First pick
Jaycee Park
Park or garden · 200 m outside town
12 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
22 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Andrawaag · CC BY-SA 4.01.8%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Big Lakes County · parks, protected land & trails
Big Lakes County borders Hilliard's Bay Provincial Park
For a swim, Joussard Beach is the nearest of 12 beaches within 5 km. National parks are all over 100 km off. 20 protected areas lie within 10 km.
Protected land
1.8%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
20
within 10 km, 8 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Hilliard's Bay Provincial Park
Beaches
12
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where Big Lakes County stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
A provincial park at the edgeHilliard's Bay Provincial Park reaches the townBeaches12 beaches within 5 km
For someone who likes to get outside, Big Lakes County’s draw is a provincial park at its edge, with its beaches close behind.
Against other towns
Each figure for Big Lakes County, set against 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 km1.8%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town1.9%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas8Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches12Beaches 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, Big Lakes County is 20th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (5,029 to 5,185 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
Big Lakes County1.8%
Towns its size1.9%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Big Lakes County8
Towns its size10
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Big Lakes County0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Where Big Lakes County trails its peers is public protected areas; 22 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Donat QC | 41% | 6.7% | 21 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Electoral Area A, Cowichan Valley BC | 23% | 0.9% | 58 | 4 | 24 |
| 3 | Electoral Area D, Peace River BC | 19% | 18% | 56 | 3 | 123 |
| 4 | Inverness NS | 13% | 5.1% | 141 | 4 | 20 |
| 5 | Starlight Village NB | 9.2% | 3.1% | 23 | 0 | 11 |
| 6 | Montréal-Est QC | 7.7% | 0.4% | 38 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Antigonish NS | 7.6% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | Lemoyne QC | 7.6% | 0% | 26 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | Cobble Hill BC | 6.6% | 4.5% | 51 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | Electoral Area C, North Okanagan BC | 6.1% | 19% | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | Webber Greens AB | 6.1% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Nipawin SK | 4.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Heritage SK | 4% | 0% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 14 | Annapolis County, Subdivision B NS | 3.9% | 0.9% | 44 | 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Rushdale ON | 3.9% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Gibsons BC | 2.7% | 4.8% | 43 | 0 | 57 |
| 17 | Centre Hastings ON | 2.5% | 1.4% | 30 | 2 | 3 |
| 18 | Morin-Heights QC | 2.2% | 0.9% | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 19 | Hearst ON | 2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Coverdale NB | 1.9% | 4.4% | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Big Lakes County AB | 1.8% | 1.9% | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| 22 | Bridgwater Forest MB | 1.7% | 4.1% | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | Mt. Hope Huron Park ON | 1.5% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | River-Osborne MB | 1.5% | 0% | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | Earl Grey MB | 1.4% | 0% | 25 | 3 | 0 |
| 26 | Lord Roberts MB | 1.4% | 0% | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | West Alexander MB | 1.4% | 0% | 19 | 4 | 0 |
| 28 | Edgemont AB | 1.4% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Kneehill County AB | 1.3% | 1.1% | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Westmount ON | 1.3% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Shaughnessy Park MB | 1.1% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Robertson MB | 0.7% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Kildonan Drive MB | 0.3% | 1.3% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Twin Brooks AB | 0.3% | 0.4% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | Saint-Germain-de-Grantham QC | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Queen Alexandra AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 37 | Carbonear NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 38 | Didsbury AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Capilano AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 40 | Rundle Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0 |
The map
The green map of Big Lakes County
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
One park or wood to walk in, in or near Big Lakes County
Largest first: Jaycee Park leads with 12 ha. Numbers match the map.
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 Big Lakes 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%)
Big Lakes County0%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
That leaves about 5,100 people more than a short walk away. For comparison, the typical Canadian town has 83%.
