First pick
Parc des Sentiers
Park or garden
2.7 ha
0.6 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Gabriel Picard · CC BY-SA 4.09.8%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Portneuf · parks, protected land & trails
Few places match Portneuf for protected land nearby: more than nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
Count 29 protected areas within 10 km of town. 5 mapped walking routes pass within 2 km, among them the De la Rivière Noire and Sentier du Philosore. For a national park, La Mauricie National Park is 46 km away.
Protected land
9.8%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
29
within 10 km, 27 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
46 km
La Mauricie National Park
Nearest provincial park
55 km
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec)
Walking routes
5
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
6
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
The outdoors in Portneuf, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round9.8% of the land within 10 km, more than 85% of Canadian townsMany protected areas27 public areas within 10 kmWalking routes5 named routes within 2 kmBeaches6 beaches within 5 km
Portneuf is strongest on protected land around it, with the number of public protected areas close by close behind.
Against other towns
How Portneuf 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 one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
Protected within 10 km9.8%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.2%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas27Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes5Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches6Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Portneuf has the 8th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,349 to 3,461 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
Portneuf9.8%
Towns its size1.5%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Portneuf27
Towns its size3
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Portneuf5
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Portneuf does best for public protected areas: 4 of the other 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wellington NB | 32% | 2.4% | 5 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | Shuniah ON | 19% | 1.4% | 13 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | North Kawartha ON | 18% | 36% | 20 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | Meaghers Grant NS | 15% | 32% | 103 | 4 | 28 |
| 5 | Sables-Spanish Rivers ON | 14% | 9.7% | 10 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Kensington, Part 1 PE | 11% | 0.9% | 21 | 11 | 6 |
| 7 | Cumberland County, Subdivision A NS | 10% | 24% | 90 | 1 | 10 |
| 8 | Portneuf QC | 9.8% | 0.2% | 29 | 5 | 6 |
| 9 | Thurso QC | 8% | 14% | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Mackenzie BC | 7.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | Electoral Area E (West Boundary), Kootenay Boundary BC | 6.5% | 1.6% | 24 | 0 | 36 |
| 12 | Port Hawkesbury NS | 5.1% | 0% | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Havre-Saint-Pierre QC | 3.7% | 2.7% | 29 | 0 | 12 |
| 14 | Electoral Area B, North Okanagan BC | 3.7% | 4% | 17 | 0 | 30 |
| 15 | Merrickville ON | 2.9% | 5.8% | 12 | 5 | 2 |
| 16 | Trillium Industrial Park ON | 2.2% | 6.2% | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | Glenview West ON | 1.9% | 0% | 13 | 1 | 6 |
| 18 | Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier QC | 1.8% | 3.9% | 27 | 1 | 12 |
| 19 | West Jasper Place AB | 1.8% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | Riverdale East ON | 1.6% | 0% | 14 | 3 | 8 |
| 21 | North St. Boniface MB | 1.4% | 7.7% | 20 | 4 | 0 |
| 22 | Niakwa Place MB | 0.8% | 4.3% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Richmond QC | 0.7% | 0% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | Richmond County, Subdivision C NS | 0.6% | 1.8% | 27 | 0 | 31 |
| 25 | Channel-Port aux Basques NL | 0.4% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 26 | Lynnwood AB | 0.4% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 27 | Compton QC | 0.3% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 | Coach Hill AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 29 | Ramsay Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 30 | Royal Gardens AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Placentia NL | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 32 | Sakaw AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 33 | Lewisporte NL | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Saint-Côme--Linière QC | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Richfield AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Sainte-Mélanie QC | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Gibbons AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Montrose AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 39 | Northmount AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Virginia Park AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 2 | 1 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Portneuf
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
4 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Portneuf
Parc des Sentiers is the largest, at 2.7 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
4 named parks and woods, 7 ha in all
Parks & gardens 7.0 ha
Add Parc des Sentiers to Parc de la Riveraine and you have 74% of it.
Parc de la Riveraine
Park or garden
2.4 ha0.1 km of path
1.4 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Ornithologuque de Portneuf
Park or garden
0.5 ha0.1 km of path
2.2 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
About 3 in 10 of Portneuf’s residents are 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.
Within 400 m (31%)Further (69%)
Portneuf31%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 2,400 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. The typical Canadian town reaches 83%.
