Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0Black Diamond is 15 km from Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park
Biggest among them: OH Ranch Heritage Rangeland, 4,277 ha, 9.2 km off. Banff National Park is the closest national park, 76 km from town. 0.7% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%).
Black Diamond 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.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Black Diamond has the 18th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (2,872 to 2,954 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Black Diamond beats most towns its size for public protected areas; 14 of 39 do better. It trails them for protected land nearby, where 22 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O'Leary PE | 25% | 4.9% | 53 | 9 | 22 |
| 2 | Algonquin Highlands ON | 18% | 16% | 8 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | Head of St Margarets Bay NS | 16% | 4.1% | 46 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Parry Sound, Unorganized, Centre Part ON | 15% | 16% | 43 | 0 | 19 |
| 5 | Wawa ON | 11% | 5.1% | 4 | 1 | 38 |
| 6 | Carpenter ON | 7% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Dégelis QC | 6.5% | 5.4% | 23 | 3 | 1 |
| 8 | Suder Greens AB | 5.9% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Shaver ON | 5.6% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Crerar ON | 4.8% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Saint-Isidore QC | 4.7% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Moosomin SK | 4.4% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Butler ON | 3.7% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Regent Park SK | 3.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Saint-Basile QC | 3.3% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Black River-Matheson ON | 2.4% | 0.3% | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Sainte-Marie-Madeleine QC | 2% | 0% | 29 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Grant Park MB | 1.5% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Norwood West MB | 1.5% | 0% | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 20 | Mayfair SK | 1.4% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 3 |
| 21 | Westmount SK | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley QC | 1.3% | 0.7% | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| 23 | Black Diamond AB | 0.7% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Saint-Paul-d'Abbotsford QC | 0.6% | 0.3% | 22 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Saint-Bruno QC | 0.6% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Athabasca AB | 0.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Paisley AB | 0.4% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 | Lauderdale AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon QC | 0.2% | 0% | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 30 | Port Credit NHD (West) ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 31 | Allendale AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | McKernan AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 33 | Tipaskan AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 34 | Harbour Grace NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 35 | Botwood NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Springdale NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Scott QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Fairview AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Carrington AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Overlanders AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Black Diamond on the map: green space, protected land and paths
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town.
A park is within a short walk for 6 in 10 in Black Diamond
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.
For about 1,100 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
7 protected areas lie within 10 km of Black Diamond
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Public ownership covers 3 of the 7. Biggest of the named areas: OH Ranch Heritage Rangeland, 4,277 ha. 4 more areas within 10 km are private land, held by landowners or conservation groups: counted here, not named.
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.
Banff National Park is 76 km away
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.
Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park
Banff National Park
Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park, a provincial park, is nearer at 15 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
19 km of paths in and around Black Diamond
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 · km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 60% of Canadian towns. 96% of Canadian towns are more wooded.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Black Diamond
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.
The best months for walking in Black Diamond: May and July to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Calgary (Airport), 51 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) | 8.4 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | -2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 10 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 61 | 113 | 66 | 54 | 37 | 17 | 16 | 13 |
January is the driest month at 10 mm; June the wettest at 113 mm. Highs peak near 24 °C in July and fall to -2 °C in January. The climate in Black Diamond →
5 things to do outdoors near Black Diamond
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 4.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 4
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next to Black Diamond
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Diamond | 0.7% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Turner Valley 3.9 km | 1.4% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Foothills County 19 km | 7.8% | 29 | 1 | 11 |
| Okotoks 19 km | 0.2% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
For protected land, Turner Valley and Foothills County have twice as much or more.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- 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.
- Private land. CPCAD includes conservation land held privately; the page counts it and leaves the names out.
Questions about the outdoors in Black Diamond
Is there protected land near Black Diamond?
Within 10 km, 0.7% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the nearest provincial park to Black Diamond?
The closest is Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park, at 15 km.
What is the largest protected area near Black Diamond?
OH Ranch Heritage Rangeland, a protected area of 4,277 ha.
What is the nearest national park to Black Diamond?
The nearest is Banff National Park, 76 km away.
When is the best time for walking in Black Diamond?
May and July to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Where Black Diamond’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).