First pick
Cache Percotte Forest
Wood or forest
1,209 ha1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
3.2 km south-eastfrom the centre
Dan's Deadly DownhillChristines Cutline CruiseJack's+1 path
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Qyd · CC BY-SA 3.00.9%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Hinton · parks, protected land & trails
Jasper National Park is 19 km from Hinton
The nearest provincial park, William A. Switzer Provincial Park, is 6.8 km away. Within 10 km is a single protected area. Within 10 km of the town, 0.9% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town.
Protected land
0.9%
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
19 km
Jasper National Park
Nearest provincial park
6.8 km
William A. Switzer Provincial Park
Against other towns
How Hinton 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km0.9%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
Hinton sits 18th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (9,950 to 10,319 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
Hinton0.9%
Towns its size1.5%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Hinton1
Towns its size3
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Hinton0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Where Hinton trails its peers is public protected areas; 30 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury QC | 21% | 24% | 17 | 14 | 0 |
| 2 | Kitimat BC | 20% | 6.6% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Lac-des-Fées QC | 14% | 33% | 32 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | Du Parc QC | 14% | 32% | 38 | 5 | 5 |
| 5 | Markham Village ON | 9.8% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Amherst NS | 8.7% | 0.2% | 49 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Leeds and the Thousand Islands ON | 5.8% | 8.6% | 44 | 1 | 10 |
| 8 | Notre-Dame-de-Grâces QC | 5.8% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Portland Estates NS | 4.5% | 0% | 19 | 4 | 18 |
| 10 | Argyle North SK | 4.5% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Quesnel BC | 4.3% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | The Valleys of Thornhill ON | 3.8% | 12% | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Mount Pleasant North ON | 3.8% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Acadia AB | 3.8% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 15 | Mono ON | 3.7% | 6.4% | 56 | 7 | 1 |
| 16 | Van Kirk ON | 3.2% | 0% | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | Centreville Chicopee ON | 2.5% | 5.1% | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | Laurentian Hills ON | 1.8% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Saint-Félicien QC | 1.6% | 0.5% | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| 20 | Blind Bay BC | 1.6% | 1.5% | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| 21 | Vincent ON | 1.3% | 3.1% | 14 | 4 | 7 |
| 22 | Lac-Saint-Charles QC | 1% | 1.6% | 21 | 1 | 4 |
| 23 | Hinton AB | 0.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Caledonia-Fairbank ON | 0.9% | 0% | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 25 | Citadel AB | 0.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 26 | Beckwith ON | 0.8% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 | Glenbrook AB | 0.7% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Malahide ON | 0.5% | 0% | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| 29 | Maple Leaf ON | 0.5% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Temiskaming Shores ON | 0.4% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 31 | Runnymede-Bloor West Village ON | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 32 | Falconridge AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Penbrooke Meadows AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Pineridge AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Mitchell ON | 0.2% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Wheatland County AB | 0.2% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | City Centre ON | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Bridgewater NS | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Palmerston ON | 0% | 0.2% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Taber AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Hinton
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 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Hinton
Cache Percotte Forest is the largest, at 1,209 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
8 named parks and woods, 1,266 ha in all
Parks & gardens 57 haWoods 1,209 ha
Cache Percotte Forest and Mary Reimer Park together hold 97% of it.
Mary Reimer Park
Park or garden
24 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
4.4 km north-eastfrom the centre
Weary Mrs Mary
Directionsto a point inside
Natural Resources Interpretive Park
Park or garden
14 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
4.1 km westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Gordon Moore Park
Park or garden
6.1 ha0.3 km of path
1.9 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Lions Park
Park or garden
5.2 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
2.1 km westfrom the centre
Lions Park
Directionsto a point inside
Kinsmen Park
Park or garden
5.1 ha0.5 km of path
2.6 km northfrom the centre
Kinsman
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
A park is within a short walk for 7 in 10 in Hinton
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 (68%)Further (32%)
Hinton68%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
For about 3,200 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. Most towns do better: the typical Canadian town is at 83%.
Protected areas
Hinton has 1 protected area 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 Hinton0%
Within 10 km0.9%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
A government owns it.
William A. Switzer Provincial ParkProvincial park · 6,119 ha · 6.8 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 Hinton
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
William A. Switzer Provincial Park
6.8 km north-west61 km²since 1958
National park
Jasper National Park
19 km south-west10,878 km²since 1907
Closer to home, William A.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
125 km of paths in and around Hinton
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
125 km
in and around the town (69 km²)
Woodland
72%
about 49.9 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
HintonTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths1.8
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
HintonTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland72%
0%50%100%
Paths are denser here than in 53% of Canadian towns. Woods cover more of it than in 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.
Walking routes
No named walking route passes Hinton 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 has no named walking route within 2 km of the town. 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
The best months for walking in Hinton: May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Jasper (67 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) | -3 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 10 | 2 | -4 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 20 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 37 | 58 | 52 | 51 | 36 | 26 | 24 | 18 |
Daytime highs run from -4 °C in December up to 23 °C in July. February is the driest month at 15 mm; June the wettest at 58 mm. The climate in Hinton →
Things to do
5 viewpoints near Hinton
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
There are 10 playgrounds, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 5
Plus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 10
Plus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Hinton Centre Campgroundin town
DirectionsSlipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Hinton
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. The nearest places to Hinton with figures are 67–105 km away.
JasperEdsonYellowhead CountyHinton
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinton | 0.9% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jasper 67 km | 100% | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Edson 78 km | 0.3% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Yellowhead County 105 km | 11% | 33 | 2 | 11 |
Around Jasper and Yellowhead County the protected share is at least double. More routes are mapped around Jasper (5).
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. 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.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
Questions about the outdoors in Hinton
Is Hinton near a national park?
Jasper National Park, 19 km from the edge of town.
Is there protected land near Hinton?
Protected areas cover 0.9% of the land within 10 km.
Is there a provincial park near Hinton?
William A. Switzer Provincial Park, 6.8 km away.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Hinton?
Switzer Provincial Park: 6,119 ha, a provincial park.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Hinton?
May to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Sources
Where Hinton’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).