Protected areas
The 29 protected areas near Portneuf
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Portneuf0.2%
Within 10 km9.8%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public bodies own 27 of the 29; land trusts and private owners hold the others. Long-Montauban White-Tailed Deer Yard leads for size with 7,430 ha. Another 2 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Long-Montauban White-Tailed Deer YardProtected area · 7,430 ha · reaches Portneuf
Cap-Santé (ouest) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 682 ha · reaches Portneuf
Portneuf Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 354 ha · reaches Portneuf
03151R022 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 163 ha · 0.2 km from the edge of town
03151R041 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 59 ha · 0.9 km from the edge of town
Décharge du Platon Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 379 ha · 1.0 km from the edge of town
Pointe Platon Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 117 ha · 1.4 km from the edge of town
03151R021 Biological RefugeWildlife area · 60 ha · 1.7 km from the edge of town
Pointe Platon (Est) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 374 ha · 1.9 km from the edge of town
Cap Lauzon Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 255 ha · 2.1 km from the edge of town
17 more named areas within 10 km are in the figures.
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
La Mauricie National Park is 46 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
National park
La Mauricie National Park
46 km west536 km²since 1970
Québec national park (provincial)
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec)
55 km north-east671 km²since 1981
In Québec, a parc national is a provincial park (Sépaq), not one of Parks Canada’s.
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: 28 km in and around Portneuf
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
28 km
in and around the town (187.9 km²)
Woodland
73%
about 137.8 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
PortneufTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PortneufTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland73%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 81% of Canadian towns. It is more wooded than 93% 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
5 walking routes near Portneuf
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Local
Sentier du Philosore27.4 km
Des Sommets7.5 km
De la Rivière Noire5.7 km
De la Glacière5.4 km
De la Montagne de la Tour2.1 km
At 27.4 km, the Sentier du Philosore is the longest local route.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
The best months for walking in Portneuf: May, June, August and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Fortierville, 29 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | -7 | -5 | 1 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 20 | 12 | 5 | -3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 81 | 69 | 79 | 94 | 92 | 108 | 133 | 103 | 95 | 105 | 82 | 100 |
Snowfall averages 253 cm a year. Summer storms make July the wettest month, 133 mm; February sees 69 mm. Daytime highs run from -7 °C in January up to 26 °C in July. The climate in Portneuf →
Beaches
6 unnamed beaches near Portneuf
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
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
Near Portneuf: 2 viewpoints on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
There are 8 playgrounds, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Vieux Quai Lemayin town
DirectionsBerges de Portneuf0.0 km from town
DirectionsHills and peaks 1
Montagne de la Tour1.4 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 8
Plus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
The garden near Portneuf: Joly de Lotbinière Estate, 2.7 km off
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Joly de Lotbinière EstateNational Historic Site · 2.7 km from town
Its pageA National Historic Site is among them.
Sources: 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 Portneuf
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Saint-BasileCap-SantéDeschambault-GrondinesDonnaconaSaint-Marc-des-CarrièresSaint-Édouard-de-LotbinièrePortneuf
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portneuf | 9.8% | 29 | 5 | 6 |
| Saint-Basile 7.2 km | 3.3% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Cap-Santé 7.5 km | 8.3% | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| Deschambault-Grondines 9.7 km | 9.4% | 26 | 0 | 6 |
| Donnacona 13 km | 9.6% | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| Saint-Marc-des-Carrières 13 km | 10% | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| Saint-Édouard-de-Lotbinière 15 km | 12% | 29 | 0 | 0 |
Portneuf holds its own on protected land: no neighbour has twice its share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- 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. Protected here means in CPCAD, Canada’s official list: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and other conserved land, measured within 10 km of the town’s edge.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
Questions about the outdoors in Portneuf
How much land around Portneuf is protected?
Yes: 9.8% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What walking routes are near Portneuf?
The De la Rivière Noire, Sentier du Philosore and De la Montagne de la Tour, among the routes mapped within 2 km.
What is the nearest beach to Portneuf?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
What is the nearest provincial park to Portneuf?
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec), 55 km away.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Portneuf?
Long-Montauban White-Tailed Deer Yard, a protected area of 7,430 ha.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Portneuf?
May, June, August and September, 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 national park to Portneuf?
La Mauricie National Park, 46 km from the edge of town.
Sources
Sources for this page on Portneuf
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).