First pick
Sue Higgins Park
Park or garden · 340 m outside town
36 ha8.8 km of path
2 hto walk all 8.8 km of path
2.3 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Dwayne Reilander · CC BY-SA 4.03.8%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Acadia · parks, protected land & trails
The nearest provincial park, Fish Creek Provincial Park, is 3.1 km from Acadia
OpenStreetMap shows 7 unnamed beaches within 5 km. Banff National Park is the closest national park, 82 km from town. Within 10 km of the town, 3.8% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town.
Protected land
3.8%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
3
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
82 km
Banff National Park
Nearest provincial park
3.1 km
Fish Creek Provincial Park
Beaches
7
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Acadia 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. There is no Outdoors grade for Canadian towns; the figures stand beside the country’s towns of 2,500+ without a letter.
Protected within 10 km3.8%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0%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
Beaches7Beaches 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, Acadia ranks 14th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (9,799 to 10,103 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
Acadia3.8%
Towns its size1.5%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Acadia3
Towns its size4
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Acadia0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Acadia does best for protected land nearby: 11 of the other 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electoral Area C (Puntledge - Black Creek), Comox Valley BC | 22% | 12% | 74 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Shawnigan BC | 22% | 6.4% | 66 | 4 | 8 |
| 3 | Kitimat BC | 20% | 6.6% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Shediac NB | 18% | 5.4% | 20 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | Hatchet Lake NS | 14% | 36% | 53 | 4 | 23 |
| 6 | Lac-des-Fées QC | 14% | 33% | 32 | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | Amherst NS | 8.7% | 0.2% | 49 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | South Cambie BC | 8.6% | 0% | 13 | 2 | 49 |
| 9 | M-Section (bramalea) ON | 5.4% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Argyle North SK | 4.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Elizabethtown-Kitley ON | 4.2% | 1.7% | 25 | 1 | 2 |
| 12 | The Valleys of Thornhill ON | 3.8% | 12% | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Mount Pleasant North ON | 3.8% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Acadia AB | 3.8% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 15 | Mono ON | 3.7% | 6.4% | 56 | 7 | 1 |
| 16 | Van Kirk ON | 3.2% | 0% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | Rosenberg ON | 2.2% | 9.1% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Laurentian Hills ON | 1.8% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Blind Bay BC | 1.6% | 1.5% | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| 20 | Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills ON | 1.5% | 3.9% | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| 21 | Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier QC | 1.4% | 0.1% | 27 | 0 | 16 |
| 22 | Wiarton ON | 1.4% | 2.4% | 64 | 3 | 55 |
| 23 | Ladysmith BC | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 2 |
| 24 | Vincent ON | 1.3% | 3.1% | 14 | 4 | 7 |
| 25 | Lac-Saint-Charles QC | 1% | 1.6% | 21 | 1 | 4 |
| 26 | Caledonia-Fairbank ON | 0.9% | 0% | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 27 | Beckwith ON | 0.8% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 | Roberval QC | 0.6% | 0.1% | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 29 | Malahide ON | 0.5% | 0% | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| 30 | Stanley MB | 0.5% | 0.8% | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Maple Leaf ON | 0.5% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | Penbrooke Meadows AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Pineridge AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Springbank Hill AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | River Valley Oleskiw AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 36 | Mitchell ON | 0.2% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Devonshire ON | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Bridgewater NS | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Mineola ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 40 | Palmerston ON | 0% | 0.2% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The map
The green map of Acadia
The neighbourhood’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 Acadia
Largest first: Sue Higgins Park leads with 36 ha. Numbers match the map.
Kingsland Dry Pond
Park or garden · 370 m outside town
5.8 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
1.4 km north-westfrom 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
Every resident of Acadia lives 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 (100%)Further (0%)
Acadia100%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
A typical Canadian town reaches only 83%.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 3.8% of the land near Acadia
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Acadia0%
Within 10 km3.8%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
None of the 3 is private. Fish Creek Provincial Park covers 1,361 ha, the most of any named area.
Fish Creek Provincial ParkProvincial park · 1,361 ha · 3.1 km from the edge of town
Inglewood Migratory Bird SanctuaryWildlife area · 111 ha · 4.5 km from the edge of town
Griffith Woods ParkMunicipal park · 110 ha · 9.3 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
The nearest big park: Banff National Park, 82 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.
National parkProvincial park
Provincial park
Fish Creek Provincial Park
3.1 km south14 km²since 1975
National park
Banff National Park
82 km north-west6,641 km²since 1885
Nearer still is Fish Creek Provincial Park, a provincial park 3.1 km away.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Acadia and its edge hold 59 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
59 km
in and around the town (13.4 km²)
Woodland
0.3%
about 0 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
AcadiaTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths4.4
036 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AcadiaTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland0.3%
0%50%100%
Paths are denser here than in 87% of Canadian towns. Woods cover less of it than in 89% 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 mapped walking route near Acadia
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 neighbourhood. 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
Get out in Acadia in May and July to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Calgary (Airport) (17 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| 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 |
For dry weather, January is best (10 mm); June gets 113 mm. Summer highs reach 24 °C in July; in January they stay near -2 °C. Some 139 cm of snow falls each winter. The climate in Acadia →
Beaches
7 unnamed beaches near Acadia
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Water quality isn’t shown: there’s no open national record of beach tests. Local health authorities post advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Acadia: 94 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.
There are 83 playgrounds, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 2
Plus 2 nature reserves without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 83
Accessible Playgroundin town
DirectionsSingh Hari Park0.8 km from town
DirectionsSam Livingston Play Ground2.0 km from town
DirectionsPlus 80 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 3
Fairview Off-Leash Dog Park0.7 km from town
DirectionsHAY-002-Haysboro & Southwood Dog Park1.8 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Slipways 4
Plus 4 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
3 gardens within reach of Acadia
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Olympic PlazaGarden or park · 7.2 km from town
DirectionsDevonian GardensGarden or park · 7.4 km from town
DirectionsPrince's Island ParkGarden or park · 8.3 km from town
DirectionsSources: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, and Wikidata (CC0), as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic places from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places and Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel.
Next door
Next to Acadia
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
FairviewWillow ParkHaysboroKingslandRiverbendSouthwoodAcadia
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
No place nearby has double Acadia’s share of protected land.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected land. Measured on CPCAD’s outlines: the part of a 10 km band around the town that lies in a protected or conserved area, water included.
- Walking routes. A route counts when 300 m or more of it lies within 2 km of the town. Coverage of trails on OpenStreetMap varies by region.
- National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- 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 Acadia
Is there a beach near Acadia?
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
Are there protected areas near Acadia?
Yes: 3.8% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Is there a provincial park near Acadia?
Fish Creek Provincial Park, 3.1 km away.
Is Acadia near a national park?
Banff National Park, 82 km from the edge of town.
Which is the biggest protected area near Acadia?
Fish Creek Provincial Park, a provincial park of 1,361 ha.
When is the best time for walking in Acadia?
May and July to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Sources
Where Acadia’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.
Gardens: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden) and Wikidata gardens within 15 km, as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic gardens and parks from Canada’s heritage registers (Parks Canada DFHD, the Canadian Register of Historic Places, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel).
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).