32 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. 1.6 km out lies the largest, Sector of Haute-Côte-Nord Territorial reserve for protected area purposes, at 156,917 ha. Within 100 km there is no national park.
Protected land
24%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
32
within 10 km, 30 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
61 km
Bic National Park (Québec)
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
The outdoors in Pessamit, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round24% of the land within 10 km, more than 97% of Canadian townsMany protected areas30 public areas within 10 kmParks are a drive awayThe nearest provincial park, Bic National Park (Québec), is 61 km off
Above all, Pessamit offers protected land around it, with the number of public protected areas close by close behind. Less going for it: a big park within easy reach.
Against other towns
Each figure for Pessamit, 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. There is no Outdoors grade for Canadian towns; the figures stand beside the country’s towns of 2,500+ without a letter.
Protected within 10 km24%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.8%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas30Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches1Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
No town of the 40 its size has more protected land around it than Pessamit
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (2,500 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
Pessamit24%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Pessamit30
Towns its size4
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Pessamit0
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
Pessamit leads its size group for protected land nearby: none of the other 39 has more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pessamit QC | 24% | 0.8% | 32 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Anmore BC | 22% | 47% | 16 | 5 | 98 |
| 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 |
The map
Pessamit on the map: green space, protected land and paths
The First Nations reserve’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
Walk in Pessamit: one named park or wood
Largest first: Parc Familiale de Pessamit leads with 1.3 ha. Numbers match 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
A park is within a short walk for 3 in 10 in Pessamit
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 (29%)Further (71%)
Pessamit29%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
In the typical Canadian town the share is 83%, higher than here. About 1,800 residents live further than 400 m from one.
Protected areas
The 32 protected areas near Pessamit
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Pessamit0.8%
Within 10 km24%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of those 32, 30 are public and the remainder private. Sector of Haute-Côte-Nord Territorial reserve for protected area purposes is the biggest, 156,917 ha. 2 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
Proposed Manicouagan Aquatic ReserveNature reserve · 71,200 ha · reaches Pessamit
Haut-fond de Betsiamites Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 1,184 ha · reaches Pessamit
Côte de Kamishkushikanuts Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 812 ha · reaches Pessamit
Baie de la Rivière Betsiamites Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 795 ha · reaches Pessamit
Pointe Chez Arthur Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 741 ha · reaches Pessamit
Haut Fond de Papinachois Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 618 ha · reaches Pessamit
Baie de Betsiamites Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 254 ha · reaches Pessamit
09351R007 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 220 ha · reaches Pessamit
Sector of Haute-Côte-Nord Territorial reserve for protected area purposesNature reserve · 156,917 ha · 1.6 km from the edge of town
Côte du Banc des Blancs (anc. des Canadiens) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 699 ha · 1.7 km from the edge of town
19 more named areas within 10 km are in the figures.
1 area recorded only by its type (a provincial layer such as wildlife habitat areas) is counted, not listed.
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
61 km to Bic 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)
Bic National Park (Québec)
61 km south33 km²since 1984
For a national park, people in Pessamit travel more than 100 km. Sépaq runs Québec’s parcs nationaux, which are provincial parks under another name.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Paths to walk: 24 km in and around Pessamit
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
24 km
in and around the town (355.1 km²)
Woodland
86%
about 304.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
PessamitTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PessamitTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland86%
0%50%100%
Woods cover more of it than in 98% of Canadian towns. For path density, 90% 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 Pessamit
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
OpenStreetMap lists no walking route near the First Nations reserve, though paths on the ground may well exist.
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 Pessamit: June and August
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Baie-Comeau, 39 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | -8 | -7 | -2 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 3 | -4 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 65 | 61 | 64 | 72 | 76 | 83 | 111 | 82 | 93 | 96 | 87 | 78 |
Snowfall averages 323 cm a year. Summer storms make July the wettest month, 111 mm; February sees 61 mm. Daytime highs run from -8 °C in January up to 21 °C in July. The climate in Pessamit →
Beaches
A beach within 5 km of Pessamit
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
The coast is close: 103 km of shoreline within 5 km. For water quality, look to the local health unit: no open beach-testing data covers Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
2 waterfalls near Pessamit
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Every named place, with directions
Waterfalls 2
Plus 2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Pessamit
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. Pessamit has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 21–27 km out.
RagueneauPointe-aux-OutardesChute-aux-OutardesPessamit
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pessamit | 24% | 32 | 0 | 1 |
| Ragueneau 21 km | 23% | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| Pointe-aux-Outardes 27 km | 42% | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| Chute-aux-Outardes 27 km | 22% | 13 | 0 | 1 |
Its neighbours have no more than twice Pessamit’s protected share.
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. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- 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.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
Questions about the outdoors in Pessamit
When should you visit Pessamit for the outdoors?
June and 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 nearest provincial park to Pessamit?
Bic National Park (Québec), 61 km from the edge of town.
Which is the biggest protected area near Pessamit?
Sector of Haute-Côte-Nord Territorial reserve for protected area purposes, a nature reserve of 156,917 ha.
What is the nearest beach to Pessamit?
One beach is mapped within 5 km, though without a name.
Is Pessamit near a national park?
No national park lies within 100 km of Pessamit.
Are there protected areas near Pessamit?
Yes: 24% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Sources
The sources behind Pessamit’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).