First pick
Edgar Athletic Park
Park or garden · 90 m outside town
21 ha
14 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Ribbet32 · CC BY-SA 4.01.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Red Deer County · parks, protected land & trails
0.8 km from Red Deer County to Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park
Within 5 km are 60 beaches; Main Beach is the nearest. OpenStreetMap shows one walking route nearby, the Footway: 20th Ave MUP. Count 76 protected areas within 10 km of town.
Protected land
1.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
76
within 10 km, 9 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest national park
80 km
Banff National Park
Nearest provincial park
0.8 km
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park
Walking routes
1
named, within 2 km (OpenStreetMap)
Beaches
60
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Red Deer 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 one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
Protected within 10 km1.1%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town1.1%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas9Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes1Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches60Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Red Deer County has the 11th least protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (21,578 to 22,574 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
Red Deer County1.1%
Towns its size2.4%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Red Deer County9
Towns its size5
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Red Deer County1
Towns its size1
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Red Deer County does best for public protected areas: 14 of the other 39 have more. On protected land nearby it is behind: 29 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electoral Area A, Metro Vancouver BC | 26% | 34% | 203 | 11 | 269 |
| 2 | Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac QC | 19% | 0.1% | 28 | 0 | 7 |
| 3 | Mont-Bleu QC | 17% | 12% | 33 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Cornell ON | 12% | 16% | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | South End NS | 11% | 4.5% | 19 | 6 | 22 |
| 6 | Snowdon QC | 10% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | South Frontenac ON | 9.4% | 13% | 89 | 18 | 5 |
| 8 | Berczy Village ON | 9.3% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | Colchester County, Subdivision B NS | 9% | 4.9% | 84 | 10 | 5 |
| 10 | Rivière-des-Prairies QC | 8.8% | 8.6% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Petite-Bourgogne QC | 8.4% | 0% | 24 | 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Parcours-du-Cerf - Du Tremblay QC | 6.9% | 0% | 32 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Heights BC | 6.7% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 52 |
| 14 | Du College/Hodge QC | 6% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Old Barrhaven West ON | 6% | 0% | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | Cole Harbour NS | 4.4% | 6.9% | 22 | 2 | 17 |
| 17 | Sandalwood East (mountainash) ON | 4.3% | 11% | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Cité-Universitaire QC | 4.1% | 0% | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| 19 | Brentwood BC | 4% | 0% | 12 | 2 | 29 |
| 20 | Flemingdon Park ON | 2.4% | 17% | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Church-Wellesley ON | 2.3% | 0% | 11 | 9 | 20 |
| 22 | East End-Danforth ON | 2.2% | 0% | 13 | 3 | 24 |
| 23 | Port Colborne ON | 2% | 2.1% | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| 24 | Sainte-Lucie QC | 2% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | The Beaches ON | 1.9% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 44 |
| 26 | Bedford Park-Nortown ON | 1.4% | 0% | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | Sunningdale ON | 1.4% | 1.6% | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | South Parkdale ON | 1.3% | 0% | 10 | 4 | 22 |
| 29 | Joliette QC | 1.2% | 0.8% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Red Deer County AB | 1.1% | 1.1% | 76 | 1 | 60 |
| 31 | Kingsview Village-The Westway ON | 0.9% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Binbrook ON | 0.9% | 0.2% | 22 | 2 | 1 |
| 33 | Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview ON | 0.7% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | High Park North ON | 0.6% | 0% | 10 | 4 | 15 |
| 35 | Middlesex Centre ON | 0.5% | 0.5% | 22 | 5 | 0 |
| 36 | Rockcliffe-Smythe ON | 0.3% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| 37 | Lakeview ON | 0.2% | 0.8% | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 38 | Cobourg ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 39 | Steinbach MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Riverside ON | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 3 |
The map
The green map of Red Deer 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 Red Deer County: 10 named parks and woods
Largest first: Edgar Athletic Park leads with 21 ha. Numbers match the map.
10 named parks and woods, 105 ha in all
Parks & gardens 42 haWoods 63 ha
The bulk, 80%, is Innisfail Natural Area and Edgar Athletic Park.
