First pick
Base de plein air de Sainte-Foy
Park or garden
137 ha11 km of path
2 h 25 minto walk all 11 km of path
2.3 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Judicieux · CC BY-SA 4.04.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Plateau · parks, protected land & trails
From Plateau, Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec) is the nearest provincial park (34 km)
OpenStreetMap shows 2 walking routes nearby, including the Sentier de la Rivière du Cap-Rouge and De Cap en Cap 1. Within 5 km are 4 beaches; Plage Gagnon is the nearest. 8.5 km out lies the largest, Pointe Saint-Nicolas Water Fowl Gathering Area, at 346 ha.
Protected land
4.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
18
within 10 km, 10 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
34 km
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec)
Walking routes
2
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
4
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Each figure for Plateau, 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.
Protected within 10 km4.1%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 areas10Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes2Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches4Beaches 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, Plateau ranks 15th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (13,913 to 14,467 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
Plateau4.1%
Towns its size2.5%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Plateau10
Towns its size6
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Plateau2
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, Plateau’s strong point is public protected areas, where 9 of 39 top it.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kerrisdale BC | 18% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 33 |
| 2 | Riverview ON | 15% | 1.9% | 45 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Oakridge BC | 13% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 23 |
| 4 | Convent Glen - Orleans Woods ON | 13% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Chapel Hill South ON | 12% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Matane QC | 11% | 0.1% | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| 7 | Findlay Creek ON | 8.2% | 2.5% | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Rideaucrest - Davidson Heights ON | 6.8% | 11% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Maricourt QC | 6.5% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Glen Cairn ON | 5.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Manor Park NS | 5.3% | 0% | 22 | 6 | 21 |
| 12 | Vieux-Limoilou QC | 4.9% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 7 |
| 13 | Sillery QC | 4.8% | 0% | 24 | 1 | 5 |
| 14 | Saint-Amable QC | 4.3% | 0% | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Plateau QC | 4.1% | 0% | 18 | 2 | 4 |
| 16 | Bourg-Royal QC | 4.1% | 0.5% | 19 | 0 | 8 |
| 17 | Tiny ON | 3.9% | 7.9% | 23 | 0 | 61 |
| 18 | Louis-Hébert QC | 2.5% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Oakridge ON | 2.5% | 11% | 12 | 1 | 13 |
| 20 | Fletchers Creek Village / Lundy Village ON | 2.5% | 7.1% | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Copperfield AB | 2.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| 22 | South Glengarry ON | 2.3% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| 23 | Ridgehill / Armbro Heights ON | 2.3% | 9.7% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | Greenwood-Coxwell ON | 2.2% | 0% | 12 | 3 | 38 |
| 25 | Harbour Landing SK | 2.2% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 26 | Prévost QC | 2.1% | 3.5% | 18 | 2 | 2 |
| 27 | Humewood-Cedarvale ON | 2% | 0% | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| 28 | Parkwoods-O'Connor Hills ON | 1.9% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Rosemère QC | 1.8% | 2.4% | 29 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Colchester County, Subdivision C NS | 1.7% | 1.8% | 125 | 5 | 1 |
| 31 | Hickory Woods ON | 1.6% | 0% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | Forest Heights ON | 1.6% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Durham ON | 0.3% | 0.2% | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| 34 | Junction Area ON | 0.3% | 0% | 8 | 4 | 10 |
| 35 | Warman SK | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | River West ON | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Martindale AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Mount Forest ON | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Sandwich ON | 0.1% | 2.9% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Skyview Ranch AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Plateau
The neighbourhood’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
15 named parks and woods to walk in near Plateau
Base de plein air de Sainte-Foy is the largest, at 137 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
15 named parks and woods, 157 ha in all
Parks & gardens 157 ha
Most of it sits in Base de plein air de Sainte-Foy and Parc Raymond-De Rosa: 89% together.
