First pick
Sue Higgins Park
Park or garden
36 ha8.8 km of path
2 hto walk all 8.8 km of path
2.0 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
3.4%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Willow Park · parks, protected land & trails
Fish Creek Provincial Park is 1.3 km from Willow Park
8 beaches are mapped within 5 km, none with a name. The nearest national park is Banff National Park, 82 km away. Within 10 km are 3 protected areas.
Protected land
3.4%
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
1.3 km
Fish Creek Provincial Park
Beaches
8
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Willow Park 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km3.4%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
Beaches8Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Willow Park comes 17th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (6,719 to 7,066 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
Willow Park3.4%
Towns its size2.4%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Willow Park3
Towns its size3
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Willow Park0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Willow Park does best for protected land nearby: 16 of the other 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thunder Bay, Unorganized ON | 18% | 18% | 136 | 6 | 347 |
| 2 | Hawthorn Meadows - Sheffield Glen ON | 14% | 0% | 36 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Springhill NS | 11% | 9% | 79 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Harrietsfield NS | 11% | 19% | 33 | 3 | 22 |
| 5 | Algoma, Unorganized, North Part ON | 11% | 10% | 91 | 4 | 228 |
| 6 | Lowertown East ON | 11% | 0% | 38 | 4 | 3 |
| 7 | Beaverbrook ON | 7.8% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | The Estates of Rainbow Creek ON | 7.1% | 6.1% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Douglas NB | 6.4% | 9.4% | 54 | 1 | 18 |
| 10 | Saint-Honoré QC | 5.5% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| 11 | Perth ON | 5.4% | 0.7% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | Barrington NS | 5.2% | 6.8% | 91 | 0 | 45 |
| 13 | Hope ON | 4.8% | 1.8% | 58 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Millrise AB | 4.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 15 | Edgeley ON | 3.9% | 0.4% | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Canyon Meadows AB | 3.7% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 17 | Willow Park AB | 3.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| 18 | Midnapore AB | 3.3% | 32% | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| 19 | Annapolis County, Subdivision A NS | 3.1% | 1.6% | 54 | 1 | 4 |
| 20 | Hillsdale SK | 2.4% | 40% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 21 | Electoral Area C, East Kootenay BC | 2.3% | 1.5% | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Riverdale West ON | 1.6% | 0% | 13 | 2 | 8 |
| 23 | Parkhill ON | 1.4% | 0.3% | 11 | 3 | 2 |
| 24 | Meadowood MB | 1.3% | 1.8% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Old Tuxedo MB | 1.3% | 0% | 24 | 1 | 29 |
| 26 | Devon AB | 1.1% | 0% | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | Rhatigan Ridge AB | 0.5% | 0% | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh ON | 0.4% | 0.9% | 13 | 5 | 5 |
| 29 | Garden City MB | 0.4% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Applewood Park AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Bridgeland/Riverside AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 32 | Stephenville NL | 0.2% | 0% | 11 | 1 | 8 |
| 33 | Kiniski Gardens AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | Tamarack AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 35 | Lucan ON | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 36 | Gimli MB | 0.1% | 0.6% | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| 37 | Plessisville QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Rhineland MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Wainwright AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Klarvatten AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Willow Park
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 Willow Park: 4 named parks and woods
The biggest is Sue Higgins Park, 36 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
4 named parks and woods, 72 ha in all
Parks & gardens 72 ha
Sue Higgins Park plus Carburn Park account for 94% of the green.
Carburn Park
Park or garden · 120 m outside town
32 ha5 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 5 km of path
2.1 km north-eastfrom the centre
Bow River PathwayCarburn park connector
Directionsto a point inside
Lake Bonavista School Field
Park or garden · 380 m outside town
3.3 ha
2.2 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
City of Calgary Parks Depot
Park or garden
0.9 ha
1.8 km 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
All of Willow Park 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%)
Willow Park100%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
For comparison, the median Canadian town has 83%.
Protected areas
3.4% of the land around Willow Park is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Willow Park0%
Within 10 km3.4%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Each of the 3 is held by a public body. Fish Creek Provincial Park covers 1,361 ha, the most of any named area.
Fish Creek Provincial ParkProvincial park · 1,361 ha · 1.3 km from the edge of town
Inglewood Migratory Bird SanctuaryWildlife area · 111 ha · 5.0 km from the edge of town
Griffith Woods ParkMunicipal park · 110 ha · 9.5 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
82 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
1.3 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 1.3 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
Paths to walk: 81 km in and around Willow Park
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
81 km
in and around the town (20.7 km²)
Woodland
0.8%
about 0.2 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Willow ParkTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths3.9
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Willow ParkTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland0.8%
0%50%100%
Paths are denser here than in 83% of Canadian towns. Woods cover less of it than in 83% 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
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Willow Park
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
Walking season in Willow Park: May and July to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Calgary (Airport) (18 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 |
The wettest month, June, brings 113 mm, against 10 mm in January. Highs peak near 24 °C in July and fall to -2 °C in January. Snow totals about 139 cm a year. The climate in Willow Park →
Beaches
8 unnamed beaches near Willow Park
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.
Things to do
Outdoors around Willow Park: 136 places to go
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
There are 124 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 3
Plus 3 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 124
Sam Livingston Play Ground0.4 km from town
DirectionsSam Livingston play ground0.4 km from town
DirectionsAccessible Playground0.5 km from town
DirectionsLake Bonavista Play Ground1.8 km from town
DirectionsSingh Hari Park1.9 km from town
DirectionsSouth Hill Mobile Park Playground1.9 km from town
DirectionsFun n' More1.9 km from town
DirectionsFish Creek Provincial Park2.0 km from town
DirectionsPlus 116 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 2
HAY-002-Haysboro & Southwood Dog Park1.6 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Slipways 5
Plus 5 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
Near Willow Park: 3 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.
Olympic PlazaGarden or park · 8.7 km from town
DirectionsDevonian GardensGarden or park · 9.0 km from town
DirectionsPrince's Island ParkGarden or park · 9.9 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 Willow Park
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
AcadiaLake BonavistaHaysboroSouthwoodFairviewCanyon MeadowsWillow Park
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Park | 3.4% | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Acadia 1.5 km | 3.8% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Lake Bonavista 2.1 km | 3.5% | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Haysboro 2.4 km | 3.9% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Southwood 2.5 km | 4% | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Fairview 2.5 km | 3.7% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Canyon Meadows 2.7 km | 3.7% | 3 | 0 | 6 |
Willow Park is not outdone two to one on protected land by any neighbour.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- 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.
- 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.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- 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 Willow Park
Is Willow Park near a national park?
Banff National Park, 82 km from the edge of town.
Where can you swim near Willow Park?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
How much land around Willow Park is protected?
Yes: 3.4% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the largest protected area near Willow Park?
It is Fish Creek Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 1,361 ha.
Is there a provincial park near Willow Park?
Fish Creek Provincial Park, 1.3 km away.
When should you visit Willow Park 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.
Sources
Where Willow Park’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).