First pick
Imperial Park
Park or garden
103 ha1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
1.9 km northfrom the centre
Iron Horse Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Wolfmum · CC BY-SA 4.01.7%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Cold Lake · parks, protected land & trails
Cold Lake Provincial Park is 0.9 km from Cold Lake
The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. OpenStreetMap shows one beach within 5 km, without a name. Within 10 km are 3 protected areas.
Protected land
1.7%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
3
within 10 km, 2 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
0.9 km
Cold Lake Provincial Park
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Cold Lake against 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. Outdoors isn’t one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
Protected within 10 km1.7%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
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
Cold Lake has the 16th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (17,309 to 18,296 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
Cold Lake1.7%
Towns its size2.3%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Cold Lake2
Towns its size4
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Cold Lake0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Cold Lake is weakest for public protected areas: 25 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canmore AB | 90% | 57% | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| 2 | Fallingbrook ON | 14% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Saint-Henri QC | 10% | 0% | 23 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Central Saanich BC | 9.2% | 3.3% | 35 | 2 | 29 |
| 5 | Sainte-Catherine QC | 7.9% | 6.3% | 23 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Unionville ON | 7.5% | 0% | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Yorkton SK | 6.4% | 0% | 38 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Lake Country BC | 6.1% | 0.5% | 20 | 0 | 22 |
| 9 | Schmidtville NS | 5.9% | 0% | 16 | 4 | 18 |
| 10 | Iberville QC | 5.1% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Fraser Heights BC | 4.1% | 24% | 129 | 4 | 6 |
| 12 | Sainte-Thérèse-de-Lisieux QC | 4% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 8 |
| 13 | L'Ancienne-Lorette QC | 3.9% | 0% | 29 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | Centre ON | 3.8% | 12% | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | Malvern West ON | 3.5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Morningside ON | 3% | 27% | 16 | 0 | 4 |
| 17 | McKenzie Towne AB | 3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| 18 | Auburn Bay AB | 2.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| 19 | Bay-Cloverhill ON | 2.4% | 0% | 12 | 9 | 18 |
| 20 | Downtown Yonge East ON | 2.3% | 0% | 11 | 10 | 39 |
| 21 | Victoria Village ON | 2.2% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 4 |
| 22 | Credit Valley ON | 2.2% | 5.5% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Thornhill ON | 2.1% | 0.4% | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Greater Napanee ON | 1.9% | 1.2% | 34 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Cold Lake AB | 1.7% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Port Elgin ON | 1.6% | 6.2% | 8 | 0 | 25 |
| 27 | Mahogany AB | 1.4% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| 28 | Clanton Park ON | 1.3% | 0% | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Downsview ON | 1.1% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Oakbank MB | 0.8% | 0.8% | 22 | 7 | 1 |
| 31 | Edmundston NB | 0.6% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 32 | Swift Current SK | 0.6% | 0.2% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Listowel ON | 0.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Sylvan Lake AB | 0.5% | 0.1% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | Brookhaven-Amesbury ON | 0.5% | 0% | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 36 | Brooks AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Mimico-Queensway ON | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 3 | 20 |
| 38 | DT Fairview ON | 0.2% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Taradale AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Coventry Hills AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Cold Lake
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
Green: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, playing fields and woods. Hatched: CPCAD protected areas.© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); CPCAD (OGL-Canada)
Places to walk
27 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Cold Lake
Imperial Park is the largest, at 103 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
27 named parks and woods, 148 ha in all
Parks & gardens 148 ha
Most of it sits in Imperial Park and Lions Park: 77% together.