Parc Saint-Benoît
Park or garden
3.0 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
1.2 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Raymond-De Rosa
Park or garden · 390 m outside town
3.3 ha0.9 km of path
15 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
2.0 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Saint-Mathieu
Park or garden
2.5 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
1.0 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Sainte-Geneviève
Park or garden
2.8 ha0.3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Plateau
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Roland-Beaudin
Park or garden · 270 m outside town
1.9 ha0.4 km of path
1.2 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Notre-Dame-de-Foy
Park or garden · 230 m outside town
1.8 ha0.4 km of path
1.0 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Clérin
Park or garden
1.3 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
1.3 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 15 named parks and green spaces
Base de plein air de Sainte-FoyPark or garden · 137 ha · 11 km of path
DirectionsParc Saint-BenoîtPark or garden · 3.0 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsParc Raymond-De RosaPark or garden · 3.3 ha · 0.9 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsParc Saint-MathieuPark or garden · 2.5 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Sainte-GenevièvePark or garden · 2.8 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc Roland-BeaudinPark or garden · 1.9 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsParc Notre-Dame-de-FoyPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsParc ClérinPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc du Grand-VoyerPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc GingrasPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.1 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsParc du VerdierPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Capitaine-J-E-BernierPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'Îlot-McCartneyPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc BégonPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.1 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsParc de NorvègePark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSource: 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
9 in 10 people in Plateau 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 (92%)Further (8.4%)
Plateau92%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town manages 83%, so this is better. For about 1,200 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 4.1% of the land near Plateau
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Plateau0%
Within 10 km4.1%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public bodies own 10 of the 18; land trusts and private owners hold the others. The largest named one is Pointe Saint-Nicolas Water Fowl Gathering Area, at 346 ha. 8 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
Saint-Romuald Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 194 ha · 2.3 km from the edge of town
Cap-Rouge Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 94 ha · 2.4 km from the edge of town
Plage Saint-Laurent Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 250 ha · 3.9 km from the edge of town
Baribeau Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 130 ha · 4.5 km from the edge of town
Saint-Nicolas (Anse Méthot) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 250 ha · 4.7 km from the edge of town
Île à Gagnon Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 118 ha · 6.9 km from the edge of town
Marina de Lévis Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 181 ha · 6.9 km from the edge of town
Saint-Nicolas (Anse Ross) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 139 ha · 6.9 km from the edge of town
Pointe Saint-Nicolas Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 346 ha · 8.5 km from the edge of town
Battures de Beauport Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 153 ha · 9.8 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
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec), 34 km off
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)
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec)
34 km north671 km²since 1981
No national park lies within 100 km of Plateau; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach. 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: 41 km in and around Plateau
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
41 km
in and around the town (23 km²)
Woodland
9.5%
about 2.2 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
PlateauTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths1.8
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PlateauTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland9.5%
0%50%100%
For woods, it beats 51% of Canadian towns. It has more footpath per km² than 52% 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
Plateau has 2 named walking routes
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
LocalOther waymarked
De Cap en Cap 110.1 km
Sentier de la Rivière du Cap-Rouge3.3 km
Among local routes, the De Cap en Cap 1 is longest at 10.1 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Plateau is best on foot in May and August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Quebec Jean Lesage (Airport) (5.7 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) | 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 | 8 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 11 | 4 | -3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 87 | 66 | 78 | 94 | 92 | 115 | 119 | 109 | 111 | 116 | 91 | 96 |
July brings both the warmest days and the most rain (119 mm); February is driest (66 mm). The warmest days come in July (25 °C highs), the coldest in January (-7 °C). Winter brings about 331 cm of snow. The climate in Plateau →
Beaches
4 beaches within 5 km of Plateau
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Plage Gagnon1.4 km from town
DirectionsPlage Samuel de Champlainsand · 4.6 km from town
DirectionsUnnamed on the map: 2 more. 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
7 viewpoints near Plateau
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Count 70 playgrounds, the biggest group.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 7
Naufrage de la drague manseau 1011.4 km from town
DirectionsPlus 6 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 6
Plus 6 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 70
Carrie factorie0.7 km from town
DirectionsPlus 69 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 2
Plus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
A garden to visit near Plateau: Roger-Van den Hende botanical garden, 1.4 km away
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Roger-Van den Hende botanical gardenGarden or park · 1.4 km from town
DirectionsSources: 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 Plateau
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Pointe-de-Sainte-FoySaint-LouisCité-UniversitaireCap-RougeL'AéroportL'Ancienne-LorettePlateau
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plateau | 4.1% | 18 | 2 | 4 |
| Pointe-de-Sainte-Foy 1.6 km | 4.8% | 15 | 2 | 3 |
| Saint-Louis 2.2 km | 4.3% | 15 | 2 | 4 |
| Cité-Universitaire 2.6 km | 4.1% | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| Cap-Rouge 3.6 km | 4.7% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| L'Aéroport 4.1 km | 4% | 33 | 1 | 3 |
| L'Ancienne-Lorette 4.4 km | 3.9% | 29 | 1 | 1 |
Plateau 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
- Protected land. CPCAD maps each protected area; the page counts how much of the 10 km around the town they cover, lakes and sea included.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
Questions about the outdoors in Plateau
What is the nearest provincial park to Plateau?
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec), 34 km from the edge of town.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Plateau?
It is Pointe Saint-Nicolas Water Fowl Gathering Area, a wildlife area covering 346 ha.
Is there protected land near Plateau?
Protected areas cover 4.1% of the land within 10 km.
Is there a beach near Plateau?
The nearest is Plage Gagnon, 1.4 km from town.
Where can you walk near Plateau?
Try the Sentier de la Rivière du Cap-Rouge and De Cap en Cap 1; more are on the map.
What is the nearest national park to Plateau?
No national park lies within 100 km of Plateau.
When is the best time for walking in Plateau?
May and August: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Sources
Where Plateau’s outdoors figures come from
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).