Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Connormah · CC0The nearest provincial park, Big Island Provincial Park, is 5.0 km away. Within 10 km of the town, 0.3% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. Within 10 km are 4 protected areas.
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.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (5,024 to 5,175 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
For protected land nearby, Twin Brooks lags towns its size: 33 of 39 are ahead.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Donat QC | 41% | 6.7% | 21 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Electoral Area A, Cowichan Valley BC | 23% | 0.9% | 58 | 4 | 24 |
| 3 | Electoral Area D, Peace River BC | 19% | 18% | 56 | 3 | 123 |
| 4 | Inverness NS | 13% | 5.1% | 141 | 4 | 20 |
| 5 | Starlight Village NB | 9.2% | 3.1% | 23 | 0 | 11 |
| 6 | Montréal-Est QC | 7.7% | 0.4% | 38 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Antigonish NS | 7.6% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | Lemoyne QC | 7.6% | 0% | 26 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | Cobble Hill BC | 6.6% | 4.5% | 51 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | Electoral Area C, North Okanagan BC | 6.1% | 19% | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | Webber Greens AB | 6.1% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Nipawin SK | 4.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Heritage SK | 4% | 0% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 14 | Annapolis County, Subdivision B NS | 3.9% | 0.9% | 44 | 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Rushdale ON | 3.9% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Huntington ON | 2.9% | 0% | 19 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | Gibsons BC | 2.7% | 4.8% | 43 | 0 | 57 |
| 18 | Centre Hastings ON | 2.5% | 1.4% | 30 | 2 | 3 |
| 19 | Morin-Heights QC | 2.2% | 0.9% | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 20 | Hearst ON | 2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Coverdale NB | 1.9% | 4.4% | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | Big Lakes County AB | 1.8% | 1.9% | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| 23 | Bridgwater Forest MB | 1.7% | 4.1% | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Mt. Hope Huron Park ON | 1.5% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | River-Osborne MB | 1.5% | 0% | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 26 | Earl Grey MB | 1.4% | 0% | 25 | 3 | 0 |
| 27 | Lord Roberts MB | 1.4% | 0% | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | West Alexander MB | 1.4% | 0% | 19 | 4 | 0 |
| 29 | Edgemont AB | 1.4% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Kneehill County AB | 1.3% | 1.1% | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Westmount ON | 1.3% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | Shaughnessy Park MB | 1.1% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Robertson MB | 0.7% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Kildonan Drive MB | 0.3% | 1.3% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Twin Brooks AB | 0.3% | 0.4% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Saint-Germain-de-Grantham QC | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Queen Alexandra AB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 38 | Carbonear NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 39 | Capilano AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 40 | Rundle Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0 |
The neighbourhood’s parks, woods, protected land and paths, with its named places numbered.
The biggest is Whitemud Creek Ravine, 386 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
Most of it sits in Whitemud Creek Ravine and Blackmud Creek Ravine: 94% together.
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.
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.
That leaves about 1,200 people more than a short walk away. That is below the typical Canadian town (83%).
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
2 of the 4 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. Biggest of the named areas: Big Island Provincial Park, 79 ha. 2 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
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 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.
Closer to home, Big Island Provincial Park is 5.0 km away.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
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).
More of it is wooded than in 69% of Canadian towns. It has more footpath per km² than 92% 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.
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.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Edmonton (Airport) (14 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 warmest month, July, is also the wettest (87 mm), while February is driest at 12 mm. In July the typical high is 23 °C; in January, -7 °C. A typical year sees 127 cm of snow. The climate in Twin Brooks →
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.
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Count 33 playgrounds, the biggest group. Look up to Rabbit Hill: 713 m.
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Plus 30 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
Sources: 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.
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Brooks | 0.3% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| MacEwan 0.9 km | 0.3% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Skyrattler 1.3 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Mactaggart 1.8 km | 0.7% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Bearspaw 2.1 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Cavanagh 2.2 km | 0.2% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Blue Quill 2.3 km | 0.3% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
None of its neighbours has twice the protected land around it that Twin Brooks has.
Elk Island National Park is closest, at 38 km.
One beach is mapped within 5 km, though without a name.
Protected areas cover 0.3% of the land within 10 km.
Big Island Provincial Park, a provincial park of 79 ha.
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.
Big Island Provincial Park, 5.0 km from the edge of town.
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).