THE BEST CITIES TO CONNECT WITH NATURE

Immerse yourself in nature by discovering the country’s most outdoorsy cities.

Imagine the warm sunshine on your face, the sound of wind rushing through the trees overhead, and the soft earthy feel of the trail under your boots. Mmm, sounds dreamy.

But for one reason or another, many of us struggle to find the time to get out and about and connect with nature. Life can be busy and working through your lunchbreak or late into the evening can be tempting, but immersing yourself in nature can help to reduce stress, boost your mood and even have a positive impact on your health.

To encourage you to get your daily dose of nature, we’ve looked at urban parkland space, air quality, community gardens, dog parks and walking trails across 31 cities in Canada, to reveal the top cities to connect with nature.

So, grab those sneakers and dedicate 30 minutes for self-love to get outside and discover new spots on your doorstep with a connection to nature.

Discover the top 20 cities to escape into nature.

According to our index, Ottawa is crowned as the best city for connecting with nature, due to its high number of community gardens/urban farms and dog-friendly parks.

In second place is Toronto, with the highest number of walking trails. This is followed by Vancouver, ranking in eight position with 42 walking trails to explore nature around the city. So, dust off your boots because there are plenty of opportunities to up your step count.

Whitehorse comes in third, boasting more parkland than any other city.

Calgary is fourth, and Iqaluit ranks in fifth place, offering the cleanest air of all the Canadian cities.

Ranking in eleventh place, the city of St. John’s in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador offers more than 100 km of walking trails to set out on and enjoy nature. This is followed by Hamilton, ranking in twelfth position with 153.9 km.

Guelph, ranking in fourteenth place, offers plenty of opportunity for dog lovers and is fourth in terms of cities with the most off-leash dog parks (51).

Yellowknife, ranking in eighteenth position, is in the top three cities when it comes to air quality.

PARKLAND PER CITY

Enjoy the company of wildlife and lush landscapes by spending your time outdoors in some of the most beautiful urban parklands – green spaces managed by the local authority.

Surrounded by trees, Whitehorse comes up at the top with the most hectares of parkland (12,000 ha). That’s the equivalent of roughly 16,806 soccer fields 2! Next up is Calgary (8,412 ha), and Toronto is in third place (8,096 ha).

At the other end of the scale, Township of Langley (458 ha), Charlottetown (418 ha), and Victoria (209 ha) have the fewest hectares of parkland.

PARKLAND PER 1000 PEOPLE

We’ve looked at overall hectares of parkland, but how do the rankings differ when you look at that on a per capita level? With one of the smallest populations, Iqaluit made it into first place (572 ha). This is the capital in the newest territory of Nunavut, which is where for centuries the Inuit indigenous group have lived.

This is followed by Whitehorse (552 ha), Yellowknife (61 ha), Prince George (24.3 ha), and Red Deer (20 ha), all offering plenty of green space where you can connect with nature.

The cities with the smallest amount of green space per 1000 people are Township of Langley (3.5 ha), Toronto (2.7 ha), Charlottetown (2.6 ha), Montreal (2.6 ha) and Victoria (2.3 ha). If you are exploring the outdoors, help to protect your skin from the sun before heading out.

AIR QUALITY

Being outdoors in the fresh air with the scents of flowers and plants can help you find clarity and boost your mood. With that in mind, Iqaluit, Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Red Deer and Delta are the top 5 cities for clean air, with the lowest units of air pollutant PM2.5, airborne particles that are formed as a result of burning fuel.

Overall, most Canadian cities have a low number of PM2.5 units. However, Quebec City (9.9), Longueuil (9.9) and Montreal (9.5) have the highest number per year.

We know that air pollution can have a negative effect on your overall health and can make your skin look dull. To help protect your skin and combat the effects of pollution, it’s important to follow a good night-time cleaning routine before catching those zzz’s.

WALKING TRAILS

Whether you prefer the sound of a hike or a run, getting active in the great outdoors is a good way to keep your body and mind healthy. Also, it’s a great opportunity to discover more about the history and the heritage of the land you live near.

We looked at the number of 5* reviewed urban walking trails across these cities to discover which places offer the best opportunities for getting out in the wilderness and stretching your legs.

With 75 5* walking trails, Toronto sits at the top of the list, followed by Surrey (49) and Ottawa (44). Regina (5), Longueuil (5), and Iqaluit (2) have the lowest number of urban waking trails.

However, when you compare the length of these waking trails, Ottawa jumps to the top of the list, with an incredible 687 km of trails, followed by Toronto (496 km) and Victoria (340 km).

DOG OFF-LEASH PARKS

Having the freedom to enjoy nature is important for dogs too. Dog parks are the perfect playgrounds for them to have fun and play off-leash, burning off some of their pent-up energy while making new friends.

With that in mind, we looked at the number of off-leash dog parks where your pooch can run wild and free.

Ottawa (237), Calgary (152), Toronto (75), Ghelph (51) and Montreal (49) are the top 5 cities when it comes to dog-friendly parks. On the other hand, Regina (2), Charlottetown (1), Waterloo (1), Whitehorse (1), and Iqaluit (0) have the lowest number of dog areas.

Don’t forget to carry water so that your canine companion can rehydrate after a long run around!

COMMUNITY GARDENS

Imagine being surrounded by the fresh scent of flowers, the sound of birds and the bright colors of fruit and vegetables. This might sound particularly appealing if you aren’t lucky enough to have your own bit of outdoor space, but by joining a local community garden, also known as an urban farm, you can still have a place to connect and interact with Mother Earth.

Ottawa comes out on top again, with the highest number of community gardens where you can go to practise your gardening skills (129). Hamilton is in second place (100), and in third place is Montreal (47).

The cities with the lowest number of community gardens are Yellowknife (2), Iqaluit (1), and Whitehorse (1).

If you are heading into the great outdoors to soak up Vitamin D surrounded by beautiful landscapes, don’t forget to protect your skin from the sun by wearing SPF. Then, if you’re feeling tired from all that fresh air and exercise, take time to treat yourself with a self massage, with the choice of a body butter to nourish your skin.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance

Please enjoy public spaces, such as those listed, responsibly and in line with your local area rules and advice. If you are heading off to discover a new area, please find out if there are any current restrictions for non-local visitors. Stay 2 metres away from people outside of your household, wash your hands frequently with hand soap for at least 20 seconds, and wear face coverings over your mouth and nose in enclosed spaces.

Methodology and Sources

Our research looked at 6 data points:

Total number of hectares of parkland per city and per 1000 people (Published year 2020): https://cityparksreport.parkpeople.ca
Number of dog parks per city (Published year 2020): https://cityparksreport.parkpeople.ca
Number of community gardens and urban farms (Published year 2020): https://cityparksreport.parkpeople.ca
Units of PM2.5 air pollutant per city (2020 annual average) Unit: 0-10 WHO Target: https://www.iqair.com/us/world-air-quality-report
Number of urban walking trails (filtered by 4.5-5* rating reviews) and total length per city (March 2021): https://www.alltrails.com/
‘Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health’ https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health
Conversion of hectares to soccer fields: https://www.justintools.com/unit-conversion/area.php
Iqaluit – The Canadian Encyclopedia: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/iqaluit

We used min-max normalization to determine the overall ranking (0-10), with 10 being the best score. Percentages have been rounded to their nearest decimal place. Access the full data set here.