First pick
Parc Robinson
Park or garden
4.0 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Waterloo
Estriade
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Maxime Laterreur · CC BY 4.03.4%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Waterloo · parks, protected land & trails
6.4 km from Waterloo to Yamaska National Park (Québec)
Within 5 km lie 2 beaches, unnamed on the map. There is no national park within 100 km of the town. 23 protected areas lie within 10 km.
Protected land
3.4%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
23
within 10 km, 2 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
6.4 km
Yamaska National Park (Québec)
Beaches
2
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Waterloo 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km3.4%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 areas2Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches2Beaches 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, Waterloo is 20th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (5,616 to 5,796 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
Waterloo3.4%
Towns its size3.6%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Waterloo2
Towns its size5
Towns in Quebec10
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Waterloo0
Towns its size0
Towns in Quebec0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Waterloo is weakest for public protected areas: 27 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shediac NB | 14% | 0.9% | 20 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Dunrobin ON | 14% | 0.1% | 50 | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | Osoyoos BC | 14% | 0.8% | 22 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | Saint Marys NB | 13% | 15% | 44 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Iris ON | 12% | 0% | 26 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | New Edinburgh ON | 11% | 0.1% | 37 | 4 | 3 |
| 7 | Seguin ON | 10% | 1.2% | 20 | 0 | 10 |
| 8 | Orford QC | 9.3% | 39% | 44 | 4 | 15 |
| 9 | Lanoraie QC | 9% | 7.8% | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Armstrong BC | 8% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Emerald Woods - Sawmill Creek ON | 6.9% | 21% | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Lampman ON | 6.9% | 13% | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | Chertsey QC | 6.5% | 7.2% | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Annapolis County, Subdivision C NS | 6.3% | 0.1% | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Havelock ON | 5.7% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Smithers BC | 5.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 17 | Vieux-Québec—Cap-Blanc—Colline parlementaire QC | 5% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 5 |
| 18 | Rosedale Village ON | 4.5% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | Braeside AB | 4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 20 | Carp ON | 3.8% | 2.9% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Waterloo QC | 3.4% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | Oakridge AB | 2.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Sherwood/McCarthy SK | 2.7% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Memramcook NB | 2% | 0% | 55 | 0 | 2 |
| 25 | County Court ON | 2% | 0% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | The Pas MB | 1.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Duncan BC | 1.9% | 0% | 31 | 2 | 1 |
| 28 | Montcalm MB | 1.8% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | Forest Hill ON | 1.7% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Buena Vista SK | 1.7% | 1.6% | 17 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | St. Matthews MB | 1.6% | 0% | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 32 | Confederation Park SK | 1.2% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 | Parkview AB | 1.2% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 34 | Westwood MB | 1% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 37 |
| 35 | Meadow Lake SK | 0.7% | 0.7% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan QC | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Charleswood AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 38 | Elsinore AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Remington Park ON | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Casselman AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Waterloo
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
Walk in Waterloo: 9 named parks and woods
Largest first: Parc Robinson leads with 4.0 ha. Numbers match the map.
9 named parks and woods, 11 ha in all
Parks & gardens 11 ha
Two places, Parc Robinson and Parc de la plage municipale, make up 57% of the total.
Parc de la plage municipale
Park or garden
2.3 ha0.3 km of path
1.3 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Caboose
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.3 km of path
1.5 km south-westfrom the centre
L'Estriade
Directionsto a point inside
Parc G et E Courville
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Waterloo
Estriade
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks and green spaces
Parc RobinsonPark or garden · 4.0 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc de la plage municipalePark or garden · 2.3 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc des GénerationsPark or garden · 1.3 ha
DirectionsParc de la CaboosePark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc des SaulesPark or garden · 1.1 ha
DirectionsParc G et E CourvillePark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du carré FosterPark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsParc Wilfrid-ÉmondPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsPlace du CentenairePark 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
About 5 in 10 of Waterloo’s residents are 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.
Within 400 m (48%)Further (52%)
Waterloo48%
Towns in Quebec52%
Typical Canadian town83%
That leaves about 3,000 people more than a short walk away. The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, above this.
Protected areas
3.4% of the country within 10 km of Waterloo 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 Waterloo0%
Within 10 km3.4%
Towns in Quebec4.9%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
2 of the 23 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. Yamaska National Park (Québec) leads for size with 1,340 ha. 21 more areas within 10 km are private land, held by landowners or conservation groups: counted here, not named.
Yamaska National Park (Québec)Québec national park (provincial) · 1,340 ha · 6.4 km from the edge of town
réservoir Choinière Water Fowl Gathering AreaWildlife area · 163 ha · 7.2 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
Yamaska National Park (Québec), 6.4 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)
Yamaska National Park (Québec)
6.4 km north-west13 km²since 1983
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, Waterloo has its province’s. 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
20 km of paths in and around Waterloo
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
20 km
in and around the town (35 km²)
Woodland
49%
about 17.2 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
WaterlooTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.6
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
WaterlooTowns in QuebecTypical Canadian town
Woodland49%
0%50%100%
For woods, it beats 83% of Canadian towns. It has fewer paths per km² than 64% 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
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Waterloo
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
No named walking or hiking route is mapped near the town; local paths may simply not be on OpenStreetMap as routes.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Waterloo is best on foot in May, August and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Granby, 16 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 | 13.4 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | -5 | -3 | 2 | 11 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 20 | 13 | 6 | -1 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 95 | 74 | 88 | 101 | 100 | 121 | 122 | 113 | 113 | 109 | 92 | 98 |
January brings highs of -5 °C, July highs of 26 °C. The wettest month is the warmest, July (122 mm); February has 74 mm. About 262 cm of snow falls in a year. The climate in Waterloo →
Beaches
2 beaches within 5 km of Waterloo, none named
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Beach water tests aren’t published as open data across Canada, so swimming advisories come from the local health unit.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Waterloo: 16 outdoor spots on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Playgrounds lead the count with 8. Colline Methodist tops the hills nearby, 300 m.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Colline Methodist300 m · 0.7 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 5
Halte Waterlooin town
DirectionsHalte du Vignoble0.6 km from town
DirectionsPlus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 8
Plus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Parc Canin de Waterlooin town
DirectionsSlipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Waterloo
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
SheffordStukely-SudBromontSaint-Joachim-de-SheffordLac-BromeGranbyWaterloo
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 3.4% | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| Shefford 8.3 km | 3.1% | 34 | 0 | 7 |
| Stukely-Sud 10 km | 5.1% | 49 | 0 | 3 |
| Bromont 12 km | 2.2% | 25 | 0 | 2 |
| Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford 12 km | 2.5% | 15 | 0 | 6 |
| Lac-Brome 12 km | 6.8% | 55 | 0 | 6 |
| Granby 18 km | 2.5% | 18 | 0 | 6 |
Around Lac-Brome the protected share is at least double.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected land. Measured on CPCAD’s outlines: the part of a 10 km band around the town that lies in a protected or conserved area, water included.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
Questions about the outdoors in Waterloo
Is there protected land near Waterloo?
Protected areas cover 3.4% of the land within 10 km.
Where can you swim near Waterloo?
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
What is the nearest provincial park to Waterloo?
The closest is Yamaska National Park (Québec), at 6.4 km.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Waterloo?
May, August and September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Waterloo?
It is Yamaska National Park (Québec), a québec national park (provincial) covering 1,340 ha.
How far is Waterloo from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Waterloo.
Sources
The sources behind Waterloo’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).