First pick
Riley Park
Park or garden
9.4 ha2.1 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Hillhurst
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Thivierr · CC BY-SA 3.00.6%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Hillhurst · parks, protected land & trails
Fish Creek Provincial Park is 12 km from Hillhurst
For walks, the Calgary Plus 15 runs within 2 km. For a swim, Trout Beach is the beach within 5 km. A drive of 76 km reaches Banff National Park, the nearest national park.
Protected land
0.6%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
2
within 10 km, 2 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
76 km
Banff National Park
Nearest provincial park
12 km
Fish Creek Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Each figure for Hillhurst, 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km0.6%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 areas2Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches1Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Hillhurst has the 13th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (8,327 to 8,539 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
Hillhurst0.6%
Towns its size2.6%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Hillhurst2
Towns its size4
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Hillhurst1
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
For protected land nearby, Hillhurst lags towns its size: 27 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alta Vista ON | 13% | 0.7% | 38 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Britannia ON | 13% | 12% | 31 | 4 | 9 |
| 3 | Mount Joy ON | 10% | 0% | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Stone Mills ON | 10% | 11% | 58 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Wildfield ON | 9.1% | 14% | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Muskoka Lakes ON | 6.3% | 11% | 26 | 1 | 12 |
| 7 | Saint-Vincent-de-Paul QC | 5.6% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | Norton Park ON | 5.5% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Trinity Commons ON | 5.3% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | Saint-Roch QC | 5.1% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | Vaughan Metropolitan Centre ON | 4.7% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Somerset AB | 4.6% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 13 | Electoral Area A, Comox Valley BC | 4% | 4.1% | 97 | 2 | 19 |
| 14 | Heart Lake North ON | 3.9% | 43% | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Trail BC | 3.5% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Electoral Area G, Nanaimo BC | 3.2% | 7.5% | 32 | 0 | 13 |
| 17 | Brownsburg-Chatham QC | 3.1% | 2% | 35 | 0 | 3 |
| 18 | Ogden AB | 2.9% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 19 | Deer Lake BC | 2.9% | 0% | 22 | 4 | 25 |
| 20 | McNab/Braeside ON | 2.7% | 0.1% | 35 | 0 | 14 |
| 21 | Rocky Ridge AB | 2.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | Douro-Dummer ON | 2.3% | 1.4% | 17 | 2 | 3 |
| 23 | Prairie View SK | 2.3% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Goderich ON | 1.5% | 0% | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| 25 | Drumheller AB | 1% | 4.9% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | St. John's MB | 0.9% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Rosewood SK | 0.9% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Hillhurst AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | South-West Oxford ON | 0.5% | 0.3% | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| 30 | Bayfield ON | 0.5% | 0.1% | 6 | 2 | 11 |
| 31 | Springfield North MB | 0.5% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Lac-Beauport QC | 0.4% | 0.1% | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| 33 | Valley Gardens MB | 0.4% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Marlborough Park AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Albert Park/Radisson Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | King Edward Park AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 37 | Wild Rose AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 38 | Garneau AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 39 | Aylmer ON | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Huron-Kinloss ON | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 8 |
The map
The green map of Hillhurst
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
Walk in Hillhurst: 13 named parks and woods
Largest first: Riley Park leads with 9.4 ha. Numbers match the map.
13 named parks and woods, 44 ha in all
Parks & gardens 44 ha
Two places, Karl Baker Off-Leash Park and Riley Park, make up 48% of the total.
West Eau Claire Park
Park or garden · 70 m outside town
6.8 ha3.2 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.2 km of path
1.2 km south-eastfrom the centre
Bow River Pathway (South)
Directionsto a point inside
Karl Baker Off-Leash Park
Park or garden · 350 m outside town
12 ha0.3 km of path
2.3 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Grasshopper Hill
Park or garden
5.6 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
1.1 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Cowboys Park
Park or garden · 100 m outside town
3.0 ha1.3 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
1.1 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
North Hill Lions Park
Park or garden
2.4 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
1.0 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Senator Patrick Burns Rock Gardens
Park or garden
1.4 ha0.5 km of path
0.8 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Nat Christie Park
Park or garden
0.9 ha0.3 km of path
1.0 km southfrom the centre
Bow River Pathway (South)
Directionsto a point inside
All 13 named parks and green spaces
Riley ParkPark or garden · 9.4 ha · 2.1 km of path
DirectionsWest Eau Claire ParkPark or garden · 6.8 ha · 3.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsKarl Baker Off-Leash ParkPark or garden · 12 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsGrasshopper HillPark or garden · 5.6 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsCowboys ParkPark or garden · 3.0 ha · 1.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsNorth Hill Lions ParkPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsSenator Patrick Burns Rock GardensPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsNat Christie ParkPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsGreen ParkPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsPaul (Smokey) Wilkinson ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsBrawn Family Foundation Rotary ParkPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionscontainR ParkPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsBroadview Road & 16th Street ParkPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: 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
All of Hillhurst is within a short walk of 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%)
Hillhurst100%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
For comparison, the median Canadian town has 83%.
