First pick
Base de plein air André-Nadeau
Park or garden
57 ha13.3 km of path
2 h 55 minto walk all 13.3 km of path
9.0 km south-westfrom the centre
La Balade (sentier multiusage)L'initiée / FatbikeRoute Verte 1+4 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Genvievegarneau2 · CC BY-SA 4.04.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Sherbrooke · parks, protected land & trails
Sherbrooke is 4.4 km from Mont-Orford National Park (Québec)
OpenStreetMap shows one walking route nearby, the Murales de Sherbrooke. Swimmers have 3 beaches within 5 km, Plage Lucien-Blanchard the nearest. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away.
Protected land
4.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
23
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
4.4 km
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec)
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
3
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Sherbrooke 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 km4.1%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.8%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas3Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes2Named 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
Sherbrooke comes 17th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (105,925 to 243,107 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
Sherbrooke4.1%
Towns its size3.7%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Sherbrooke3
Towns its size15
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Sherbrooke2
Towns its size2
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Sherbrooke does best for walking routes: 13 of the other 39 have more. On public protected areas it is behind: 33 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maple Ridge BC | 26% | 21% | 101 | 1 | 41 |
| 2 | Coquitlam BC | 25% | 28% | 130 | 5 | 69 |
| 3 | Delta BC | 24% | 17% | 181 | 9 | 19 |
| 4 | Richmond BC | 21% | 3.2% | 73 | 2 | 31 |
| 5 | Kamloops BC | 14% | 13% | 16 | 0 | 11 |
| 6 | Kelowna BC | 13% | 3.8% | 36 | 0 | 42 |
| 7 | Saanich BC | 11% | 9.4% | 43 | 7 | 56 |
| 8 | Strathcona County AB | 9.4% | 1.4% | 38 | 7 | 6 |
| 9 | Trois-Rivières QC | 8.4% | 1.2% | 44 | 1 | 10 |
| 10 | Cape Breton NS | 8.2% | 8.6% | 176 | 1 | 74 |
| 11 | Pickering ON | 7.6% | 11% | 46 | 1 | 11 |
| 12 | Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury ON | 6.7% | 3.5% | 43 | 5 | 18 |
| 13 | Saguenay QC | 6% | 6.1% | 29 | 0 | 11 |
| 14 | Kingston ON | 5% | 6.2% | 54 | 2 | 5 |
| 15 | Ajax ON | 4.9% | 5.8% | 31 | 1 | 8 |
| 16 | Lévis QC | 4.1% | 0.6% | 62 | 1 | 8 |
| 17 | Sherbrooke QC | 4.1% | 0.8% | 23 | 2 | 3 |
| 18 | Whitby ON | 3.9% | 4.7% | 37 | 1 | 3 |
| 19 | Abbotsford BC | 3.9% | 0.5% | 37 | 2 | 10 |
| 20 | Terrebonne QC | 3.8% | 3.6% | 60 | 0 | 3 |
| 21 | Langley BC | 3.5% | 2.9% | 144 | 8 | 10 |
| 22 | Barrie ON | 2.6% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| 23 | Burlington ON | 2.5% | 1.6% | 27 | 2 | 17 |
| 24 | Oshawa ON | 2.4% | 0.3% | 30 | 1 | 4 |
| 25 | St. John's NL | 2.2% | 1.2% | 6 | 1 | 41 |
| 26 | Richmond Hill ON | 1.9% | 8.4% | 51 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | Nanaimo BC | 1.9% | 6.7% | 42 | 2 | 33 |
| 28 | Cambridge ON | 1.7% | 0.4% | 33 | 10 | 2 |
| 29 | Bowmanville ON | 1.6% | 3% | 25 | 2 | 9 |
| 30 | Milton ON | 1.3% | 0% | 38 | 15 | 3 |
| 31 | St. Catharines ON | 1.2% | 1.7% | 15 | 4 | 7 |
| 32 | Niagara Falls ON | 1.1% | 1.7% | 15 | 3 | 4 |
| 33 | Chatham ON | 1% | 1% | 21 | 0 | 8 |
| 34 | Guelph ON | 0.9% | 3.1% | 15 | 10 | 5 |
| 35 | Oakville ON | 0.9% | 4.1% | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| 36 | Red Deer AB | 0.7% | 1.2% | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 37 | Waterloo ON | 0.6% | 0% | 17 | 12 | 1 |
| 38 | Lethbridge AB | 0.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Brantford ON | 0.3% | 0% | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 40 | Thunder Bay ON | 0.1% | 0.4% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
The map
Sherbrooke on the map: green space, protected land and paths
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
30 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Sherbrooke
Base de plein air André-Nadeau is the largest, at 57 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
30 named parks and woods, 457 ha in all
Parks & gardens 457 ha
No one place dominates; the largest has 12%.
