First pick
All Star Park
Park or garden · 50 m outside town
26 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
8.5 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Umbra Lab, Inc. · CC BY 4.00.4%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Lacombe County · parks, protected land & trails
J.J. Collett Natural Area reaches Lacombe County
For a swim, Ol Macdonald Resort Beach is the nearest of 11 beaches within 5 km. Of the country within 10 km, 0.4% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%. There is no national park within 100 km of the town.
Protected land
0.4%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
45
within 10 km, 8 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
31 km
Crimson Lake Provincial Park
Beaches
11
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
Where Lacombe County stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Beaches11 beaches within 5 kmLittle protected land0.4% within 10 km; the typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Above all, Lacombe County offers its beaches. Less going for it: protected land nearby.
Against other towns
How Lacombe County 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. Outdoors isn’t graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
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 town0.4%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas8Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named 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
Among 40 towns its size, Lacombe County is 7th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (10,845 to 11,333 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
Lacombe County0.4%
Towns its size3.3%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Lacombe County8
Towns its size11
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Lacombe County0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Lacombe County is weakest for protected land nearby: 33 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ocean Park BC | 27% | 4% | 100 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | Montmagny QC | 26% | 0.1% | 51 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Liverpool NS | 24% | 21% | 230 | 5 | 56 |
| 4 | Timberlea NS | 19% | 30% | 22 | 12 | 7 |
| 5 | Whitehaven - Woodpark - Glabar Park ON | 14% | 5.8% | 31 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 | Carson Grove - Carson Meadows ON | 14% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Laurentian ON | 13% | 0% | 31 | 3 | 8 |
| 8 | Hintonburg-Mechanicsville ON | 11% | 1.4% | 32 | 3 | 5 |
| 9 | Rothwell Heights - Beacon Hill North ON | 11% | 7.8% | 42 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Laval-Ouest QC | 11% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 5 |
| 11 | Yellowhead County AB | 11% | 3.4% | 33 | 2 | 11 |
| 12 | Borden Farm - Fisher Glen ON | 10% | 0.6% | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Vieux Greenfield Park QC | 7.8% | 0% | 28 | 0 | 5 |
| 14 | Smiths Falls ON | 7.5% | 6.3% | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 15 | New Kleinburg ON | 7.5% | 12% | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | La Tuque QC | 7.4% | 7.5% | 372 | 0 | 140 |
| 17 | Wendover ON | 6.7% | 4.4% | 58 | 0 | 4 |
| 18 | Penetanguishene ON | 6.6% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| 19 | Snelgrove ON | 3.7% | 18% | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | Lake Bonavista AB | 3.5% | 3.1% | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| 21 | Little Saigon BC | 3.1% | 0% | 13 | 3 | 37 |
| 22 | Cathedraltown ON | 3% | 0% | 38 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Bendale South ON | 2.7% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 24 | Forest Hill South ON | 2.4% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 25 | Broadview North ON | 2.3% | 5.7% | 11 | 4 | 12 |
| 26 | Thornbury ON | 2.2% | 5.5% | 63 | 5 | 8 |
| 27 | Cabbagetown-South St.James Town ON | 2.2% | 0% | 11 | 8 | 33 |
| 28 | Dufferin Grove ON | 1.9% | 0% | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| 29 | East London ON | 1.8% | 1.4% | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Sheridan ON | 1.7% | 8.4% | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | Linden Woods MB | 1.5% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 32 | Norquay Village BC | 1.4% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 15 |
| 33 | Peguis MB | 0.5% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Lacombe County AB | 0.4% | 0.4% | 45 | 0 | 11 |
| 35 | Whitehorn AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Farnham QC | 0.2% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 37 | Princess-Rosethorn ON | 0.2% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Creditview ON | 0.2% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Lethbridge County AB | 0.1% | 0.2% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Beddington Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Lacombe 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
Walk in Lacombe County: 9 named parks and woods
The biggest is All Star Park, 26 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
9 named parks and woods, 59 ha in all
Parks & gardens 55 haWoods 4.1 ha
Add All Star Park to Michener Recreation park and you have 71% of it.
