First pick
Bar U Ranch National Historic Site
Park or garden
181 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
42 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Kay Röllig · CC BY 3.07.8%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Foothills County · parks, protected land & trails
More of the land around Foothills County is protected than around 8 in 10 Canadian towns
11 beaches are mapped within 5 km, none with a name. CPCAD lists 29 protected areas within 10 km. For a national park, Banff National Park is 51 km away.
Protected land
7.8%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
29
within 10 km, 17 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
51 km
Banff National Park
Nearest provincial park
At the edge
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
11
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
The outdoors in Foothills County, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Protected land all round7.8% of the land within 10 km, more than 81% of Canadian townsA provincial park at the edgeBrown-Lowery Provincial Park reaches the townBeaches11 beaches within 5 km
Foothills County’s best card is protected land around it, with a provincial park at its edge close behind.
Against other towns
Each figure for Foothills County, 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. There is no Outdoors grade for Canadian towns; the figures stand beside the country’s towns of 2,500+ without a letter.
Protected within 10 km7.8%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town7.5%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas17Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches11Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Foothills County comes 6th of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (24,483 to 27,159 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
Foothills County7.8%
Towns its size3.3%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Foothills County17
Towns its size5
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Foothills County1
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Among its peers, Foothills County’s strong point is public protected areas, where 6 of 39 top it.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sept-Îles QC | 24% | 33% | 64 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | White Rock BC | 22% | 0.2% | 101 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Loyola QC | 14% | 0% | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Box Grove ON | 10% | 18% | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | L'Assomption QC | 8.5% | 0.4% | 40 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Foothills County AB | 7.8% | 7.5% | 29 | 1 | 11 |
| 7 | Ebenezer East ON | 7.5% | 6.6% | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Bridlewood - Emerald Meadows ON | 6.3% | 4.2% | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Outremont QC | 5.9% | 0.1% | 24 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | Candiac QC | 5.8% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Morningside Heights ON | 5.7% | 4.1% | 16 | 0 | 6 |
| 12 | Cartierville QC | 5.6% | 19% | 27 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Kingston NS | 4.8% | 3.1% | 30 | 1 | 5 |
| 14 | La Prairie QC | 4.6% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 | Mile End QC | 4.5% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Enfield NS | 4.4% | 5.2% | 184 | 13 | 6 |
| 17 | Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville QC | 4.4% | 20% | 39 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Angus ON | 4.3% | 0.2% | 12 | 1 | 2 |
| 19 | Beloeil QC | 3.6% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Malvern East ON | 3.4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Woburn North ON | 3.2% | 5.1% | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | Sheldon ON | 3.1% | 0.3% | 26 | 3 | 1 |
| 23 | Dorset Park ON | 2.5% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Thetford Mines QC | 2.4% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 25 | Wellington Place ON | 2.2% | 0% | 12 | 7 | 34 |
| 26 | Lunenburg NS | 2.1% | 1.7% | 140 | 5 | 33 |
| 27 | Don Valley Village ON | 1.8% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Westminster-Branson ON | 1.7% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Sault-au-Récollet QC | 1.3% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Paradise NL | 0.8% | 0% | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| 31 | Oro-Medonte ON | 0.6% | 0.6% | 32 | 4 | 18 |
| 32 | Grande Prairie County No. 1 AB | 0.6% | 0.7% | 33 | 1 | 56 |
| 33 | Beltline AB | 0.5% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 34 | Strathroy ON | 0.4% | 0.4% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | Saint-Lin--Laurentides QC | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 36 | Stonegate-Queensway ON | 0.3% | 0.6% | 6 | 3 | 20 |
| 37 | Kingsville ON | 0.1% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 38 | Tecumseh ON | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 39 | Beaumont AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Panorama Hills AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Foothills County
The town’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
8 named parks and woods to walk in near Foothills County
Bar U Ranch National Historic Site is the largest, at 181 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
8 named parks and woods, 252 ha in all
Parks & gardens 252 ha
Add Bar U Ranch National Historic Site to Laudan Park and you have 81% of it.
Laudan Park
Park or garden
24 ha2.8 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.8 km of path
4.4 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Off Leash Park
Park or garden
15 ha2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
6.5 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Beatrice Wyndham Park
Park or garden · 390 m outside town
12 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
6.1 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Riverside Community Park
Park or garden · 50 m outside town
9.4 ha0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
7.1 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Drake Landing Common Park
Park or garden · 250 m outside town
9.1 ha0.5 km of path
6.2 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Heron Park
Park or garden
1.2 ha0.4 km of path
6.4 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Hoadley Park
Park or garden · 240 m outside town
0.8 ha0.2 km of path
5.0 km southfrom 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
1 in 10 people in Foothills County live 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 (8.5%)Further (92%)
Foothills County8.5%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
Around 24,000 residents are further than 400 m from a park. The typical Canadian town reaches 83%.
Protected areas
The 29 protected areas near Foothills County
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Foothills County7.5%
Within 10 km7.8%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
On public land: 17 of the 29. The others are private conservation land. Biggest of the named areas: Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park, 88,981 ha. 12 areas belong to private owners or land trusts and aren’t named here.