Parc des Deux-Ruisseaux
Park or garden
39 ha7.3 km of path
1 h 35 minto walk all 7.3 km of path
4.6 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Central
Park or garden
37 ha4.6 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.6 km of path
7.9 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Armand-Duplessis
Park or garden
38 ha3.6 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.6 km of path
5.4 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Marais Réal-D.-Carbonneau
Park or garden
36 ha3.3 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.3 km of path
3.3 km north-eastfrom the centre
Sentier des PiotisSentier de la TourSentier de la Digue
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Victoria
Park or garden
33 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
3.2 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
boisé Lucien-Blanchard
Park or garden
17 ha4.1 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.1 km of path
1.3 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Sylvie-Daigle
Park or garden
20 ha2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
3.5 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks and green spaces
Base de plein air André-NadeauPark or garden · 57 ha · 13.3 km of path
DirectionsParc des Deux-RuisseauxPark or garden · 39 ha · 7.3 km of path
DirectionsParc CentralPark or garden · 37 ha · 4.6 km of path
DirectionsParc Armand-DuplessisPark or garden · 38 ha · 3.6 km of path
DirectionsParc Marais Réal-D.-CarbonneauPark or garden · 36 ha · 3.3 km of path
DirectionsParc VictoriaPark or garden · 33 ha · 2.3 km of path
Directionsboisé Lucien-BlanchardPark or garden · 17 ha · 4.1 km of path
DirectionsParc Sylvie-DaiglePark or garden · 20 ha · 2.5 km of path
DirectionsParc Jacques-CartierPark or garden · 16 ha · 3.5 km of path
DirectionsParc André-VigerPark or garden · 18 ha · 1.9 km of path
DirectionsParc QuintalPark or garden · 19 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Atto-BeaverPark or garden · 11 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc BelvédèrePark or garden · 9.3 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Lucien-BlanchardPark or garden · 9.4 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc du BarragePark or garden · 8.3 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc Walter-CamdenPark or garden · 9.3 ha
DirectionsParc du Marquis-de-MontcalmPark or garden · 7.6 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsBoisé de la SauvaginePark or garden · 8.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc du Domaine-HowardPark or garden · 6.3 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsParc BureauPark or garden · 6.4 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc de Saint-Alphonse-de-LiguoriPark or garden · 6.5 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc Antonio-BarrettePark or garden · 5.4 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc de la KrugerPark or garden · 5.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Paul-MarinPark or garden · 5.1 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc des PyrénéesPark or garden · 5.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc des Jardins-FleurisPark or garden · 4.5 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Gilles-CharlandPark or garden · 4.2 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc du Mena'SenPark or garden · 4.2 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc CouturierPark or garden · 4.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du Mi-VallonPark or garden · 3.4 ha · 0.9 km of path
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
7 in 10 people in Sherbrooke 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 (68%)Further (32%)
Sherbrooke68%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town reaches 83%. For about 59,000 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
Within 10 km of Sherbrooke, 4.1% is protected land
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Sherbrooke0.8%
Within 10 km4.1%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public bodies own 3 of the 23; land trusts and private owners hold the others. Biggest of the named areas: Mont-Orford National Park (Québec), 5,944 ha. Another 20 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Rivière aux Cerises White-Tailed Deer YardProtected area · 1,636 ha · 2.9 km from the edge of town
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec)Québec national park (provincial) · 5,944 ha · 4.4 km from the edge of town
Land set aside Rivière-au-SaumonProtected area · 1,366 ha · 5.8 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
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec) is 4.4 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)
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec)
