First pick
Orval Allen Park
Park or garden
5.9 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
0.6 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
1.7%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Oxford · parks, protected land & trails
Oxford is 38 km from Elk Island National Park
The closest provincial park is Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park, 6.4 km from the edge of town. One protected area is close by. Of the country within 10 km, 1.7% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%.
Protected land
1.7%
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
38 km
Elk Island National Park
Nearest provincial park
6.4 km
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park
Against other towns
How Oxford compares with 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
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 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
Among 40 towns its size, Oxford is 19th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,380 to 4,542 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
Oxford1.7%
Towns its size1.8%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Oxford1
Towns its size3
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Oxford0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
For public protected areas, Oxford lags towns its size: 29 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelburne NS | 27% | 28% | 194 | 0 | 80 |
| 2 | Beresford NB | 24% | 6.2% | 6 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | Sparwood BC | 23% | 3.4% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Gaetz Brook NS | 15% | 4.2% | 55 | 2 | 19 |
| 5 | Queenswood - Chatelaine ON | 12% | 0% | 40 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Electoral Area P (Rivers and the Peaks), Thompson-Nicola BC | 11% | 8.3% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Bells Corners West ON | 9% | 11% | 13 | 3 | 1 |
| 8 | Bowen Island BC | 7.2% | 17% | 60 | 0 | 173 |
| 9 | Bellerive QC | 6% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Golden BC | 5.5% | 12% | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Eastmount ON | 4.3% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | Queensland AB | 4% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 13 | Deer Ridge AB | 3.7% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 14 | Crossroads ON | 3.5% | 0% | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Warner County No. 5 AB | 3.2% | 4.7% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Montague ON | 3% | 2.8% | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| 17 | Geraldton ON | 2.8% | 2.2% | 10 | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Electoral Area E, Cowichan Valley BC | 2.8% | 3.6% | 42 | 3 | 2 |
| 19 | Red Hill ON | 2.1% | 0% | 17 | 3 | 5 |
| 20 | De Salaberry MB | 1.9% | 0.2% | 46 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 | New Maryland NB | 1.7% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Oxford AB | 1.7% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Highway Valley ON | 1.6% | 1.7% | 18 | 5 | 6 |
| 24 | Minnetonka MB | 1.6% | 1.7% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Roslyn MB | 1.6% | 0% | 23 | 4 | 0 |
| 26 | Felker ON | 1.5% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | Centennial MB | 1.5% | 0% | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| 28 | Casselman ON | 1.4% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Parkridge SK | 1.1% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 30 | Glenridding Heights AB | 1.1% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | South Calgary AB | 0.8% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | Inglewood AB | 0.6% | 17% | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 33 | Lorelei AB | 0.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Vulcan County AB | 0.3% | 0.4% | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Montgomery AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Ormsby Place AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 37 | Saint-Anselme QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Howick ON | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | High Level AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Beacon Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
The map
Where the green is in Oxford
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
5 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Oxford
Orval Allen Park is the largest, at 5.9 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
5 named parks and woods, 27 ha in all
Parks & gardens 27 ha
The bulk, 46%, is Herb Link Park and Orval Allen Park.
Cumberland Park
Park or garden · 320 m outside town
5.6 ha0.5 km of path
1.0 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Herb Link Park
Park or garden · 330 m outside town
6.4 ha
1.0 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Oxford Park
Park or garden
5.4 ha0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Oxford
Directionsto a point inside
Carlton Park
Park or garden · 220 m outside town
3.3 ha0.2 km of path
0.9 km westfrom the centre
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
Every resident of Oxford lives 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 (100%)Further (0%)
Oxford100%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, lower than here.
Protected areas
1.7% of the country within 10 km of Oxford 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 Oxford0%
Within 10 km1.7%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
It is public land.
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial ParkProvincial park · 2,055 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 Oxford
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
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park
6.4 km west21 km²since 2005
National park
Elk Island National Park
38 km east194 km²since 1913
Closer to home, Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park is 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
Oxford and its edge hold 37 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
37 km
in and around the town (8.8 km²)
Woodland
2.5%
about 0.2 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
OxfordTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths4.2
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
OxfordTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland2.5%
0%50%100%
Paths are denser here than in 85% of Canadian towns. It is less wooded than 72% 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 Oxford
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
OpenStreetMap has no named walking route within 2 km of the neighbourhood. Trails may exist without being mapped as routes.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Oxford is best on foot in May, August and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Edmonton (City) (5.8 km), and daylight at the town’s latitude. Good months: 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15–30 °C, little 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 | 16.6 | 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 |
The yearly snowfall is near 124 cm. From -6 °C in January to 24 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. Expect 83 mm in July, warm and wet, and 12 mm in February. The climate in Oxford →
Things to do
Outdoors around Oxford: 24 places to go
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
There are 24 playgrounds, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 24
Cumberland Park0.5 km from town
DirectionsHudson Childrens Playground0.8 km from town
DirectionsRapperswill Playground1.1 km from town
DirectionsCastlewood Lake Playground1.3 km from town
DirectionsCarlslie1.7 km from town
DirectionsPlus 19 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
A garden to visit near Oxford: William Hawrelak Park, 9.5 km away
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
William Hawrelak ParkGarden or park · 9.5 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 Oxford
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
CarltonCumberlandAlbanyDunluceCaernarvonHudsonOxford
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford | 1.7% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Carlton 0.8 km | 2% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Cumberland 1.1 km | 2% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Albany 1.4 km | 1.6% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dunluce 1.4 km | 1.3% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Caernarvon 1.5 km | 1.4% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hudson 1.8 km | 2.1% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Oxford 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.
- 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.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- 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 Oxford
What is the largest protected area near Oxford?
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park, a provincial park of 2,055 ha.
What is the nearest provincial park to Oxford?
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park, 6.4 km away.
Is there protected land near Oxford?
Yes: 1.7% of the land within 10 km is protected.
When should you visit Oxford for the outdoors?
On the normals, May, August and September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
What is the nearest national park to Oxford?
Elk Island National Park, 38 km from the edge of town.
Sources
Sources for this page on Oxford
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).