First pick
Ryley District Recreation Park
Park or garden · 160 m outside town
11 ha
12 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Darren Kirby from Nanaimo, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.06.8%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Beaver County · parks, protected land & trails
Step out of Beaver County and you are in Elk Island National Park
The nearest provincial park, Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, is 1.6 km away. The protected share within 10 km is 6.8%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. OpenStreetMap shows 2 walking routes nearby, including the Beaver Hills Biodiversity Trail and Wood Bison Trail.
Protected land
6.8%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
143
within 10 km, 11 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
At the edge
Elk Island National Park
Nearest provincial park
1.6 km
Miquelon Lake Provincial Park
Walking routes
2
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
What Beaver County has going for it outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Next to a national parkElk Island National Park starts at the edge of townProtected land all round6.8% of the land within 10 km, more than 78% of Canadian towns
What Beaver County has most to offer outdoors is Elk Island National Park on its doorstep, with protected land around it close behind.
Against other towns
Beaver County 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 km6.8%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town7.7%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas11Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes2Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Beaver County comes 9th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (6,132 to 6,361 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
Beaver County6.8%
Towns its size2.7%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Beaver County11
Towns its size4
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Beaver County2
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
For public protected areas, Beaver County sits near the top of its size group: 13 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hubley NS | 20% | 37% | 32 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | Hautes-Plaines QC | 19% | 9.8% | 33 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Peachland BC | 18% | 0.4% | 22 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Pineview ON | 15% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Playfair Park - Guildwood Estates ON | 13% | 0% | 37 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Dutch Settlement NS | 8.7% | 15% | 69 | 10 | 8 |
| 7 | Nouveau Greenfield Park QC | 6.9% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Lac-Brome QC | 6.8% | 1.7% | 55 | 0 | 6 |
| 9 | Beaver County AB | 6.8% | 7.7% | 143 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | Les Coteaux QC | 6.7% | 0.2% | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Cumberland ON | 6.7% | 2.9% | 50 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Fatima QC | 6.6% | 4.5% | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Cachet ON | 6.6% | 0% | 31 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | Turnball ON | 6.1% | 39% | 20 | 3 | 1 |
| 15 | Tay Valley ON | 5.8% | 3.9% | 37 | 5 | 8 |
| 16 | Electoral Area A, Cariboo BC | 5.4% | 6% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Beasley ON | 5.1% | 0% | 23 | 1 | 3 |
| 18 | Crown Point West ON | 4.1% | 0% | 24 | 1 | 7 |
| 19 | Delta East ON | 3.7% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 6 |
| 20 | Barrhead County No. 11 AB | 3.4% | 1.2% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Electoral Area C, Peace River BC | 1.9% | 1% | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | Rosemount ON | 1.8% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Mcquesten West ON | 1.6% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 9 |
| 24 | Cherry Hill ON | 1.6% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Glenora AB | 1.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 26 | Woodstock NB | 1.5% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Willow Creek No. 26 AB | 1.5% | 0.2% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Highland ON | 1.5% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Sargent Park MB | 1.4% | 0% | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Grosvenor Park SK | 1.4% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Neepawa MB | 1% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | St. Paul AB | 0.5% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Saint-Césaire QC | 0.4% | 0% | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | Capitol Hill AB | 0.4% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | Mission AB | 0.4% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 36 | Duggan AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Vegreville AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Beauceville QC | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 39 | The Orchards At Ellerslie AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Mildmay ON | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Beaver County
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
2 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Beaver County
Largest first: Ryley District Recreation Park leads with 11 ha. Numbers match the map.
Gazebo Park
Park or garden · 220 m outside town
0.6 ha0.3 km of path
25 km eastfrom the centre
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
Few people in Beaver County 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 (0%)Further (100%)
Beaver County0%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town does better, at 83%. About 6,200 residents live further than 400 m from one.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 6.8% of the land near Beaver County
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Beaver County7.7%
Within 10 km6.8%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of the 143, 11 are public land; the others are privately held. At 19,402 ha, Elk Island National Park is the largest. The figures include 40 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
Elk Island National ParkNational park · 19,402 ha · reaches Beaver County
Miquelon Lake Provincial ParkProvincial park · 1,277 ha · 1.6 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
Parks around Beaver County
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
National park
Elk Island National Park
At the edge · north-west194 km²since 1913
Provincial park
Miquelon Lake Provincial Park
1.6 km west13 km²since 1958
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Beaver County and its edge hold 272 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
272 km
in and around the town (3,888.4 km²)
Woodland
4.2%
about 162.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Beaver CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Beaver CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland4.2%
0%50%100%
Woods cover less of it than in 64% of Canadian towns. For path density, 90% of Canadian towns do better.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
Beaver County has 2 named walking routes
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
LocalOther waymarked
Wood Bison Trail15.6 km
Beaver Hills Biodiversity Trail2.2 km
For a longer outing, the Wood Bison Trail runs 15.6 km.
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 Beaver County in May, August and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Camrose (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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -4 | 1 | 10 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 0 | -5 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 19 | 9 | 16 | 27 | 40 | 72 | 73 | 44 | 34 | 18 | 16 | 10 |
July is the warmest month, with highs around 23 °C; January the coldest, at -6 °C. Summer brings the most rain: 73 mm in July; February gets 9 mm. The climate in Beaver County →
Things to do
Beaver County has 2 viewpoints within 2 km
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: playgrounds, 10 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 6
Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Areain town
DirectionsGambling Lake Conservation Sitein town
DirectionsSherwood Park Conservation Sitein town
DirectionsParkland Natural Area0.2 km from town
DirectionsAntler Lake Island Natural Area1.7 km from town
DirectionsHicks Conservation Lands1.9 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 10
Plus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 5
Black Nugget Lakein town
DirectionsCamp Lake Parkin town
DirectionsSPFGA Campgroundin town
DirectionsEastview Park Campground0.5 km from town
DirectionsTofield Campground0.7 km from town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Beaver County
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. The nearest places to Beaver County with figures are 11–44 km away.
TofieldCamroseCamrose CountyVegrevilleBeaver County
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver County | 6.8% | 143 | 2 | 0 |
| Tofield 11 km | 18% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Camrose 34 km | 0.9% | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Camrose County 38 km | 1.4% | 148 | 0 | 3 |
| Vegreville 44 km | 0.2% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Around Tofield the protected share is at least double.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- 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. CPCAD maps each protected area; the page counts how much of the 10 km around the town they cover, lakes and sea included.
- Private land. CPCAD includes conservation land held privately; the page counts it and leaves the names out.
Questions about the outdoors in Beaver County
Is there a provincial park near Beaver County?
It is Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, 1.6 km away.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Beaver County?
May, August and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Is Beaver County near a national park?
Elk Island National Park begins right at Beaver County’s edge.
Are there protected areas near Beaver County?
Within 10 km, 6.8% of the land lies in protected areas.
Which is the biggest protected area near Beaver County?
Elk Island National Park, a national park of 19,402 ha.
Where can you walk near Beaver County?
The Beaver Hills Biodiversity Trail and Wood Bison Trail, among the routes mapped within 2 km.
Sources
Where Beaver County’s outdoors figures come from
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).