First pick
Confederation Park
Park or garden · 140 m outside town
13 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
1.0 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Kurt Bauschardt from Edmonton, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.00.3%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Empire Park · parks, protected land & trails
A national park 36 km from Empire Park: Elk Island National Park
For a provincial park, Big Island Provincial Park lies 9.0 km off. Within 10 km of the town, 0.3% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. The 10 km around town hold 2 protected areas.
Protected land
0.3%
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
36 km
Elk Island National Park
Nearest provincial park
9.0 km
Big Island Provincial Park
Against other towns
Each figure for Empire Park, 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
Protected within 10 km0.3%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
Empire Park has the 9th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,715 to 4,923 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
Empire Park0.3%
Towns its size1.6%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Empire Park2
Towns its size3
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Empire Park0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Where Empire Park trails its peers is protected land nearby; 27 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundas NB | 29% | 1.3% | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Rivière-Rouge QC | 17% | 6.6% | 36 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | Bathurst NB | 13% | 9.9% | 42 | 1 | 23 |
| 4 | Château-Richer QC | 12% | 0.3% | 38 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Central Okanagan BC | 11% | 13% | 52 | 1 | 25 |
| 6 | Greenboro East ON | 11% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Qualicum - Redwood ON | 11% | 0% | 25 | 2 | 5 |
| 8 | Guysborough NS | 8.9% | 15% | 308 | 1 | 56 |
| 9 | Sutton QC | 6.6% | 12% | 47 | 14 | 0 |
| 10 | Rosenthal AB | 6.1% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Marmora ON | 5.5% | 8.7% | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | North End East ON | 4.8% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 13 | Electoral Area H, Nanaimo BC | 3.3% | 1.2% | 56 | 11 | 6 |
| 14 | Roxton Pond QC | 2.6% | 7.3% | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| 15 | Glenwood AB | 2.6% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Shippagan NB | 2.5% | 18% | 26 | 0 | 47 |
| 17 | Amaranth ON | 2.3% | 0.2% | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Canora AB | 2.3% | 0% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | Woodlands County AB | 1.8% | 1.4% | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Pembina Strip MB | 1.7% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Maybank MB | 1.5% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Lakewood Urban Centre SK | 1.5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Electoral Area D, Columbia-Shuswap BC | 1.4% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| 24 | Electoral Area D, Fraser-Fort George BC | 0.9% | 0.1% | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| 25 | Hampton NB | 0.8% | 0.9% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | St. Stephen NB | 0.7% | 0.2% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Richmond AB | 0.7% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 | Saint-Jacques QC | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Rossmere-B MB | 0.3% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Highland Park AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Baturyn AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Empire Park AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Macewan Glen AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 34 | Grand Valley ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Kindersley SK | 0.1% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | South Common ON | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Saint-Agapit QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Flin Flon (Part) MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Barrhead AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Central McDougall AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 3 | 1 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Empire 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 Empire Park: 8 named parks and woods
Largest first: Confederation Park leads with 13 ha. Numbers match the map.
8 named parks and woods, 25 ha in all
Parks & gardens 25 ha
Most of it sits in Confederation Park and Rideau Park: 69% together.
Rideau Park
Park or garden · 300 m outside town
4.4 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
0.7 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Empire Park
Park or garden
3.0 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Empire Park
Directionsto a point inside
Dr. Francis Crang Park
Park or garden
1.4 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Empire Park
Directionsto a point inside
LY Cairns School Park
Park or garden
1.4 ha
Centralin the middle of Empire Park
Directionsto a point inside
Berm Hill
Park or garden · 60 m outside town
1.0 ha
0.8 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Kay Meadow Park
Park or garden
0.7 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Empire Park
Directionsto a point inside
Caine Memorial Park
Park or garden · 140 m outside town
0.3 ha0.2 km of path
0.7 km northfrom the centre
Caine Memorial Path
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 Empire Park, 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%)
Empire Park100%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
The typical Canadian town manages 83%, so this is better.
Protected areas
Empire Park has 2 protected areas 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 Empire Park0%
Within 10 km0.3%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
All 2 are public land. Big Island Provincial Park leads for size with 79 ha.
Larch SanctuaryNature reserve · 24 ha · 3.8 km from the edge of town
Big Island Provincial ParkProvincial park · 79 ha · 9.0 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
Parks around Empire 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
Big Island Provincial Park
9.0 km south-west0.8 km²since 2023
National park
Elk Island National Park
36 km east194 km²since 1913
Closer to home, Big Island Provincial Park is 9.0 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
31 km of paths in and around Empire 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
31 km
in and around the town (9.1 km²)
Woodland
under 0.1%
about 0 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Empire ParkTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths3.4
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Empire ParkTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodlandunder 0.1%
0%50%100%
It has more footpath per km² than 77% of Canadian towns. Woods cover less of it than in 95% 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 Empire Park
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 neighbourhood. 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
Empire Park is best on foot in May, August and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Edmonton (City), 9.6 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) | -6 | -3 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 10 | 1 | -5 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 20 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 44 | 70 | 83 | 61 | 39 | 21 | 18 | 12 |
Winter brings about 124 cm of snow. Expect 83 mm in July, warm and wet, and 12 mm in February. The warmest days come in July (24 °C highs), the coldest in January (-6 °C). The climate in Empire Park →
Things to do
44 things to do outdoors near Empire Park
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: 38 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 38
Hazeldean Spray Park1.9 km from town
DirectionsPlus 37 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 6
Royal Gardens Corridor Off Leash Area0.6 km from town
DirectionsPleasantview Dog Park1.1 km from town
DirectionsPlus 4 dog parks without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
2 gardens within reach of Empire Park
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 · 4.5 km from town
DirectionsWilliam Hawrelak ParkGarden or park · 4.8 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 Empire Park
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
PleasantviewDugganMalmo PlainsRoyal GardensAllendaleGreenfieldEmpire Park
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire Park | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Pleasantview 0.8 km | 0.1% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Duggan 1.2 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Malmo Plains 1.5 km | 0.3% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Royal Gardens 1.8 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Allendale 2.0 km | 0.1% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Greenfield 2.0 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
For walking routes, Malmo Plains leads the area with 2. Empire Park holds its own on protected land: no neighbour has twice its share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- 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. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
Questions about the outdoors in Empire Park
How far is Empire Park from a national park?
Elk Island National Park is closest, at 36 km.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Empire Park?
May, August and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Which is the biggest protected area near Empire Park?
Big Island Provincial Park, a provincial park of 79 ha.
Is there a provincial park near Empire Park?
Big Island Provincial Park, 9.0 km from the edge of town.
How much land around Empire Park is protected?
Protected areas cover 0.3% of the land within 10 km.
Sources
The sources behind Empire Park’s outdoors figures
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).