First pick
La Clef des Champs
Park or garden
3.5 ha
3.3 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Misspixels (Isabelle Gagné) · CC BY-SA 4.01.3%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Val-David · parks, protected land & trails
From Val-David, Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec) is the nearest provincial park (26 km)
9.8 km out lies the largest, Proposed Station-de-biologie-des-Laurentides Biodiversity Reserve, at 2,963 ha. 5 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Plage du Lac Raymond. There is no national park within 100 km of the town.
Protected land
1.3%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
11
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
26 km
Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec)
Beaches
5
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Val-David beside other Canadian towns, figure by figure
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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
Protected within 10 km1.3%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town8.3%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 routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches5Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Val-David has the 14th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (5,795 to 6,040 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
Val-David1.3%
Towns its size2%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Val-David3
Towns its size4
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Val-David0
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
Where Val-David trails its peers is protected land nearby; 26 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crowsnest Pass AB | 25% | 20% | 21 | 6 | 0 |
| 2 | Cumberland County, Subdivision C NS | 20% | 8% | 133 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | Electoral Area B, Peace River BC | 18% | 17% | 71 | 0 | 655 |
| 4 | Electoral Area A, Bulkley-Nechako BC | 15% | 14% | 9 | 0 | 17 |
| 5 | Mile 108 Recreational Ranch BC | 12% | 12% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | East Ferris ON | 10% | 1.8% | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | Lowertown West ON | 10% | 1.5% | 36 | 4 | 4 |
| 8 | Verchères QC | 8.9% | 1.7% | 44 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Sainte-Martine QC | 8.8% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Kirkendall North ON | 7.2% | 0% | 23 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | Spallumcheen BC | 6% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Creston BC | 5.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Cochrane ON | 5.3% | 0.6% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Port Mann BC | 5.1% | 4.4% | 108 | 6 | 7 |
| 15 | Lawfield ON | 4.2% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Stettler County No. 6 AB | 3.9% | 3.3% | 96 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Cedarbrae AB | 3.7% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 18 | Homeside ON | 2.6% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Underwood ON | 2.4% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Country Hills West ON | 2.1% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | River Bend ON | 1.8% | 13% | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | Central Frederick ON | 1.7% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Nutana Urban Centre SK | 1.7% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Broadway-Assiniboine MB | 1.5% | 0% | 23 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | Minto MB | 1.4% | 0% | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | Caernarvon AB | 1.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Val-David QC | 1.3% | 8.3% | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| 28 | Brokenhead MB | 1.2% | 2% | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| 29 | University SK | 1.2% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 3 |
| 30 | Heritage Park MB | 1% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 37 |
| 31 | Stettler AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Mayland Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 | Lac-Mégantic QC | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 34 | Elsinore AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Melfort SK | 0.1% | 1.5% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Casselman AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Ellerslie AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 38 | Redcliff AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 39 | Sandstone Valley AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Boyle Street AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 2 | 1 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Val-David
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
Green: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, playing fields and woods. Hatched: CPCAD protected areas.© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); CPCAD (OGL-Canada)
Places to walk
5 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Val-David
La Clef des Champs is the largest, at 3.5 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
5 named parks and woods, 9 ha in all
Parks & gardens 4.3 haWoods 5.0 ha
La Clef des Champs and 24. Secrète together hold 68% of it.
Parc de la Sapinière
Park or garden
0.3 ha
Centralin the middle of Val-David
Parc de la Sapinière
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
2 in 10 people in Val-David 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 (23%)Further (77%)
Val-David23%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
About 4,600 residents live further than 400 m from one. The typical Canadian town does better, at 83%.
