First pick
Blackmud Creek Ravine
Wood or forest
175 ha15.5 km of path
3 h 25 minto walk all 15.5 km of path
0.8 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Khoshhat · CC BY-SA 4.00.2%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Cavanagh · parks, protected land & trails
Elk Island National Park is 35 km from Cavanagh
A provincial park, Big Island Provincial Park, lies 7.8 km away. Protected areas cover 0.2% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%. OpenStreetMap shows 2 unnamed beaches within 5 km.
Protected land
0.2%
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
35 km
Elk Island National Park
Nearest provincial park
7.8 km
Big Island Provincial Park
Beaches
2
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Cavanagh beside other Canadian towns, figure by figure
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 graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
Protected within 10 km0.2%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
Beaches2Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Cavanagh sits 6th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (7,167 to 7,411 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
Cavanagh0.2%
Towns its size1.7%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Cavanagh2
Towns its size3
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Cavanagh0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
For protected land nearby, Cavanagh lags towns its size: 34 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Joseph-du-Lac QC | 20% | 1.1% | 33 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | Hope BC | 15% | 4.1% | 11 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Trent Lakes ON | 14% | 12% | 18 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Vanier South ON | 12% | 1.1% | 39 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | Peace River AB | 8.4% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Saint-Jude QC | 7.1% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | Chandler QC | 5.8% | 0.4% | 22 | 0 | 17 |
| 8 | Portage la Prairie MB | 4.7% | 7% | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Coronation Park SK | 4% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Haysboro AB | 3.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 11 | Concord ON | 3.1% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Cathedral Village SK | 2.8% | 0% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 13 | Saint-Paul QC | 2.4% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Athabasca County AB | 2.4% | 3.2% | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Twin Lakes SK | 2.3% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Colborne ON | 2.2% | 0.3% | 28 | 1 | 2 |
| 17 | Slave Lake AB | 2.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Currie Barracks AB | 1.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Brown's Corners ON | 1.8% | 0% | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Whyte Ridge MB | 1.7% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Lymburn AB | 1.7% | 0% | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | North River Heights MB | 1.5% | 0% | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | Wainfleet ON | 1.4% | 5.7% | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| 24 | Bonnyville AB | 1.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 25 | King Edward MB | 1.3% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Inglewood AB | 1.3% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | Merritt BC | 0.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 28 | Chibougamau QC | 0.8% | 0.1% | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 29 | Blairmore Suburban Centre SK | 0.8% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Erin Woods AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 31 | Ranchlands AB | 0.6% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 32 | La Sarre QC | 0.5% | 0.1% | 9 | 0 | 2 |
| 33 | Sage Creek MB | 0.5% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Brighton SK | 0.5% | 0.1% | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| 35 | Cavanagh AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Brentwood AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 37 | Val-des-Sources QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Niverville MB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Hamptons AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Kincora AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Cavanagh
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the neighbourhood; 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
6 named parks and woods to walk in near Cavanagh
Largest first: Blackmud Creek Ravine leads with 175 ha. Numbers match the map.
6 named parks and woods, 197 ha in all
Parks & gardens 20 haWoods 177 ha
Blackmud Creek Ravine plus Gateway Park account for 93% of the green.
Blackmud Creek Park
Park or garden
4.8 ha0.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Cavanagh
Directionsto a point inside
Monsignor Fee Otterson Park
Park or garden · 110 m outside town
4.1 ha0.3 km of path
0.8 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Virginia Park Woodland
Wood or forest · 50 m outside town
2.6 ha
Centralin the middle of Cavanagh
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
In Cavanagh, a park is close to every home
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 (0.3%)
Cavanagh100%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
For comparison, the median Canadian town has 83%.
Protected areas
2 protected areas lie within 10 km of Cavanagh
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Cavanagh0%
Within 10 km0.2%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Each of the 2 is held by a public body. Big Island Provincial Park covers 79 ha, the most of any named area.
Larch SanctuaryNature reserve · 24 ha · 2.0 km from the edge of town
Big Island Provincial ParkProvincial park · 79 ha · 7.8 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
Parks around Cavanagh
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
Big Island Provincial Park
7.8 km west0.8 km²since 2023
National park
Elk Island National Park
35 km east194 km²since 1913
Nearer still is Big Island Provincial Park, a provincial park 7.8 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: 91 km in and around Cavanagh
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
91 km
in and around the town (28.6 km²)
Woodland
4.4%
about 1.3 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
CavanaghTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths3.2
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
CavanaghTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland4.4%
0%50%100%
63% of Canadian towns are more wooded. For path density, it beats 73% 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
No mapped walking route near Cavanagh
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
No walking route is mapped within 2 km of the neighbourhood. Mapping of trails as routes varies a great deal across Canada.
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 Cavanagh: May, August and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Edmonton (Airport), 12 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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.9 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | -7 | -4 | 1 | 10 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 10 | 0 | -5 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 22 | 12 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 75 | 87 | 53 | 35 | 22 | 20 | 15 |
January brings highs of -7 °C, July highs of 23 °C. Expect 87 mm in July, warm and wet, and 12 mm in February. About 127 cm of snow falls in a year. The climate in Cavanagh →
Beaches
2 beaches within 5 km of Cavanagh, none named
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
Near Cavanagh: one viewpoint on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Top of the list: playgrounds, 36 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 1
Mactaggart Sanctuary1.9 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 36
Neufeld Landing Park0.6 km from town
DirectionsMcEwan Playground0.9 km from town
DirectionsThe Orchards Residents Association Playground1.0 km from town
DirectionsAlexander Rutherford Park Playground1.2 km from town
DirectionsPlus 32 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
2 gardens and historic parks to visit near Cavanagh
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Mill Woods Sports ParkGarden or park · 2.8 km from town
DirectionsWilliam Hawrelak ParkGarden or park · 10 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 Cavanagh
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
RutherfordMacEwanCallaghanTwin BrooksBearspawAllardCavanagh
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavanagh | 0.2% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Rutherford 1.3 km | 0.3% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| MacEwan 1.5 km | 0.3% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Callaghan 2.0 km | 0.3% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Twin Brooks 2.2 km | 0.3% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Bearspaw 2.5 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Allard 2.9 km | 0.4% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Its neighbours have no more than twice Cavanagh’s protected share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- 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.
- Protected land. The 10 km band starts at the town’s outline, not its centre, so a large municipality reaches further than a small town.
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- 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 Cavanagh
How far is the nearest provincial park from Cavanagh?
It is Big Island Provincial Park, 7.8 km away.
When is the best time for walking in Cavanagh?
On the normals, May, August and September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
What is the largest protected area near Cavanagh?
Big Island Provincial Park: 79 ha, a provincial park.
Is there protected land near Cavanagh?
Yes: 0.2% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Where can you swim near Cavanagh?
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
Is Cavanagh near a national park?
It is Elk Island National Park, 35 km off.
Sources
Sources for this page on Cavanagh
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).