First pick
Callingwood Park
Park or garden · 320 m outside town
35 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
1.0 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
1.6%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Thorncliff · parks, protected land & trails
Elk Island National Park is 43 km from Thorncliff
For a provincial park, Big Island Provincial Park lies 7.3 km off. Count 3 protected areas within 10 km of town. 1.6% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%).
Protected land
1.6%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
3
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
43 km
Elk Island National Park
Nearest provincial park
7.3 km
Big Island Provincial Park
Against other towns
Thorncliff 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 one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
Protected within 10 km1.6%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 areas3Areas 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, Thorncliff is 15th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,509 to 3,621 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
Thorncliff1.6%
Towns its size2.3%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Thorncliff3
Towns its size8
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Thorncliff0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Thorncliff 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 | Pemberton BC | 41% | 34% | 12 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Colebrook BC | 28% | 14% | 145 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Electoral Area D (Rural Grand Forks), Kootenay Boundary BC | 17% | 21% | 13 | 0 | 39 |
| 4 | Saint-Pascal QC | 17% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Timiskaming, Unorganized, West Part ON | 12% | 12% | 58 | 1 | 15 |
| 6 | Lawrencetown NS | 8.5% | 11% | 14 | 2 | 14 |
| 7 | Bridgeview BC | 8.3% | 1.1% | 116 | 4 | 9 |
| 8 | Fessenden ON | 7.3% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | Collectivité Nouvelle QC | 6.5% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Zone Aéroportuaire QC | 6.5% | 0.4% | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Guybourg QC | 6.4% | 0% | 27 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Edwards - Carlsbad Springs ON | 5.6% | 5.6% | 39 | 0 | 3 |
| 13 | Bifrost-Riverton MB | 5% | 0.7% | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Burkholme ON | 4.4% | 0% | 19 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 | Lac du Bonnet MB | 4.2% | 0.5% | 11 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Des Vallées QC | 3.9% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Prince Albert No. 461 SK | 3.8% | 3.8% | 39 | 0 | 13 |
| 18 | Electoral Area L (Grasslands), Thompson-Nicola BC | 3.8% | 4.8% | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Quinndale ON | 2.9% | 0% | 16 | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | Ramsay AB | 2.4% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 21 | Horton ON | 2.1% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 4 |
| 22 | Buckland No. 491 SK | 2% | 2.2% | 24 | 0 | 8 |
| 23 | Opportunity No. 17 AB | 2% | 0.3% | 7 | 0 | 57 |
| 24 | Victoria Park ON | 1.8% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Kingston NB | 1.7% | 0.8% | 31 | 3 | 52 |
| 26 | Thorncliff AB | 1.6% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | McMillan MB | 1.5% | 0% | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| 28 | Melancthon ON | 1.3% | 0% | 21 | 2 | 2 |
| 29 | WestLake-Gladstone MB | 1.3% | 1.2% | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby QC | 1.2% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Glendale MB | 1.2% | 1.5% | 10 | 1 | 37 |
| 32 | Mactaggart AB | 0.7% | 0.9% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | East Elmwood MB | 0.5% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Downtown East Village AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 35 | Saint-Isidore QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Saint-Gilles QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Ste. Anne MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Morris MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Carman MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Beausejour MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 4 |
The map
Thorncliff on the map: green space, protected land and paths
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
Walk in Thorncliff: 4 named parks and woods
Callingwood Park is the largest, at 35 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
4 named parks and woods, 51 ha in all
Parks & gardens 51 ha
Two places, Callingwood Park and Belmead Park, make up 82% of the total.
Belmead Park
Park or garden · 340 m outside town
6.4 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
1.3 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Aldergrove Park
Park or garden · 200 m outside town
5.9 ha0.2 km of path
0.9 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Thorncliff Park
Park or garden
3.3 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Thorncliff
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 Thorncliff 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%)
Thorncliff100%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
Few do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
Protected areas
Within 10 km of Thorncliff, 1.6% is protected land
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Thorncliff0%
Within 10 km1.6%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
All 3 are public land. Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park leads for size with 2,055 ha.
Big Island Provincial ParkProvincial park · 79 ha · 7.3 km from the edge of town
Larch SanctuaryNature reserve · 24 ha · 7.6 km from the edge of town
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial ParkProvincial park · 2,055 ha · 8.6 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
The parks within reach of Thorncliff
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
7.3 km south0.8 km²since 2023
Provincial park
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park
8.6 km north21 km²since 2005
National park
Elk Island National Park
43 km east194 km²since 1913
Closer to home, Big Island Provincial Park is 7.3 km away. 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
36 km of paths in and around Thorncliff
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
36 km
in and around the town (7.8 km²)
Woodland
2.7%
about 0.2 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
ThorncliffTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths4.7
036 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
ThorncliffTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland2.7%
0%50%100%
For path density, it beats 89% of Canadian towns. Woods cover less of it than in 71% 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 Thorncliff 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.
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
The best months for walking in Thorncliff: May, August and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Edmonton (City), 9.1 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 |
Daytime highs run from -6 °C in January up to 24 °C in July. Summer brings the most rain: 83 mm in July; February gets 12 mm. Snowfall averages 124 cm a year. The climate in Thorncliff →
Things to do
34 things to do outdoors near Thorncliff
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, 33 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 1
Park1.6 km from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 33
Caribbean Cove0.2 km from town
DirectionsCallingwood Spray Park0.7 km from town
DirectionsLa Perle Park Playground1.6 km from town
DirectionsPlus 30 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens to visit
3 gardens within reach of Thorncliff
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 · 4.5 km from town
DirectionsMill Woods Sports ParkGarden or park · 13 km from town
DirectionsUniversity of Alberta Botanic GardenGarden or park · 14 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 Thorncliff
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
West Meadowlark ParkAldergroveElmwoodBelmeadCallingwood SouthLa PerleThorncliff
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorncliff | 1.6% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| West Meadowlark Park 1.1 km | 2.5% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Aldergrove 1.3 km | 3.7% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Elmwood 1.3 km | 0.8% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Belmead 1.5 km | 3.7% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Callingwood South 1.6 km | 0.4% | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| La Perle 1.9 km | 4.4% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
For walking routes, Elmwood leads the area with 2. Around Aldergrove, Belmead and La Perle the protected share is at least double.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- 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.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
Questions about the outdoors in Thorncliff
Are there protected areas near Thorncliff?
Within 10 km, 1.6% of the land lies in protected areas.
How far is Thorncliff from a national park?
It is Elk Island National Park, 43 km off.
What is the nearest provincial park to Thorncliff?
It is Big Island Provincial Park, 7.3 km away.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Thorncliff?
May, August and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
What is the largest protected area near Thorncliff?
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park, a provincial park of 2,055 ha.
Sources
Where Thorncliff’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.
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).