Pekisko Heritage RangelandProtected area · 34,409 ha · reaches Foothills County
Bluerock Wildland Provincial ParkProvincial park · 13,171 ha · reaches Foothills County
Sheep River Provincial ParkProvincial park · 6,465 ha · reaches Foothills County
OH Ranch Heritage RangelandProtected area · 4,277 ha · reaches Foothills County
Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation AreaNature reserve · 1,943 ha · reaches Foothills County
Elbow Valley Provincial Park (expansion)Provincial park · 1,040 ha · reaches Foothills County
Brown-Lowery Provincial ParkProvincial park · 277 ha · reaches Foothills County
Emerson Creek Natural AreaNature reserve · 193 ha · reaches Foothills County
Threepoint Creek Natural AreaNature reserve · 48 ha · reaches Foothills County
Sheep Creek Natural AreaNature reserve · 11 ha · reaches Foothills County
7 more named areas within 10 km are in the figures.
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
Banff National Park is 51 km away
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
Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park
At the edge132 km²since 2001
Provincial park
Sheep River Provincial Park
At the edge65 km²since 2001
Provincial park
Elbow Valley Provincial Park (expansion)
At the edge10 km²
Provincial park
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park
At the edge2.8 km²since 1985
Provincial park
Bragg Creek Provincial Park
1.6 km north-west1.3 km²since 1960
Provincial park
Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park
2.6 km south-west890 km²since 2001
There are 7 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
Paths to walk: 267 km in and around Foothills County
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
267 km
in and around the town (4,039.4 km²)
Woodland
4.7%
about 187.8 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Foothills CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.1
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Foothills CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland4.7%
0%50%100%
It is less wooded than 62% of Canadian towns. 90% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km².
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
Foothills County has 1 named walking route
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Local
Hike: Snagmore5.2 km
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 Foothills County: May and July to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Calgary (Airport), 39 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | -2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 10 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 61 | 113 | 66 | 54 | 37 | 17 | 16 | 13 |
June is the wettest month (113 mm) and January the driest (10 mm). Highs peak near 24 °C in July and fall to -2 °C in January. Snow totals about 139 cm a year. The climate in Foothills County →
Beaches
11 beaches within 5 km of Foothills County, none named
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
No open data on beach water quality covers every province, so check with public health before a swim.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Foothills County has 8 viewpoints within 2 km
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
8Viewpoints16Hills and peaks8Nature reserves6Picnic sites183Playgrounds4Dog parks6Campsites1Slipways
Count 183 playgrounds, the biggest group. Look up to Okotoks Mountain: 1,762 m.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 8
City Viewpointin town
DirectionsEagle Viewpointin town
DirectionsPlus 6 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 16
Jim Ridge1,540 m · in town
DirectionsOkotoks Mountain1,762 m · in town
DirectionsRobinson Hill1,454 m · in town
DirectionsSam Ridge1,579 m · in town
DirectionsWhisky Ridge1,519 m · in town
DirectionsSinnot Hill1,519 m · 0.3 km from town
DirectionsFish Butte1,395 m · 0.4 km from town
DirectionsJack's Hill1,507 m · 0.4 km from town
DirectionsPlus 8 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 8
Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Areain town
DirectionsBrown-Lowery Provincial Parkin town
DirectionsEmerson Creek Natural Areain town
DirectionsGreenford Provincial Recreation Areain town
DirectionsSheep Creek Natural Areain town
DirectionsHighwood Provincial Recreation Area0.6 km from town
DirectionsGooseberry Provincial Recreation Area0.6 km from town
DirectionsNorth Fork Provincial Recreation Area0.7 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 6
Plus 6 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 183
Orchard Tree Housein town
DirectionsPriddis Playgroundin town
DirectionsDrake Landing Loop Playground0.2 km from town
DirectionsTree Park0.9 km from town
DirectionsYorkville Park Playground1.1 km from town
DirectionsCrystal Green Manor Playground1.2 km from town
DirectionsLegacy Orange Playground1.3 km from town
DirectionsZipline Park1.3 km from town
DirectionsPlus 175 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 4
My Walkiesin town
DirectionsOff Leash Park0.2 km from town
DirectionsYorkville Dog Park1.1 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Campsites 6
Archie and Janet Hogg Parkin town
DirectionsNatures Hideaway Family Campgroundin town
DirectionsBob Lochhead Lions Memorial Park0.1 km from town
DirectionsGooseberry Campground0.5 km from town
DirectionsOkotoks Lions Campground1.7 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Slipways 1
Policeman's Flatsin town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Foothills County
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
OkotoksLegacyWaldenCranstonChaparralSilveradoFoothills County
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
Foothills County 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
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Foothills County
Which is the biggest protected area near Foothills County?
It is Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 88,981 ha.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Foothills County?
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park begins at the town’s edge.
When is the best time for walking in Foothills County?
On the normals, May and July to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
What is the nearest national park to Foothills County?
Banff National Park is closest, at 51 km.
Where can you swim near Foothills County?
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
Where can you walk near Foothills County?
Try the Hike: Snagmore.
How much land around Foothills County is protected?
Protected areas cover 7.8% of the land within 10 km.
Sources
Where Foothills County’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.
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).