Protected areas
Hillhurst has 2 protected areas within 10 km
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Hillhurst0%
Within 10 km0.6%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Every one of the 2 is on public land. At 111 ha, Inglewood Migratory Bird Sanctuary is the largest.
Inglewood Migratory Bird SanctuaryWildlife area · 111 ha · 5.2 km from the edge of town
Griffith Woods ParkMunicipal park · 110 ha · 7.6 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
76 km to Banff National Park
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
12 km south14 km²since 1975
National park
Banff National Park
76 km north-west6,641 km²since 1885
Nearer still is Fish Creek Provincial Park, a provincial park 12 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
79 km of paths in and around Hillhurst
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
79 km
in and around the town (14.6 km²)
Woodland
0.1%
about 0 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
HillhurstTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths5.4
03.57 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
HillhurstTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland0.1%
0%50%100%
It has more footpath per km² than 94% of Canadian towns. 92% 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.
Walking routes
One mapped route to walk from Hillhurst
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Local
Calgary Plus 1510.5 km
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 Hillhurst: May and July to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Calgary (Airport) (9.3 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 |
Winter brings about 139 cm of snow. The warmest days come in July (24 °C highs), the coldest in January (-2 °C). The wettest month, June, brings 113 mm, against 10 mm in January. The climate in Hillhurst →
Beaches
For a swim near Hillhurst: Trout Beach, 2.7 km off
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Trout Beachrock · 2.7 km from town
DirectionsBeach 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 Hillhurst: 7 viewpoints 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 84 playgrounds, the biggest group.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 7
Plus 7 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 4
Plus 4 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 84
New Edinborough Park0.7 km from town
DirectionsCrescent Heights Park Playground1.1 km from town
DirectionsSpray Park1.8 km from town
DirectionsBlue Planet Child Care Outdoor Playground2.0 km from town
DirectionsPlus 80 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 14
Karl Baker Off-Leash Park0.7 km from town
DirectionsSt. Joseph Dog Park0.8 km from town
DirectionsQueen's Park Village Off-Leash Area1.7 km from town
DirectionsCambrian Heights Off-Leash Area 31.7 km from town
DirectionsKnobhill Off-Leash Park1.8 km from town
DirectionsCambrian Heights Off-Leash Area 21.9 km from town
DirectionsBLVD Bark2.0 km from town
DirectionsPlus 7 dog parks without a name on the map.
Slipways 3
Plus 3 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
Near Hillhurst: 5 gardens and parks to visit
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Barb Scott ParkGarden or park · 0.9 km from town
DirectionsDevonian GardensGarden or park · 1.0 km from town
DirectionsPrince's Island ParkGarden or park · 1.1 km from town
DirectionsRotary ParkGarden or park · 1.7 km from town
DirectionsOlympic PlazaGarden or park · 1.8 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 Hillhurst
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Downtown West EndRosedaleSunnysideDowntown Commercial CoreSunaltaCapitol HillHillhurst
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillhurst | 0.6% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Downtown West End 1.1 km | 0.5% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Rosedale 1.3 km | 0.3% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Sunnyside 1.3 km | 0.4% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Downtown Commercial Core 1.7 km | 0.4% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Sunalta 1.8 km | 0.6% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Capitol Hill 1.9 km | 0.4% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Its neighbours have no more than twice Hillhurst’s protected share.
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.
- 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.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
Questions about the outdoors in Hillhurst
Is Hillhurst near a national park?
Banff National Park is closest, at 76 km.
Are there protected areas near Hillhurst?
Within 10 km, 0.6% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the nearest beach to Hillhurst?
Try Trout Beach, 2.7 km from town.
What walking routes are near Hillhurst?
Try the Calgary Plus 15.
What is the largest protected area near Hillhurst?
Inglewood Migratory Bird Sanctuary, a wildlife area of 111 ha.
When should you visit Hillhurst for the outdoors?
On the normals, May and July to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Hillhurst?
Fish Creek Provincial Park, 12 km from the edge of town.
Sources
The sources behind Hillhurst’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).