First pick
Parc Jean-Guy-Fournier
Park or garden
6.6 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
0.8 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Gabriel Picard · CC BY-SA 4.09.6%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Sainte-Croix · parks, protected land & trails
More of the land around Sainte-Croix is protected than around nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
Within 10 km are 32 protected areas. Land set aside Seigneurie-de-Joly (1,822 ha) is the biggest, 1.8 km from town. Swimmers have 3 beaches within 5 km, Plage Maurice the nearest.
Protected land
9.6%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
32
within 10 km, 31 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
71 km
La Mauricie National Park
Nearest provincial park
56 km
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec)
Beaches
3
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
The outdoors in Sainte-Croix, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round9.6% of the land within 10 km, more than 85% of Canadian townsMany protected areas31 public areas within 10 km
Out of doors, Sainte-Croix leads with protected land around it, with the number of public protected areas close by close behind.
Against other towns
Each figure for Sainte-Croix, 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. 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 km9.6%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.3%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas31Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches3Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Sainte-Croix comes 6th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (2,567 to 2,657 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
Sainte-Croix9.6%
Towns its size1.7%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Sainte-Croix31
Towns its size4
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Sainte-Croix0
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
For public protected areas, Sainte-Croix tops all 39 other towns its size.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsawwassen BC | 31% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | Division No. 7, Subdivision E NL | 30% | 28% | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | East Preston NS | 16% | 6.3% | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Bonfield ON | 15% | 23% | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Outlook SK | 11% | 0.1% | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Sainte-Croix QC | 9.6% | 0.3% | 32 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Castlemore Estates ON | 7.8% | 6.5% | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Chase BC | 7% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Sainte-Victoire-de-Sorel QC | 6.9% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | East River, Part 1 PE | 4.3% | 9.1% | 38 | 14 | 20 |
| 11 | Macassa ON | 4.1% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | Saint-Damien QC | 4% | 3.2% | 22 | 1 | 9 |
| 13 | Boothill SK | 3.9% | 76% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 14 | Sherwood ON | 3.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | Kinburn ON | 3.1% | 0% | 31 | 0 | 6 |
| 16 | Saint-François-Xavier-de-Brompton QC | 2.8% | 5.3% | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Saint-Mathieu QC | 2.4% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | City Commercial Core ON | 1.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Lambeth ON | 1.8% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | High Prairie AB | 1.7% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Adelaide/Churchill SK | 1.7% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 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 | Westmeria ON | 1.6% | 0% | 18 | 2 | 5 |
| 25 | Brockville MB | 1.5% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | South River Heights MB | 1.5% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 | Caswell Hill SK | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| 28 | Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove NL | 1.1% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| 29 | Grand Manan NB | 0.8% | 6.1% | 14 | 1 | 31 |
| 30 | Waterville QC | 0.7% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Berwick NS | 0.6% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Grey MB | 0.6% | 0.7% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Saint-Chrysostome QC | 0.4% | 0.3% | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 34 | Minchau AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 35 | Sweet Grass AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Salisbury NB | 0.1% | 2.1% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Dufferin MB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce QC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 39 | Rosetown SK | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Delton AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
The map
Where the green is in Sainte-Croix
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
Walk in Sainte-Croix: 2 named parks and woods
Parc Jean-Guy-Fournier is the largest, at 6.6 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on 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
In Sainte-Croix, parks are rarely a short walk away
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 (0%)Further (100%)
Sainte-Croix0%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
That leaves about 2,600 people more than a short walk away. Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
Protected areas
The 32 protected areas near Sainte-Croix
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Sainte-Croix0.3%
Within 10 km9.6%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
31 of the 32 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. Biggest of the named areas: Land set aside Seigneurie-de-Joly, 1,822 ha. One area belongs to a private owner or a land trust and isn’t named here.
