Walden borders Fish Creek Provincial Park
For a swim, Sikome Lake South is the nearest of 12 beaches within 5 km. There is one protected area within 10 km. For a national park, Banff National Park is 89 km away.
The outdoors in Walden, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Above all, Walden offers a provincial park at its edge, with its beaches close behind.
How Walden 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. 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.
Walden comes 17th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (8,075 to 8,308 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, Walden does best for protected land nearby: 16 of the other 39 have more. For public protected areas, though, 33 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Malbaie QC | 27% | 0.5% | 28 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | Beaubassin East / Beaubassin-est NB | 27% | 2% | 29 | 0 | 11 |
| 3 | Argyle NS | 21% | 22% | 136 | 0 | 22 |
| 4 | Morgan Creek BC | 17% | 1% | 157 | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | Elmvale - Canterbury ON | 14% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Old Ottawa East ON | 13% | 4.2% | 39 | 4 | 3 |
| 7 | Upper Cornell ON | 12% | 49% | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | Crestview-Tanglewood ON | 12% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | Rigaud QC | 7.1% | 1.5% | 44 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | Lincoln NB | 6.8% | 3.8% | 26 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | Secord AB | 6.4% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Kirkland Lake ON | 5% | 9.5% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 13 | G-Section (bramalea) ON | 5% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Woodbine AB | 4.6% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Al Ritchie SK | 4.4% | 39% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 16 | Haliburton Village ON | 4.1% | 2.6% | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| 17 | Walden AB | 3.2% | 0.1% | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| 18 | Rocky Mountain House AB | 2.9% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Langstaff ON | 2.3% | 0% | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Torbay NL | 1.9% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| 21 | Jackson ON | 1.6% | 3.2% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Talbot ON | 1.6% | 4.3% | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | South Pointe MB | 1.6% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Wolseley MB | 1.5% | 0% | 27 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | Alnwick/Haldimand ON | 1.1% | 2.9% | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| 26 | South Terwillegar AB | 0.8% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Otonabee-South Monaghan ON | 0.7% | 0.7% | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| 28 | Lawson Heights SK | 0.7% | 8.1% | 12 | 0 | 3 |
| 29 | St. Norbert MB | 0.6% | 1.6% | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Silverwood Heights SK | 0.6% | 1.6% | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 31 | Vermilion River County AB | 0.5% | 0.3% | 24 | 0 | 6 |
| 32 | Southdale MB | 0.5% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Plattsville ON | 0.4% | 0.1% | 19 | 2 | 2 |
| 34 | Allard AB | 0.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | Kildare-Redonda MB | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | St. Marys ON | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 37 | Charlesworth AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 38 | Strathcona AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 39 | Happy Valley-Goose Bay NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 40 | Ponoka AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Walden on the map: green space, protected land and paths
The neighbourhood’s parks, woods, protected land and paths, with its named places numbered.
5 named parks and woods to walk in near Walden
Woof Willows is the largest, at 2.7 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
Woof Willows plus Chapala Park account for 66% of the green.
Chapala Park
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.
Every resident of Walden 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.
For comparison, the median Canadian town has 83%.
3.2% of the country within 10 km of Walden is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
It is public.
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.
89 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.
Fish Creek Provincial Park
Banff National Park
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Paths to walk: 86 km in and around Walden
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 denser here than in 88% of Canadian towns. For woods, 77% of Canadian towns have more.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
No mapped walking route near Walden
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Nothing near the neighbourhood is mapped as a named walking route, which often means the trails just haven’t been entered as routes.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Walking season in Walden: May and July to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Calgary (Airport), 28 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 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 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 |
The wettest month, June, brings 113 mm, against 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 Walden →
Walden has 12 beaches close by
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Sandy ones: 3. There are also 9 beaches without a name. For water quality, look to the local health unit: no open beach-testing data covers Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Near Walden: 1 viewpoints, 2 waterfalls
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The map shows 66 playgrounds, ahead of the rest.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 2
Plus 2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 66
Plus 58 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.
Next to Walden
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Walden is not outdone two to one on protected land by any neighbour.
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. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- 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 Walden
Is there protected land near Walden?
Within 10 km, 3.2% of the land lies in protected areas.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Walden?
Fish Creek Provincial Park begins at the town’s edge.
Is there a beach near Walden?
Sikome Lake South, 2.0 km from town, is the nearest mapped beach.
Is Walden near a national park?
Banff National Park, 89 km from the edge of town.
When is the best time for walking in Walden?
May and July to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Walden?
Fish Creek Provincial Park: 1,361 ha, a provincial park.
Where Walden’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).