Innisfail Natural Area
Wood or forest
63 ha0.2 km of path
17 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Sylvan Lake Park
Park or garden
7.4 ha3.9 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.9 km of path
21 km north-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Leva Ave Natural Area
Park or garden
5.2 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
4.8 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Arena Park
Park or garden · 320 m outside town
2.9 ha0.2 km of path
29 km southfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Main Street Park
Park or garden · 200 m outside town
0.9 ha0.3 km of path
43 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Community Park
Park or garden
1.1 ha
Centralin the middle of Red Deer County
Directionsto a point inside
All 10 named parks and green spaces
Edgar Athletic ParkPark or garden · 21 ha · just outside town
DirectionsInnisfail Natural AreaWood or forest · 63 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSylvan Lake ParkPark or garden · 7.4 ha · 3.9 km of path
DirectionsLeva Ave Natural AreaPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsArena ParkPark or garden · 2.9 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsMain Street ParkPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsCommunity Garden and ParkPark or garden · 1.4 ha
DirectionsCommunity ParkPark or garden · 1.1 ha
DirectionsJoffre Bridge Day Use AreaPark or garden · 1.0 ha
DirectionsCannon ParkPark or garden · 0.6 ha · just outside town
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
Few people in Red Deer 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 (0%)Further (100%)
Red Deer County0%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
The usual figure for a Canadian town is 83%, above this. That leaves about 22,000 people more than a short walk away.
Protected areas
Protected areas cover 1.1% of the land near Red Deer County
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Red Deer County1.1%
Within 10 km1.1%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
9 of the 76 belong to a government or an Indigenous nation. Another 40 are privately owned conservation land; they count in the figures but aren’t named, as private land isn’t a place to visit.
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial ParkProvincial park · 1,590 ha · 0.8 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
Banff National Park, 80 km off
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
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park
0.8 km east16 km²since 1970
National park
Banff National Park
80 km south-west6,641 km²since 1885
Nearer still is Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, a provincial park 0.8 km away.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Red Deer County and its edge hold 191 km of footpath
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
191 km
in and around the town (4,437 km²)
Woodland
10%
about 458.8 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Red Deer CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Red Deer CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland10%
0%50%100%
It has fewer paths per km² than 93% of Canadian towns. More of it is wooded than in 54% 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
One mapped route to walk from Red Deer County
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Local
Footway: 20th Ave MUP2.1 km
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Red Deer County is best on foot in May and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Red Deer (1.5 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 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 |
The yearly snowfall is near 138 cm. From -6 °C in January to 23 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. Rain and snow peak in June (98 mm) and ease in February (12 mm). The climate in Red Deer County →
Beaches
60 beaches within 5 km of Red Deer County
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
Main Beachsand · in town
DirectionsThe map adds 59 unnamed stretches of beach. Water quality isn’t shown: there’s no open national record of beach tests. Local health authorities post advisories.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
7 viewpoints near Red Deer County
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The highest named peak nearby is Antler Hill, at 1,016 m. There are 164 playgrounds, more than of anything else.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 7
Observation Tower0.2 km from town
DirectionsMaskepetoon Park Lookout0.3 km from town
DirectionsForest of Hope1.3 km from town
DirectionsPlus 4 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 1
Antler Hill1,016 m · in town
DirectionsNature reserves 4
Innisfail Natural Areain town
DirectionsJarvis Bay Provincial Parkin town
DirectionsMarkerville Natural Areain town
DirectionsRed Lodge Provincial Parkin town
DirectionsPicnic sites 7
Pine Lake Day Usein town
DirectionsDay Use Area0.2 km from town
DirectionsPlus 5 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 164
Agility park0.6 km from town
DirectionsNapoleon Sports Park Playground0.7 km from town
DirectionsGreat Chief Park Playground1.3 km from town
DirectionsPlus 161 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 3
Oxbows Off-Leash Dog Park0.5 km from town
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Campsites 9
Red Lodge Campgroundin town
DirectionsTrenville Parkin town
DirectionsElnora Campground0.1 km from town
DirectionsBurbank Campground0.1 km from town
DirectionsMcKenzie Crossing Campground0.1 km from town
DirectionsLazy River RV Resort0.2 km from town
DirectionsDiscovery Wildlife Campground0.7 km from town
DirectionsPenhold RV Park1.2 km from town
DirectionsPlus 1 campsite without a name on the map.
Slipways 9
Great Chief Park Boat Launch1.1 km from town
DirectionsPlus 8 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Red Deer County
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
PenholdRed DeerInnisfailRed Deer County
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
Next door, protected shares stay within twice Red Deer County’s.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- Private land. Land owned by individuals, companies or conservation groups counts toward the figures but is never named: a person’s land isn’t a place to visit.
- 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.
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- National and provincial parks. The nearest national park and the nearest provincial park are always shown when they are within 100 km.
Questions about the outdoors in Red Deer County
What is the nearest provincial park to Red Deer County?
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, 0.8 km away.
Where can you swim near Red Deer County?
The nearest is Main Beach, in town.
What walking routes are near Red Deer County?
OpenStreetMap maps the Footway: 20th Ave MUP close by.
Are there protected areas near Red Deer County?
Within 10 km, 1.1% of the land lies in protected areas.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Red Deer County?
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park: 1,590 ha, a provincial park.
When is the best time for walking in Red Deer County?
May and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
What is the nearest national park to Red Deer County?
Banff National Park, 80 km from the edge of town.
Sources
Sources for this page on Red Deer 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).