Sainte-Croix (Autodrome) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 413 ha · reaches Sainte-Croix
Sainte-Croix (Plage Maurice) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 377 ha · reaches Sainte-Croix
Pointe Platon (Est) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 374 ha · reaches Sainte-Croix
Sainte-Croix (est) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 344 ha · reaches Sainte-Croix
Sainte-Croix Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 139 ha · reaches Sainte-Croix
Pointe Platon Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 117 ha · reaches Sainte-Croix
Sainte-Croix Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 114 ha · reaches Sainte-Croix
Pointe-Platon Ecological ReserveNature reserve · 59 ha · reaches Sainte-Croix
Décharge du Platon Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 379 ha · 0.3 km from the edge of town
Cap-Santé (ouest) Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 682 ha · 1.2 km from the edge of town
21 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 71 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
Québec national park (provincial)
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec)
56 km north671 km²since 1981
National park
La Mauricie National Park
71 km west536 km²since 1970
Closer to home, Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec) is 56 km away. Despite the name, a Québec parc national is a provincial park.
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: 2 km in and around Sainte-Croix
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
1.8 km
in and around the town (129.3 km²)
Woodland
27%
about 35.1 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Sainte-CroixTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Sainte-CroixTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland27%
0%50%100%
It has fewer paths per km² than 97% of Canadian towns. Woods cover more of it than in 72% 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
No named walking route passes Sainte-Croix on the map
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 town, 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
The best months for walking in Sainte-Croix: May, June, August and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Fortierville (29 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 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 20 | 12 | 5 | -3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 81 | 69 | 79 | 94 | 92 | 108 | 133 | 103 | 95 | 105 | 82 | 100 |
Some 253 cm of snow falls each winter. Summer highs reach 26 °C in July; in January they stay near -7 °C. The warmest month, July, is also the wettest (133 mm), while February is driest at 69 mm. The climate in Sainte-Croix →
Beaches
3 beaches within 5 km of Sainte-Croix
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Plage Mauricein town
DirectionsThere are also 2 beaches without a name. 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
Viewpoints and waterfalls near Sainte-Croix: 2 and 2
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Count 3 picnic sites, the biggest group.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 2
Plus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 2
Plus 2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 2
Domaine Joly-De Lotbinièrein town
DirectionsRéserve écologique de Pointe-Platonin town
DirectionsPicnic sites 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Camping Belle-Vuein town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
A historic garden or park in Sainte-Croix
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 · from 1851 · In Sainte-Croix
Its pageA National Historic Site is among them. The earliest of the lot is Joly de Lotbinière Estate (1851).
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 Sainte-Croix
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
DonnaconaSaint-Édouard-de-LotbinièreCap-SantéLaurier-StationSaint-Antoine-de-TillyNeuvilleSainte-Croix
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Croix | 9.6% | 32 | 0 | 3 |
| Donnacona 6.6 km | 9.6% | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| Saint-Édouard-de-Lotbinière 8.6 km | 12% | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| Cap-Santé 8.9 km | 8.3% | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| Laurier-Station 12 km | 3.7% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly 14 km | 6.8% | 29 | 0 | 2 |
| Neuville 14 km | 7.1% | 30 | 0 | 1 |
Next door, protected shares stay within twice Sainte-Croix’s.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- Walking routes. A route counts when 300 m or more of it lies within 2 km of the town. Coverage of trails on OpenStreetMap varies by region.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Sainte-Croix
Which is the biggest protected area near Sainte-Croix?
It is Land set aside Seigneurie-de-Joly, a protected area covering 1,822 ha.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Sainte-Croix?
On the normals, May, June, August and September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
What is the nearest national park to Sainte-Croix?
La Mauricie National Park is closest, at 71 km.
What is the nearest provincial park to Sainte-Croix?
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec), 56 km from the edge of town.
What is the nearest beach to Sainte-Croix?
The nearest is Plage Maurice, in town.
How much land around Sainte-Croix is protected?
Yes: 9.6% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Sources
The sources behind Sainte-Croix’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.
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).