Protected areas
1.3% of the country within 10 km of Val-David is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Val-David8.3%
Within 10 km1.3%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of the 11, 3 are public land; the others are privately held. Proposed Station-de-biologie-des-Laurentides Biodiversity Reserve is the biggest, 2,963 ha. The figures include 8 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
Station-de-Biologie-des-Laurentides Territorial reserve for protected area purposesNature reserve · 89 ha · 9.5 km from the edge of town
Proposed Station-de-biologie-des-Laurentides Biodiversity ReserveNature reserve · 2,963 ha · 9.8 km from the edge of town
Lac Cornu (ouest) HeronryProtected area · 24 ha · 9.9 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
The nearest big park: Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec), 26 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-Tremblant National Park (Québec)
26 km north-west1,510 km²since 1981
For a national park, people in Val-David travel more than 100 km. Note that Québec calls its provincial parks parcs nationaux; Sépaq manages them.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Val-David and its edge hold 140 km of footpath
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
140 km
in and around the town (83.7 km²)
Woodland
87%
about 72.5 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Val-DavidTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths1.7
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Val-DavidTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland87%
0%50%100%
For path density, it beats 51% of Canadian towns. For woods, it beats 98% 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 mapped walking route near Val-David
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
No walking route is mapped within 2 km of the town. Mapping of trails as routes varies a great deal across Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Get out in Val-David in May to August
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Lachute, 43 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -3 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 12 | 5 | -3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 97 | 72 | 74 | 100 | 89 | 111 | 112 | 104 | 114 | 120 | 93 | 94 |
Expect 120 mm in October, the wettest month, and 72 mm in February. Daytime highs run from -6 °C in January up to 25 °C in July. Snowfall averages 218 cm a year. The climate in Val-David →
Beaches
Val-David has 5 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Plage du Lac Raymond2.1 km from town
DirectionsPlage Ste-Luciesand · 3.3 km from town
DirectionsOpenStreetMap shows 3 more, nameless. Water quality isn’t shown: there’s no open national record of beach tests. Local health authorities post advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Val-David: 25 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.
Top of the list: hills and peaks, 33 of them. Highest of the named peaks: Mont Lecompte, 531 m.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 25
Belvédère Mariette-Dubreuilin town
DirectionsPlus 24 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 33
Mont Alta480 m · in town
DirectionsMont Belle-Neige440 m · in town
DirectionsMont Césaire475 m · in town
DirectionsMont Condor Est450 m · in town
DirectionsMont Condor Ouest450 m · in town
DirectionsMont Edith472 m · in town
DirectionsMont King465 m · in town
DirectionsMont Plante477 m · in town
DirectionsPlus 25 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 7
Plus 7 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Camping et Vaning Belle-Neigein town
DirectionsCamping Laurentienin town
DirectionsSlipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Val-David
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Val-MorinSainte-Agathe-des-MontsSainte-Lucie-des-LaurentidesSainte-AdèleSainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-MassonSaint-Adolphe-d'HowardVal-David
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Val-David | 1.3% | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| Val-Morin 2.8 km | 2.5% | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts 6.6 km | 1.8% | 15 | 1 | 8 |
| Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides 8.4 km | 4% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Sainte-Adèle 9.3 km | 4.8% | 24 | 1 | 5 |
| Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson 11 km | 5.9% | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard 14 km | 3% | 20 | 4 | 9 |
Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Sainte-Adèle and Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson have at least twice the protected share around them. Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard has the most mapped walking routes nearby: 4.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- Private land. Land owned by individuals, companies or conservation groups counts toward the figures but is never named: a person’s land isn’t a place to visit.
- National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Val-David
What is the largest protected area near Val-David?
It is Proposed Station-de-biologie-des-Laurentides Biodiversity Reserve, a nature reserve covering 2,963 ha.
How much land around Val-David is protected?
Protected areas cover 1.3% of the land within 10 km.
Is there a provincial park near Val-David?
It is Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec), 26 km away.
What is the nearest beach to Val-David?
The nearest is Plage du Lac Raymond, 2.1 km from town.
Is Val-David near a national park?
None within 100 km of Val-David.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Val-David?
May to August, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Sources
Sources for this page on Val-David
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).