Photo: outofthought · CC BY-SA 3.0In Discovery Ridge, 32% of the land is set aside as protected
9.0 km from town is Fish Creek Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park. The nearest national park is Banff National Park, 70 km away. OpenStreetMap shows one beach within 5 km, without a name.
The outdoors in Discovery Ridge, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
What Discovery Ridge has most to offer outdoors is protected land inside its own boundary. It has less to offer in protected land nearby.
Discovery Ridge 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. This page carries no grade, because Canada’s grading doesn’t cover the outdoors; the comparisons are the point.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Discovery Ridge sits 9th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,187 to 4,326 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Against towns its size, Discovery Ridge is weakest for protected land nearby: 31 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Pocatière QC | 35% | 0.2% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay BC | 26% | 31% | 24 | 2 | 14 |
| 3 | Anderson Walk BC | 23% | 8.2% | 180 | 8 | 4 |
| 4 | Electoral Area F, Central Kootenay BC | 22% | 2.9% | 13 | 2 | 12 |
| 5 | Oka QC | 20% | 26% | 53 | 0 | 12 |
| 6 | Electoral Area E, Cariboo BC | 16% | 17% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Beaupré QC | 16% | 1.2% | 26 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Victoria County, Subdivision B NS | 12% | 17% | 244 | 1 | 21 |
| 9 | Westphal NS | 12% | 0.5% | 14 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Invermere BC | 10% | 13% | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | Red Lake ON | 10% | 1.1% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Sunrise Estates BC | 5.8% | 3.1% | 152 | 5 | 0 |
| 13 | Bruleville ON | 4.9% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Grand Forks BC | 4.5% | 0.9% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Port Hardy BC | 4.1% | 2.2% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Simonds NB | 3.9% | 12% | 12 | 0 | 17 |
| 17 | Electoral Area E, Sunshine Coast BC | 3.4% | 5.1% | 34 | 0 | 48 |
| 18 | Downtown SK | 3.2% | 39% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 19 | Stellarton NS | 3.1% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Ormstown QC | 2.9% | 1.6% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 | Richmond County, Subdivision A NS | 2.7% | 1.4% | 149 | 0 | 27 |
| 22 | Bartonville ON | 2.5% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 4 |
| 23 | Templemead ON | 2.3% | 0% | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | Eganville ON | 1.5% | 0.4% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Vermilion AB | 1.5% | 9.3% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Lantzville BC | 1.5% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 8 |
| 27 | St. George MB | 1.5% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Calder AB | 1.4% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Tuxedo MB | 1.3% | 20% | 24 | 1 | 27 |
| 30 | Métabetchouan--Lac-à-la-Croix QC | 1% | 1% | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 31 | Fraipont MB | 0.7% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Discovery Ridge AB | 0.5% | 32% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 | Jackson Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | East Angus QC | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | Crabtree QC | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Saint-Ambroise QC | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Napierville QC | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Claresholm AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Mayliewan AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Ozerna AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The green map of Discovery Ridge
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the neighbourhood.
About 7 in 10 of Discovery Ridge’s residents are a short walk from 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.
Around 1,500 residents are further than 400 m from a park. The typical Canadian town does better, at 83%.
Griffith Woods Park touches Discovery Ridge
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Every one of the 2 is on public land. At 1,361 ha, Fish Creek Provincial Park is the largest.
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.
The nearest big park: Banff National Park, 70 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.
Fish Creek Provincial Park
Banff National Park
Closer to home, Fish Creek Provincial Park is 9.0 km away.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Paths to walk: 40 km in and around Discovery Ridge
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
For path density, it beats 67% of Canadian towns. Woods cover more of it than in 56% 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.
No named walking route passes Discovery Ridge 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.
No walking route is mapped within 2 km of the neighbourhood. Mapping of trails as routes varies a great deal across Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Get out in Discovery Ridge in May and July to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Calgary (Airport) (19 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 |
Expect 113 mm in June, the wettest month, and 10 mm in January. July is the warmest month, with highs around 24 °C; January the coldest, at -2 °C. Expect around 139 cm of snow over a winter. The climate in Discovery Ridge →
A beach within 5 km of Discovery Ridge
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
No open data on beach water quality covers every province, so check with public health before a swim.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Discovery Ridge has a viewpoint 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, 35 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 35
Plus 35 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
4 gardens within reach of Discovery Ridge
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Sources: 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 to Discovery Ridge
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Ridge | 0.5% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Springbank Hill 1.7 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Aspen Woods 3.2 km | 0.3% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Signal Hill 3.5 km | 0.9% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Strathcona Park 4.3 km | 0.3% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| West Springs 4.4 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Glamorgan 4.5 km | 1.5% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Around Glamorgan the protected share is at least double.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Discovery Ridge
How much land around Discovery Ridge is protected?
Yes: 0.5% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the nearest beach to Discovery Ridge?
One beach is mapped within 5 km, though without a name.
How far is Discovery Ridge from a national park?
It is Banff National Park, 70 km off.
Is there a provincial park near Discovery Ridge?
It is Fish Creek Provincial Park, 9.0 km away.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Discovery Ridge?
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 biggest park or reserve near Discovery Ridge?
It is Fish Creek Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 1,361 ha.
The sources behind Discovery Ridge’s outdoors figures
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).