Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domainThe Sentier National passes Saint-Damien
The closest of Canada’s national parks is La Mauricie National Park, at 40 km. The 10 km around town hold 22 protected areas. 9 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Plage du Manoir.
The outdoors in Saint-Damien, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
For someone who likes to get outside, Saint-Damien’s draw is the Sentier National, with its beaches close behind.
Saint-Damien 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. There is no Outdoors grade for Canadian towns; the figures stand beside the country’s towns of 2,500+ without a letter.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Among 40 towns its size, Saint-Damien ranks 14th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (2,512 to 2,616 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Saint-Damien beats most towns its size for public protected areas; 5 of 39 do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gracefield QC | 19% | 19% | 34 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | East Preston NS | 16% | 6.3% | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Bonfield ON | 15% | 23% | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Sainte-Croix QC | 9.6% | 0.3% | 32 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Castlemore Estates ON | 7.8% | 6.5% | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Chase BC | 7% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Sainte-Victoire-de-Sorel QC | 6.9% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Roberval QC | 6.1% | 1.2% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague QC | 5.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | North Frontenac ON | 5.7% | 5.2% | 13 | 6 | 4 |
| 11 | Cap-Chat QC | 5.3% | 0.4% | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| 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 | Boothill SK | 3.9% | 76% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 16 | Unity SK | 3.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Sherwood ON | 3.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | Esterhazy SK | 1.8% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | City Commercial Core ON | 1.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Lambeth ON | 1.8% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | High Prairie AB | 1.7% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Hébertville QC | 1.6% | 0.1% | 12 | 0 | 4 |
| 23 | Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley BC | 1.6% | 0.7% | 46 | 1 | 14 |
| 24 | Caswell Hill SK | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| 25 | Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove NL | 1.1% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| 26 | Elmwood AB | 0.8% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | Hatley QC | 0.7% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| 28 | Munroe West MB | 0.4% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Brooke-Alvinston ON | 0.3% | 0.2% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Minchau AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Sweet Grass AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Lunenburg NS | 0.1% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 5 |
| 33 | Salisbury NB | 0.1% | 2.1% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Dufferin MB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Satoo AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce QC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Rosetown SK | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Magrath AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Nanton AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Sexsmith AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Where the green is in Saint-Damien
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
2 named parks and woods to walk in near Saint-Damien
Largest first: Parc des loisirs leads with 2.7 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.
Most of Saint-Damien 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.
The typical Canadian town does better, at 83%. About 2,600 residents live further than 400 m from one.
4% of the country within 10 km of Saint-Damien is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Of those 22, 17 are public and the remainder private. Basilières-Kaël Land set aside is the biggest, 2,857 ha. 5 more areas within 10 km are private land, held by landowners or conservation groups: counted here, not named.
7 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.
The nearest big park: La Mauricie National Park, 40 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.
Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec)
La Mauricie National Park
Closer to home, Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec) is 15 km away. 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.
Paths to walk: 23 km in and around Saint-Damien
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
It is more wooded than 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.
Walks near Saint-Damien
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Of the Sentier National’s 340 km, 4.7 km passes close to town.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Get out in Saint-Damien in May and August
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Nicolet (73 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -4 | 2 | 11 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 13 | 5 | -2 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 70 | 49 | 52 | 82 | 75 | 95 | 103 | 86 | 95 | 90 | 75 | 76 |
From -6 °C in January to 27 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. Summer storms make July the wettest month, 103 mm; February sees 49 mm. The climate in Saint-Damien →
Beaches near Saint-Damien: 9 within 5 km
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
There are also 4 beaches without a name. 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.
Near Saint-Damien: 5 viewpoints, 2 waterfalls
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Campsites lead the count with 9.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 5
Plus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 2
Waterfalls 2
Plus 2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 9
Plus 2 campsites without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next to Saint-Damien
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Damien | 4% | 22 | 1 | 9 |
| Sainte-Émélie-de-l'Énergie 7.4 km | 6.3% | 22 | 1 | 2 |
| Saint-Jean-de-Matha 11 km | 0.7% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Saint-Gabriel 13 km | 0.2% | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon 15 km | 0.2% | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Mandeville 18 km | 2.5% | 19 | 4 | 7 |
| Sainte-Béatrix 19 km | 1.3% | 9 | 0 | 3 |
None of the places nearby has twice as much protected land around it as Saint-Damien. Mandeville has the most mapped walking routes nearby: 4.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- 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. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
Questions about the outdoors in Saint-Damien
Is there protected land near Saint-Damien?
Yes: 4% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Where can you walk near Saint-Damien?
Try the Sentier National.
Where can you swim near Saint-Damien?
Try Plage du Manoir, 2.9 km from town, first of several.
Is Saint-Damien near a national park?
The nearest is La Mauricie National Park, 40 km away.
When should you visit Saint-Damien for the outdoors?
May and August, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Is there a provincial park near Saint-Damien?
The closest is Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec), at 15 km.
What is the largest protected area near Saint-Damien?
It is Basilières-Kaël Land set aside, a protected area covering 2,857 ha.
The sources behind Saint-Damien’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).