Protected areas
Within 10 km of Big Lakes County, 1.8% 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 Big Lakes County1.9%
Within 10 km1.8%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Governments hold 8 of the 20, and private owners the rest. Winagami Wildland Provincial Park covers 12,680 ha, the most of any named area. 12 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
Winagami Wildland Provincial ParkProvincial park · 12,680 ha · reaches Big Lakes County
Grizzly Ridge Wildland Provincial ParkProvincial park · 10,711 ha · reaches Big Lakes County
Winagami Lake Provincial ParkProvincial park · 6,539 ha · reaches Big Lakes County
Lesser Slave Lake Wildland Provincial ParkProvincial park · 3,481 ha · reaches Big Lakes County
Hilliard's Bay Provincial ParkProvincial park · 2,328 ha · reaches Big Lakes County
Goose Mountain Ecological ReserveNature reserve · 1,268 ha · reaches Big Lakes County
Police Point Natural AreaNature reserve · 295 ha · reaches Big Lakes County
Centre of Alberta Natural AreaNature reserve · 313 ha · 2.9 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
Winagami Wildland Provincial Park starts at the edge of Big Lakes 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
Provincial park
Winagami Wildland Provincial Park
At the edge127 km²since 2000
Provincial park
Grizzly Ridge Wildland Provincial Park
At the edge107 km²since 1999
Provincial park
Winagami Lake Provincial Park
At the edge65 km²since 1956
Provincial park
Lesser Slave Lake Wildland Provincial Park
At the edge35 km²since 2001
Provincial park
Hilliard's Bay Provincial Park
At the edge23 km²since 1978
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, Big Lakes County has its province’s. Within 10 km are 5 provincial parks.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
119 km of paths in and around Big Lakes County
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
119 km
in and around the town (14,936.3 km²)
Footpaths · km per km²
Big Lakes CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
024 km per km²
It has fewer paths per km² than 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 named walking route passes Big Lakes County on the map
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
OpenStreetMap lists no walking route near the town, though paths on the ground may well exist.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Walking season in Big Lakes County: May, August and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Slave Lake (93 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) | 7.6 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 16.2 | 17.5 | 16.9 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.2 | 7.1 |
| High (°C) | -8 | -5 | 1 | 9 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 8 | -1 | -7 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 19 | 13 | 13 | 23 | 41 | 75 | 77 | 56 | 42 | 27 | 19 | 16 |
Summer brings the most rain: 77 mm in July; March gets 13 mm. Highs peak near 22 °C in July and fall to -8 °C in January. The climate in Big Lakes County →
Beaches
Big Lakes County has 12 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Joussard Beachin town
Directions11 more are mapped without a name. 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 Big Lakes County: 40 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.
Count 15 playgrounds, the biggest group. Look up to Wallace Mountain: 1,235 m.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 3
Brush Mountain960 m · in town
DirectionsPrichuk Hill681 m · in town
DirectionsWallace Mountain1,235 m · in town
DirectionsNature reserves 6
Chrystina Lake Provincial Recreation Areain town
DirectionsFreeman River Provincial Recreation Areain town
DirectionsGoose Mountain Ecological Reservein town
DirectionsLesser Slave Wildland Provincial Parkin town
DirectionsTrapper Lea's Cabin Provincial Recreation Areain town
DirectionsGrizzly Ridge Wildland Provincial Park1.7 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 15
Plus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 12
Cattail Cabins & RV Parkin town
DirectionsChrystina (Windy) Lake Campgroundin town
DirectionsEdith Lakein town
DirectionsFreeman Lakein town
DirectionsHeart River Dam Campgroundin town
DirectionsHilliard's Bay Campgroundin town
DirectionsHP Elks RV Parkin town
DirectionsNorth Country Fairin town
DirectionsPlus 4 campsites more.
Slipways 4
Plus 4 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Big Lakes County
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. Big Lakes County has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 22–71 km out.
High PrairieFalherSmoky River No. 130Big Lakes County
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lakes County | 1.8% | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| High Prairie 22 km | 1.7% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Falher 67 km | 0.2% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Smoky River No. 130 71 km | 3.6% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
Smoky River No. 130 has at least twice the protected share around it.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. National parks are Parks Canada’s; provincial parks are the province’s or territory’s, Québec’s parcs nationaux among them.
- 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.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- Protected land. The share is of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s outline, from CPCAD’s mapped areas; marine areas count, so a coastal town can score high on water.
Questions about the outdoors in Big Lakes County
Are there protected areas near Big Lakes County?
Within 10 km, 1.8% of the land lies in protected areas.
Which is the biggest protected area near Big Lakes County?
It is Winagami Wildland Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 12,680 ha.
Where can you swim near Big Lakes County?
The nearest is Joussard Beach, in town.
What is the nearest provincial park to Big Lakes County?
Hilliard's Bay Provincial Park touches the town.
Is Big Lakes County near a national park?
None within 100 km of Big Lakes County.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Big Lakes County?
On the normals, May, August and September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
Sources
Where Big Lakes 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).