Michener Recreation park
Park or garden
16 ha
1.8 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Lower Michener Park
Park or garden · 300 m outside town
6.7 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
2.2 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Michener Woods
Wood or forest · 390 m outside town
4.1 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
2.3 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Essex Park
Park or garden · 370 m outside town
1.2 ha
3.1 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Joffre Bridge Day Use Area
Park or garden
1.0 ha
24 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks and green spaces
All Star ParkPark or garden · 26 ha · 0.7 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsMichener Recreation parkPark or garden · 16 ha
DirectionsLower Michener ParkPark or garden · 6.7 ha · 0.8 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsLes Walker Rotary ParkPark or garden · 3.5 ha
DirectionsMichener WoodsWood or forest · 4.1 ha · 0.7 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsEssex ParkPark or garden · 1.2 ha · just outside town
DirectionsJoffre Bridge Day Use AreaPark or garden · 1.0 ha
DirectionsGlen's CovePark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsOff-Leash Dog ParkPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSource: 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
In Lacombe County, parks are rarely a short walk away
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 (0%)Further (100%)
Lacombe County0%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
In the typical Canadian town the share is 83%, higher than here. For about 11,100 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
Protected land at the edge of Lacombe County: J.J. Collett Natural Area
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Lacombe County0.4%
Within 10 km0.4%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 8 of the 45. J.J. Collett Natural Area covers 257 ha, the most of any named area. Another 33 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
J.J. Collett Natural AreaNature reserve · 257 ha · reaches Lacombe County
Magee Lake Natural AreaNature reserve · 65 ha · reaches Lacombe County
Medicine Lodge Hills Natural AreaNature reserve · 65 ha · reaches Lacombe County
Gadsby Lake Natural AreaNature reserve · 64 ha · reaches Lacombe County
Heatburg Natural AreaNature reserve · 33 ha · reaches Lacombe County
Sylvan Lake Natural AreaNature reserve · 14 ha · reaches Lacombe County
Red Deer Migratory Bird SanctuaryWildlife area · 129 ha · 6.6 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
31 km to Crimson Lake Provincial Park
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
Crimson Lake Provincial Park
31 km west32 km²since 1955
No national park lies within 100 km of Lacombe County; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
112 km of paths in and around Lacombe 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
112 km
in and around the town (3,205.1 km²)
Woodland
13%
about 423.4 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Lacombe CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Lacombe CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland13%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 94% of Canadian towns. It is more wooded than 58% 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
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Lacombe County
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Nothing near the town is mapped as a named walking route, which often means the trails just haven’t been entered 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
Walking season in Lacombe County: May and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Red Deer, 31 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -4 | 1 | 10 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 10 | 1 | -4 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 16 | 12 | 19 | 28 | 58 | 98 | 90 | 70 | 38 | 22 | 17 | 14 |
Winter brings about 138 cm of snow. Most rain and snow falls in June, 98 mm; February sees 12 mm. The warmest days come in July (23 °C highs), the coldest in January (-6 °C). The climate in Lacombe County →
Beaches
For a swim near Lacombe County: Ol Macdonald Resort Beach, 3.1 km off
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Ol Macdonald Resort Beach3.1 km from town
Directions10 further beaches go unnamed. 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 Lacombe County: 6 viewpoints on the map
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The map shows 88 playgrounds, ahead of the rest.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 6
Barnett Lake Lookout0.3 km from town
DirectionsElizabeth Lake Lookout0.6 km from town
DirectionsPlus 4 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 7
Gadsby Lake Natural Areain town
DirectionsJ.J. Collett Natural Areain town
DirectionsMagee Lake Natural Areain town
DirectionsMedicine Lodge Hills Natural Areain town
DirectionsSylvan Lake Natural Areain town
DirectionsThe Narrows Provincial Recreation Areain town
DirectionsJarvis Bay Provincial Park0.4 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 8
LMC Picnic Area0.9 km from town
DirectionsDay Use Area1.2 km from town
DirectionsPlus 6 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 88
Joffre Community Playgroundin town
DirectionsOlder Children’s Playgroundin town
DirectionsYounger Children’s Playgroundin town
DirectionsEckville Elementary School Playground0.3 km from town
DirectionsSwingset0.9 km from town
DirectionsPirate Ship Playground1.2 km from town
DirectionsPlus 82 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 4
Off-Leash Dog Park0.1 km from town
DirectionsLen Thompson Off Leash Dog Park1.4 km from town
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Campsites 11
Aspen Beach Brewer's Campgroundin town
DirectionsBurbank Campgroundin town
DirectionsMirror Campgroundin town
DirectionsOur Lady of Victory Campin town
DirectionsSunset Legion Campgroundin town
DirectionsWatipi Campgroundin town
DirectionsMichener Park Campground0.3 km from town
DirectionsEckville Lion's Campground0.3 km from town
DirectionsPlus 3 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 4
Sunbreaker Covein town
DirectionsStoner's Landing Public Boat Launch0.0 km from town
DirectionsPlus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Lacombe County
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
LacombeBlackfaldsBentleyLacombe County
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lacombe County | 0.4% | 45 | 0 | 11 |
| Lacombe 4.2 km | 0.5% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Blackfalds 7.3 km | 0.6% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Bentley 18 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Its neighbours have no more than twice Lacombe County’s protected 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.
- 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. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- National and provincial parks. National parks are Parks Canada’s; provincial parks are the province’s or territory’s, Québec’s parcs nationaux among them.
- Private land. CPCAD includes conservation land held privately; the page counts it and leaves the names out.
Questions about the outdoors in Lacombe County
Where can you swim near Lacombe County?
Try Ol Macdonald Resort Beach, 3.1 km from town, first of several.
Are there protected areas near Lacombe County?
Within 10 km, 0.4% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Lacombe County?
Collett Natural Area: 257 ha, a nature reserve.
What is the nearest provincial park to Lacombe County?
Crimson Lake Provincial Park, 31 km away.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Lacombe County?
May and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
What is the nearest national park to Lacombe County?
None within 100 km of Lacombe County.
Sources
Sources for this page on Lacombe County
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).