First pick
Dunvegan Provincial Park
Park or garden · 370 m outside town
13 ha0.1 km of path
38 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Grant Berg · CC BY-SA 3.04.8%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Birch Hills County · parks, protected land & trails
A provincial park at Birch Hills County’s edge: Peace River Wildland Provincial Park
5 beaches are mapped within 5 km, none with a name. Of the country within 10 km, 4.8% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%. There is no national park within 100 km of the town.
Protected land
4.8%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
26
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Peace River Wildland Provincial Park
Beaches
5
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
What sets Birch Hills County apart outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
A provincial park at the edgePeace River Wildland Provincial Park reaches the townBeaches5 beaches within 5 km
Birch Hills County is strongest on a provincial park at its edge, with its beaches close behind.
Against other towns
How Birch Hills County compares with 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
Protected within 10 km4.8%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town7.5%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
Among 40 towns its size, Birch Hills County ranks 10th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (1,522 to 2,587 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
Birch Hills County4.8%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Birch Hills County3
Towns its size3
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Birch Hills County0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Birch Hills County does best for protected land nearby: 9 of the other 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anmore BC | 22% | 47% | 16 | 5 | 98 |
| 2 | Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska QC | 19% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Gracefield QC | 19% | 19% | 34 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | East Preston NS | 16% | 6.3% | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Clearwater BC | 7.7% | 4.1% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Roberval QC | 6.1% | 1.2% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague QC | 5.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | North Frontenac ON | 5.7% | 5.2% | 13 | 6 | 4 |
| 9 | Cap-Chat QC | 5.3% | 0.4% | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| 10 | Birch Hills County AB | 4.8% | 7.5% | 26 | 0 | 5 |
| 11 | Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards ON | 4.4% | 1.5% | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Saint-Polycarpe QC | 4.2% | 0% | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Macassa ON | 4.1% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Saint-Damien QC | 4% | 3.2% | 22 | 1 | 9 |
| 15 | Unity SK | 3.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Sherwood ON | 3.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | McNab SK | 2.6% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Mandeville QC | 2.5% | 1.8% | 19 | 4 | 7 |
| 19 | Esterhazy SK | 1.8% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | City Commercial Core ON | 1.8% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Caswell Hill SK | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | Fossambault-sur-le-Lac QC | 1.3% | 7.8% | 15 | 0 | 14 |
| 23 | Pembina MB | 1.1% | 1.8% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Burrows-Keewatin MB | 1% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Elmwood AB | 0.8% | 0% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 26 | Hatley QC | 0.7% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| 27 | Munroe West MB | 0.4% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Brooke-Alvinston ON | 0.3% | 0.2% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Rosedale AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Minchau AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Lunenburg NS | 0.1% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 5 |
| 32 | Salisbury NB | 0.1% | 2.1% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Dufferin MB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Ekota AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 35 | Satoo AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce QC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Magrath AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Nanton AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Rimbey AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Sexsmith AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Birch Hills 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
2 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Birch Hills County
Dunvegan Provincial Park is the largest, at 13 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
Murphy's Flat
Park or garden · 60 m outside town
5.9 ha
46 km north-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
In Birch Hills County, parks are rarely a short walk away
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%)
Birch Hills County0%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
About 1,500 residents live further than 400 m from one. Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
Protected areas
Within 10 km of Birch Hills County, 4.8% 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 Birch Hills County7.5%
Within 10 km4.8%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of the 26, 3 are public land; the others are privately held. Peace River Wildland Provincial Park leads for size with 24,493 ha. Another 23 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Peace River Wildland Provincial ParkProvincial park · 24,493 ha · reaches Birch Hills County
Greene Valley Provincial ParkProvincial park · 3,191 ha · 3.0 km from the edge of town
Dunvegan West Wildland Provincial ParkProvincial park · 21,027 ha · 3.2 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
From the edge of Birch Hills County, Peace River Wildland Provincial Park begins
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
Peace River Wildland Provincial Park
At the edge245 km²since 2001
Provincial park
Greene Valley Provincial Park
3.0 km north-east32 km²since 2000
Provincial park
Dunvegan West Wildland Provincial Park
3.2 km west210 km²since 2000
For a national park, people in Birch Hills County travel more than 100 km. 3 provincial parks lie within 10 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Birch Hills County has 1 km of footpaths in and around it
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
1.4 km
in and around the town (– km²)
Woodland
36%
of the town and 1 km around it
Footpaths · km per km²
Birch Hills CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Birch Hills CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland36%
0%50%100%
More of it is wooded than in 77% of Canadian towns. For path density, 100% 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
No named walking route passes Birch Hills 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 has no named walking route within 2 km of the town. Trails may exist without being mapped 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
The best months for walking in Birch Hills County: May and July to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Peace River, 59 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) | 7.6 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 16.2 | 17.5 | 17.0 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.1 | 7.0 |
| High (°C) | -10 | -6 | -1 | 9 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 16 | 8 | -3 | -8 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 23 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 40 | 68 | 62 | 43 | 40 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
Highs peak near 23 °C in July and fall to -10 °C in January. February is the driest month at 13 mm; June the wettest at 68 mm. The climate in Birch Hills County →
Beaches
5 unnamed beaches near Birch Hills County
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
This page can’t show water quality: no open, Canada-wide record of beach testing exists. Check local advisories first.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Outdoors around Birch Hills County: 6 places to go
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Birch Hillsin town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Lot 27 Uplands0.8 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 2
Shaftesbury Playground1.1 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Birch Hills County
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. Birch Hills County has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 37–49 km out.
FairviewFairview No. 136Smoky River No. 130GrimshawBirch Hills County
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch Hills County | 4.8% | 26 | 0 | 5 |
| Fairview 37 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fairview No. 136 37 km | 7.2% | 34 | 0 | 4 |
| Smoky River No. 130 47 km | 3.6% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Grimshaw 49 km | 0.5% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Next door, protected shares stay within twice Birch Hills County’s.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- 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. 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.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Birch Hills County
Which is the biggest protected area near Birch Hills County?
It is Peace River Wildland Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 24,493 ha.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Birch Hills County?
Peace River Wildland Provincial Park touches the town.
When is the best time for walking in Birch Hills County?
May and July to 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 nearest national park to Birch Hills County?
No national park lies within 100 km of Birch Hills County.
Are there protected areas near Birch Hills County?
Within 10 km, 4.8% of the land lies in protected areas.
Is there a beach near Birch Hills County?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
Sources
Where Birch Hills 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).