First pick
Lee Creek Park
Park or garden
37 ha3 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Cardston
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain0.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Cardston · parks, protected land & trails
A national park 26 km from Cardston: Waterton Lakes National Park
6.4 km from town is Woolford Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park. Within 10 km of the town, 0.1% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. There is one protected area within 10 km.
Protected land
0.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
1
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
26 km
Waterton Lakes National Park
Nearest provincial park
6.4 km
Woolford Provincial Park
Against other towns
Each figure for Cardston, 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. 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 km0.1%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 areas1Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Cardston sits 2nd from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,787 to 3,930 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
Cardston0.1%
Towns its size2%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Cardston1
Towns its size5
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Cardston0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Where Cardston trails its peers is protected land nearby; 38 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electoral Area F, East Kootenay BC | 30% | 23% | 41 | 2 | 10 |
| 2 | L'Islet QC | 30% | 0.1% | 43 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Georgian Bay ON | 13% | 19% | 52 | 1 | 10 |
| 4 | Electoral Area J, Central Kootenay BC | 11% | 4.9% | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | Salisbury NB | 11% | 12% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Trend-Arlington ON | 10% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Lamont County AB | 9.6% | 2.2% | 51 | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | Saint-Maurice QC | 9.2% | 0.5% | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Cap-Santé QC | 8.3% | 0.1% | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Colchester County, Subdivision A NS | 7.5% | 14% | 51 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Ainslie Wood West ON | 7.5% | 15% | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 12 | Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson QC | 5.9% | 0.1% | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Saint-André-Avellin QC | 5.1% | 1.2% | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Normanview Residents Group SK | 3.7% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Fairview AB | 3.7% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 16 | East Hawkesbury ON | 3.3% | 6.2% | 36 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Maniwaki QC | 3.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Electoral Area C, Fraser-Fort George BC | 3.1% | 3.3% | 15 | 1 | 32 |
| 19 | Eleanor ON | 3.1% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | Mulmur ON | 2.1% | 2.9% | 25 | 3 | 2 |
| 21 | Auditorium ON | 1.9% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Grand River North ON | 1.8% | 3.6% | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Guernsey ON | 1.6% | 0% | 16 | 2 | 6 |
| 24 | Stoney Creek ON | 1.5% | 0% | 14 | 4 | 8 |
| 25 | Norwood East MB | 1.5% | 0% | 21 | 4 | 0 |
| 26 | City Park SK | 1.3% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Bridgeport East ON | 1.2% | 0% | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | Forty Mile County No. 8 AB | 1.1% | 1.6% | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Corkery ON | 0.9% | 2.3% | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 30 | Jamieson Place AB | 0.8% | 0% | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | Livingston AB | 0.6% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Rosscarrock AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Leila-McPhillips Triangle MB | 0.4% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Meadows MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Pasadena NL | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Penhold AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 37 | Clareview Town Centre AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 38 | Maple AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 39 | Cardston AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Pincher Creek AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Cardston
The town’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 Cardston: 4 named parks and woods
Lee Creek Park is the largest, at 37 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
4 named parks and woods, 46 ha in all
Parks & gardens 46 ha
95% of the area is in just two places: Lee Creek Park and Stream Set Park.
Phillip Memorial Park
Park or garden
0.7 ha
Centralin the middle of Cardston
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
A park is within a short walk for 7 in 10 in Cardston
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 (73%)Further (27%)
Cardston73%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
Around 1,100 residents are further than 400 m from a park. Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
Protected areas
Cardston has 1 protected area 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 Cardston0%
Within 10 km0.1%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
It is public.
Woolford Provincial ParkProvincial park · 38 ha · 6.4 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
Big parks near Cardston
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
Woolford Provincial Park
6.4 km east0.4 km²since 1957
National park
Waterton Lakes National Park
26 km west505 km²since 1895
Nearer still is Woolford Provincial Park, a provincial park 6.4 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
Cardston has 9 km of footpaths in and around it
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
8.5 km
in and around the town (24.9 km²)
Woodland
0%
of the town and 1 km around it
Footpaths · km per km²
CardstonTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.3
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
CardstonTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland0%
0%50%100%
71% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km².
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 named walking route passes Cardston 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.
The map shows no named route near the town. That says more about OpenStreetMap’s coverage than about the paths on the ground.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
The best months for walking in Cardston: July to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Carway, 22 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) | 8.6 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.0 | 8.2 |
| High (°C) | 1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 22 | 29 | 36 | 59 | 78 | 108 | 35 | 38 | 45 | 30 | 31 | 25 |
About 257 cm of snow falls in a year. December brings highs of 0 °C, July highs of 24 °C. January is the driest month at 22 mm; June the wettest at 108 mm. The climate in Cardston →
Things to do
Outdoors around Cardston: 5 places to go
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The most common are playgrounds: 4 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 4
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Lee Creek Campsitein town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Cardston
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Cardston CountyBlood 148Cardston
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardston | 0.1% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardston County 9.0 km | 8.8% | 73 | 0 | 0 |
| Blood 148 17 km | 0.7% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Around Cardston County the protected share is at least double.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- 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.
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
Questions about the outdoors in Cardston
Is there a provincial park near Cardston?
Woolford Provincial Park, 6.4 km from the edge of town.
When should you visit Cardston for the outdoors?
July to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Cardston?
Woolford Provincial Park: 38 ha, a provincial park.
Are there protected areas near Cardston?
Yes: 0.1% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the nearest national park to Cardston?
Waterton Lakes National Park is closest, at 26 km.
Sources
Where Cardston’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).