Lions Park
Park or garden
11 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
2.9 km south-westfrom the centre
Millennium Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Ivan Krook Sr. Memorial Park
Park or garden
3.8 ha
3.4 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Kinosoo Beach
Park or garden
3.0 ha0.4 km of path
4.6 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 27 named parks and green spaces
Imperial ParkPark or garden · 103 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsLions ParkPark or garden · 11 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsPalm Creek ParkPark or garden · 6.9 ha
DirectionsIvan Krook Sr. Memorial ParkPark or garden · 3.8 ha
DirectionsKinosoo BeachPark or garden · 3.0 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsBirch ParkPark or garden · 3.3 ha
DirectionsSentinel ParkPark or garden · 2.3 ha
DirectionsJubilee ParkPark or garden · 1.7 ha
DirectionsHilltop ParkPark or garden · 1.7 ha
DirectionsHeritage ParkPark or garden · 1.0 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsBibeau ParkPark or garden · 1.2 ha
DirectionsHickory ParkPark or garden · 1.1 ha
DirectionsLefebvre Heights ParkPark or garden · 1.0 ha
DirectionsBrady Heights ParkPark or garden · 0.9 ha
DirectionsNelson Heights ParkPark or garden · 0.9 ha
DirectionsNelson Heights Sports FieldPark or garden · 0.9 ha
DirectionsSteve Wuysk ParkPark or garden · 0.7 ha
DirectionsJoe Heffner Memorial ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsEugene Dery ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsArrowhead ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsMartineau ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsForest Heights ParkPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsShipwreck ParkPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsCold Lake Community GardensPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsMeadowlark ParkPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsCenotaph ParkPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsKinder ParkPark or garden · 0.3 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
8 in 10 people in Cold Lake live 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.
Within 400 m (81%)Further (19%)
Cold Lake81%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 3,400 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. In the typical Canadian town the share is 83%, higher than here.
Protected areas
1.7% of the country within 10 km of Cold Lake 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 Cold Lake0%
Within 10 km1.7%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 2 of the 3. At 168,966 ha, Meadow Lake Provincial Park is the largest. One more area within 10 km is private land, held by a landowner or a conservation group: counted here, not named.
Cold Lake Provincial ParkProvincial park · 5,807 ha · 0.9 km from the edge of town
Meadow Lake Provincial ParkProvincial park · 168,966 ha · 9.7 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
0.9 km to Cold Lake Provincial 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
Cold Lake Provincial Park
0.9 km north-east58 km²since 1976
Provincial park
Meadow Lake Provincial Park
9.7 km north-east1,690 km²
No national park lies within 100 km of Cold Lake; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach. There are 2 provincial parks 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
Cold Lake has 71 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
71 km
in and around the town (119.9 km²)
Woodland
2.7%
about 3.3 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Cold LakeTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.6
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Cold LakeTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland2.7%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 64% of Canadian towns. For woods, 71% 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.
Walking routes
No mapped walking route near Cold Lake
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
No named route shows within 2 km of the town; volunteers map trails unevenly from one region to the next.
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 Cold Lake: May, August and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Cold Lake, 5.4 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) | 7.8 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.3 |
| High (°C) | -10 | -6 | 1 | 9 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 17 | 8 | -2 | -9 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 17 | 13 | 18 | 34 | 40 | 86 | 79 | 52 | 39 | 24 | 19 | 16 |
Most rain and snow falls in June, 86 mm; February sees 13 mm. January brings highs of -10 °C, July highs of 24 °C. About 127 cm of snow falls in a year. The climate in Cold Lake →
Beaches
One unnamed beach near Cold Lake
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
This page can’t show water quality: no open, Canada-wide record of beach testing exists. Check local advisories first.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Cold Lake has a viewpoint within 2 km
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
70 playgrounds top the list.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 70
Plus 70 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
4 Wing Campgroundin town
DirectionsCold Lake Municipal District Campgroundin town
DirectionsSlipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Cold Lake
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. Cold Lake has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 32–75 km out.
Bonnyville No. 87BonnyvilleKehewin 123Beaver River No. 622Elk PointCold Lake
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Lake | 1.7% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Bonnyville No. 87 32 km | 5.5% | 13 | 0 | 20 |
| Bonnyville 39 km | 1.4% | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Kehewin 123 56 km | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Beaver River No. 622 61 km | 32% | 14 | 0 | 4 |
| Elk Point 75 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
For protected land, Bonnyville No. 87 and Beaver River No. 622 have twice as much or more.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. The share is of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s outline, from CPCAD’s mapped areas; marine areas count, so a coastal town can score high on water.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- 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.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
Questions about the outdoors in Cold Lake
What is the best season to get outdoors in Cold Lake?
May, August and September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Is there a provincial park near Cold Lake?
The closest is Cold Lake Provincial Park, at 0.9 km.
Which is the biggest protected area near Cold Lake?
Meadow Lake Provincial Park: 168,966 ha, a provincial park.
Is Cold Lake near a national park?
No national park lies within 100 km of Cold Lake.
How much land around Cold Lake is protected?
Within 10 km, 1.7% of the land lies in protected areas.
Where can you swim near Cold Lake?
One beach is mapped within 5 km, though without a name.
Sources
Where Cold Lake’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).