First pick
Cochrane Ranche
Park or garden
51 ha6.5 km of path
1 h 25 minto walk all 6.5 km of path
1.2 km northfrom the centre
Stockmen's Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Thank you for visiting my page from Canada · CC BY 2.02.3%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Cochrane · parks, protected land & trails
A provincial park at Cochrane’s edge: Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
Banff National Park is the closest national park, 45 km from town. Count 2 protected areas within 10 km of town. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 2.3% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town.
Protected land
2.3%
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
45 km
Banff National Park
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
Against other towns
Each figure for Cochrane, 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 km2.3%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 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
Cochrane sits 14th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (36,097 to 42,989 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
Cochrane2.3%
Towns its size3.2%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Cochrane2
Towns its size12
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Cochrane0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Where Cochrane trails its peers is public protected areas; 29 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pointe-Claire QC | 33% | 0.2% | 40 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Panorama Ridge BC | 23% | 13% | 181 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Strawberry Hill BC | 20% | 0.8% | 158 | 4 | 2 |
| 4 | Pierrefonds-Est QC | 18% | 3.1% | 40 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 | Port Moody BC | 16% | 23% | 48 | 5 | 102 |
| 6 | Sullivan BC | 15% | 5.6% | 190 | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Côte-Saint-Luc QC | 14% | 0% | 27 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Sorel-Tracy QC | 12% | 0% | 75 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Penticton BC | 12% | 1% | 26 | 0 | 61 |
| 10 | Sainte-Dorothée QC | 12% | 3.7% | 45 | 0 | 5 |
| 11 | West Kelowna BC | 12% | 2.7% | 29 | 1 | 40 |
| 12 | Boucherville QC | 7.1% | 14% | 53 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Marc-Aurèle-Fortin QC | 7.1% | 0.5% | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Sunset BC | 6.9% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| 15 | Vellore ON | 5.1% | 1.8% | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Yaletown BC | 4.7% | 0% | 12 | 3 | 77 |
| 17 | Mount Pleasant BC | 4.2% | 0% | 12 | 4 | 73 |
| 18 | Duvernay QC | 4.1% | 1.2% | 56 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Prince Albert SK | 3.3% | 0% | 30 | 0 | 5 |
| 20 | Neufchatel Est—Lebourgneuf QC | 3.2% | 0% | 26 | 1 | 4 |
| 21 | Le Boisé Champêtre QC | 3.2% | 0% | 37 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | Campbell River BC | 3% | 7.3% | 27 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 | Kensington-Cedar Cottage BC | 3% | 0% | 14 | 3 | 26 |
| 24 | Beverley Glen ON | 2.8% | 0% | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Metrotown BC | 2.5% | 0% | 21 | 3 | 6 |
| 26 | Malton ON | 2.4% | 0% | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | Cochrane AB | 2.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Sainte-Rose QC | 1.9% | 0.1% | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Laval-des-Rapides QC | 1.7% | 0.1% | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Stratford ON | 1.5% | 0% | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | East Gwillimbury ON | 0.8% | 0.6% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 32 | Meadowvale ON | 0.8% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Orillia ON | 0.7% | 0.1% | 17 | 4 | 7 |
| 34 | Fort Erie ON | 0.5% | 0.1% | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| 35 | Moose Jaw SK | 0.5% | 3.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Central Erin Mills ON | 0.5% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | LaSalle ON | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Clarkson - Lorne Park ON | 0.1% | 1.5% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 39 | Erin Mills ON | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Leduc AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Cochrane
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
15 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Cochrane
Largest first: Cochrane Ranche leads with 51 ha. Numbers match the map.
15 named parks and woods, 100 ha in all
Parks & gardens 100 ha
Two places, Cochrane Ranche and Mitford Park, make up 68% of the total.
