First pick
Heritage Valley District Park
Park or garden · 250 m outside town
24 ha3 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
1.2 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
0.4%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Paisley · parks, protected land & trails
Elk Island National Park is 40 km from Paisley
For a provincial park, Big Island Provincial Park lies 5.2 km off. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 0.4% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. There is a beach within 5 km, unnamed on the map.
Protected land
0.4%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
4
within 10 km, 2 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
40 km
Elk Island National Park
Nearest provincial park
5.2 km
Big Island Provincial Park
Beaches
1
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Each figure for Paisley, 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 km0.4%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
Paisley has the 13th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (2,857 to 2,938 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
Paisley0.4%
Towns its size1.5%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Paisley2
Towns its size3
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Paisley0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Where Paisley trails its peers is protected land nearby; 26 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O'Leary PE | 25% | 4.9% | 53 | 9 | 22 |
| 2 | Labelle QC | 25% | 19% | 22 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | Algonquin Highlands ON | 18% | 16% | 8 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | Head of St Margarets Bay NS | 16% | 4.1% | 46 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Parry Sound, Unorganized, Centre Part ON | 15% | 16% | 43 | 0 | 19 |
| 6 | South Keys ON | 8.3% | 0.1% | 27 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Suder Greens AB | 5.9% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Shaver ON | 5.6% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Crerar ON | 4.8% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Saint-Isidore QC | 4.7% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Moosomin SK | 4.4% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Butler ON | 3.7% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Normanview West SK | 3.7% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Regent Park SK | 3.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Saint-Basile QC | 3.3% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Perry ON | 2.9% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 17 | Minnedosa MB | 2.9% | 0% | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Black River-Matheson ON | 2.4% | 0.3% | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 19 | Grant Park MB | 1.5% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Norwood West MB | 1.5% | 0% | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 21 | Mayfair SK | 1.4% | 0% | 14 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | Westmount SK | 1.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 | Bridgeport North ON | 0.9% | 4.2% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | Black Diamond AB | 0.7% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Saint-Paul-d'Abbotsford QC | 0.6% | 0.3% | 22 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Saint-Bruno QC | 0.6% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 | Athabasca AB | 0.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Paisley AB | 0.4% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | Grassie MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon QC | 0.2% | 0% | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 31 | Port Credit NHD (West) ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 32 | McKernan AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 33 | Tipaskan AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 34 | Harbour Grace NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 35 | Botwood NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Springdale NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Scott QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Fairview AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Carrington AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Overlanders AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Paisley
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
6 named parks and woods to walk in near Paisley
Heritage Valley District Park is the largest, at 24 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
6 named parks and woods, 68 ha in all
Parks & gardens 32 haWoods 36 ha
Whitemud Creek Ravine and Heritage Valley District Park together hold 79% of it.
Whitemud Creek Ravine
Wood or forest
30 ha0.2 km of path
1.3 km north-westfrom the centre
Mactaggart Sanctuary South Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Alexander Rutherford Park
Park or garden · 310 m outside town
7.1 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
1.5 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Southwest Mixedwood
Wood or forest · 70 m outside town
5.5 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1.5 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Off Leash Dog Park
Park or garden
0.9 ha0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Paisley
Directionsto a point inside
Jagare Ridge Childrens Play Park
Park or garden · 350 m outside town
0.5 ha0.4 km of path
1.1 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
All of Paisley is within a short walk of 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%)
Paisley100%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
Against the typical Canadian town’s 83%, that is high.
Protected areas
Paisley has 4 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 Paisley0%
Within 10 km0.4%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Governments hold 2 of the 4, and private owners the rest. The largest named one is Big Island Provincial Park, at 79 ha. 2 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
Larch SanctuaryNature reserve · 24 ha · 2.0 km from the edge of town
Big Island Provincial ParkProvincial park · 79 ha · 5.2 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 Paisley
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
5.2 km north-west0.8 km²since 2023
National park
Elk Island National Park
40 km east194 km²since 1913
Closer to home, Big Island Provincial Park is 5.2 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
54 km of paths in and around Paisley
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
54 km
in and around the town (11.9 km²)
Woodland
7.2%
about 0.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
PaisleyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths4.6
036 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PaisleyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland7.2%
0%50%100%
54% of Canadian towns are more wooded. It has more footpath per km² than 89% 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 named walking route passes Paisley 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 neighbourhood, 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 Paisley: May, August and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Edmonton (Airport) (11 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 | 16.5 | 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 |
The wettest month is the warmest, July (87 mm); February has 12 mm. Summer highs reach 23 °C in July; in January they stay near -7 °C. Some 127 cm of snow falls each winter. The climate in Paisley →
Beaches
A beach within 5 km of Paisley
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
No national or provincial register of beach water quality is published as open data, so check the local health unit before swimming.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Paisley: 20 outdoor spots on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Count 19 playgrounds, the biggest group.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 1
Mactaggart Sanctuary1.8 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 19
Alexander Rutherford Park Playground0.4 km from town
DirectionsCreekwood Childrens Playground0.7 km from town
DirectionsMcEwan Playground0.8 km from town
DirectionsNeufeld Landing Park1.0 km from town
DirectionsPlus 15 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 Paisley: William Hawrelak Park, 11 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 · 11 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 Paisley
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
RutherfordAllardChappelleCallaghanMacEwanMactaggartPaisley
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paisley | 0.4% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Rutherford 1.7 km | 0.3% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Allard 2.0 km | 0.4% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Chappelle 2.0 km | 0.8% | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| Callaghan 2.0 km | 0.3% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| MacEwan 2.4 km | 0.3% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Mactaggart 2.7 km | 0.7% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
None of its neighbours has twice the protected land around it that Paisley has.
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. 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.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- Protected land. CPCAD maps each protected area; the page counts how much of the 10 km around the town they cover, lakes and sea included.
Questions about the outdoors in Paisley
When should you visit Paisley for the outdoors?
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.
What is the nearest provincial park to Paisley?
Big Island Provincial Park, 5.2 km from the edge of town.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Paisley?
It is Big Island Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 79 ha.
How much land around Paisley is protected?
Within 10 km, 0.4% of the land lies in protected areas.
Where can you swim near Paisley?
There is an unnamed beach within 5 km.
How far is Paisley from a national park?
Elk Island National Park is closest, at 40 km.
Sources
Sources for this page on Paisley
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).