4.4 km west59 km²since 1979
No national park lies within 100 km of Sherbrooke; 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: 390 km in and around Sherbrooke
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
390 km
in and around the town (488.3 km²)
Woodland
49%
about 240.5 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
SherbrookeTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.8
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
SherbrookeTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland49%
0%50%100%
Woods cover more of it than in 83% of Canadian towns. Paths are thinner on the ground than in 61% 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
Sherbrooke has 1 named walking route
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Local
Murales de Sherbrooke5.8 km
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
May is the best month for walking in Sherbrooke
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Lennoxville, 8.5 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -4 | -2 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 13 | 6 | -1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 76 | 66 | 68 | 82 | 85 | 102 | 99 | 104 | 96 | 91 | 70 | 75 |
August is the wettest month (104 mm) and February the driest (66 mm). The warmest days come in July (26 °C highs), the coldest in January (-4 °C). Winter brings about 291 cm of snow. The climate in Sherbrooke →
Beaches
3 beaches within 5 km of Sherbrooke
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Plage Lucien-Blanchardin town
DirectionsAdd 2 unnamed beaches to the count. 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 Sherbrooke: 18 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.
18Viewpoints7Hills and peaks1Nature reserves25Picnic sites229Playgrounds5Dog parks4Campsites5Slipways
The highest named peak nearby is Mont John-S. Bourque, at 365 m. There are 229 playgrounds, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 18
Société d'histoire de Sherbrookein town
DirectionsPlus 17 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 7
Colline de Beauvoir313 m · in town
DirectionsMont Bellevue333 m · in town
DirectionsMont John-S. Bourque365 m · in town
DirectionsColline Haskell300 m · 0.7 km from town
DirectionsMont Boisjoli355 m · 0.8 km from town
DirectionsPlus 2 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Réserve naturelle Maurice-Bessette1.1 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 229
CPE La Jardinièrein town
DirectionsGlissades sur tubein town
DirectionsLa Zone Plus Sherbrookein town
DirectionsParc-école du Boisjoliin town
DirectionsPlus 225 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 5
Plus 5 dog parks without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Camping Ile Mariein town
DirectionsPura Vida Lodge & Sup1.9 km from town
DirectionsCamping Magog Orford1.9 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Slipways 5
Plus 5 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Sherbrooke
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
HatleyWatervilleAscot CornerStokeSaint-Denis-de-BromptonSainte-Catherine-de-HatleySherbrooke
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherbrooke | 4.1% | 23 | 2 | 3 |
| Hatley 8.2 km | 0.7% | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Waterville 11 km | 0.7% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Ascot Corner 12 km | 0.7% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Stoke 12 km | 0.3% | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Saint-Denis-de-Brompton 15 km | 9.4% | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley 18 km | 1.3% | 11 | 0 | 7 |
Stoke has the most mapped walking routes nearby: 3. For protected land, Saint-Denis-de-Brompton has twice as much or more.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- 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. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
Questions about the outdoors in Sherbrooke
Is there protected land near Sherbrooke?
Protected areas cover 4.1% of the land within 10 km.
Is there a provincial park near Sherbrooke?
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec), 4.4 km away.
Where can you walk near Sherbrooke?
Try the Murales de Sherbrooke.
Is there a beach near Sherbrooke?
Plage Lucien-Blanchard, in town, is the nearest mapped beach.
What is the largest protected area near Sherbrooke?
Mont-Orford National Park (Québec): 5,944 ha, a québec national park (provincial).
When is the best time for walking in Sherbrooke?
May: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Is Sherbrooke near a national park?
No national park lies within 100 km of Sherbrooke.
Sources
Sources for this page on Sherbrooke
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).