Mitford Park
Park or garden
16 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
1.0 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Bulrush Park
Park or garden
7.0 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
3.6 km southfrom the centre
Bull Rush
Directionsto a point inside
Cattail Park
Park or garden
3.7 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
3.1 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Cochrane Lion's Club Rodeo Grounds
Park or garden
4.4 ha0.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Cochrane
Directionsto a point inside
Bow Ridge Field Park
Park or garden
3.8 ha0.2 km of path
2.1 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
W.D. Kerfoot Park
Park or garden
3.6 ha0.2 km of path
0.7 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Matt Krol Memorial Park
Park or garden
3.4 ha0.2 km of path
1.5 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 15 named parks and green spaces
Cochrane RanchePark or garden · 51 ha · 6.5 km of path
DirectionsMitford ParkPark or garden · 16 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsBulrush ParkPark or garden · 7.0 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsCattail ParkPark or garden · 3.7 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsCochrane Lion's Club Rodeo GroundsPark or garden · 4.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsBow Ridge Field ParkPark or garden · 3.8 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsW.D. Kerfoot ParkPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsMatt Krol Memorial ParkPark or garden · 3.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsTerry Fox Memorial ParkPark or garden · 3.2 ha
DirectionsLions Centennial ParkPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsFireside playgroundPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsWhittle ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsHenry Whitfield ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSunset ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsClarence Copithorne ParkPark or garden · 0.4 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
About 8 in 10 of Cochrane’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.
Within 400 m (83%)Further (17%)
Cochrane83%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
Few do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%. For about 7,000 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
Around Cochrane, protected areas make up 2.3%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Cochrane0%
Within 10 km2.3%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Governments or Indigenous nations hold all 2. The largest named one is Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, at 1,337 ha.
Glenbow Ranch Provincial ParkProvincial park · 1,337 ha · reaches Cochrane
Big Hill Springs Provincial ParkProvincial park · 32 ha · 5.0 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
Banff National Park is 45 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.
National parkProvincial park
Provincial park
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
At the edge13 km²since 2008
Provincial park
Big Hill Springs Provincial Park
5.0 km north-east0.3 km²since 1957
National park
Banff National Park
45 km west6,641 km²since 1885
2 provincial parks lie within 10 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Cochrane and its edge hold 112 km of footpath
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
112 km
in and around the town (66.6 km²)
Woodland
0.6%
about 0.4 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
CochraneTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths1.7
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
CochraneTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland0.6%
0%50%100%
It has more footpath per km² than 51% of Canadian towns. 85% 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
No named walking route passes Cochrane 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.
OpenStreetMap lists no walking route near the town, though paths on the ground may well exist.
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 Cochrane: May and July to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Calgary (Airport), 33 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 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 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 |
January is the driest month at 10 mm; June the wettest at 113 mm. Summer highs reach 24 °C in July; in January they stay near -2 °C. Some 139 cm of snow falls each winter. The climate in Cochrane →
Things to do
Cochrane has 4 viewpoints within 2 km
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Count 57 playgrounds, the biggest group.
Every named place, with directions
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 57
Plus 54 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 3
Plus 3 dog parks 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 door
Next to Cochrane
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Rocky View CountyRocky RidgeTuscanyRoyal OakValley RidgeCochrane
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cochrane | 2.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Rocky View County 15 km | 0.5% | 20 | 9 | 19 |
| Rocky Ridge 17 km | 2.5% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Tuscany 17 km | 2.8% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Royal Oak 18 km | 1.4% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Valley Ridge 18 km | 2% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Rocky View County has the most mapped walking routes nearby: 9. None of its neighbours has twice the protected land around it that Cochrane has.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected land. Measured on CPCAD’s outlines: the part of a 10 km band around the town that lies in a protected or conserved area, water included.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- Walking routes. A route counts when 300 m or more of it lies within 2 km of the town. Coverage of trails on OpenStreetMap varies by region.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
Questions about the outdoors in Cochrane
When should you visit Cochrane for the outdoors?
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.
How far is Cochrane from a national park?
Banff National Park is closest, at 45 km.
How much land around Cochrane is protected?
Yes: 2.3% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the largest protected area near Cochrane?
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, a provincial park of 1,337 ha.
Is there a provincial park near Cochrane?
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, which reaches the edge of town.
Sources
Where Cochrane’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).