First pick
Sinclair Sports Fields
Park or garden
4.3 ha0.2 km of path
1.7 km north-eastfrom the centre
Bear Trails
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Glenlarson~commonswiki · Public domain2.1%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Slave Lake · parks, protected land & trails
The nearest provincial park, Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park, is 1.5 km from Slave Lake
National parks are all over 100 km off. The 10 km around town hold 2 protected areas. 2.1% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%).
Protected land
2.1%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
2
within 10 km, 2 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
1.5 km
Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park
Against other towns
Slave Lake beside other Canadian towns, figure by figure
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 km2.1%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 areas2Areas 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
Slave Lake has the 20th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (7,208 to 7,464 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
Slave Lake2.1%
Towns its size2%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Slave Lake2
Towns its size3
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Slave Lake0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Slave Lake is weakest for public protected areas: 25 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Joseph-du-Lac QC | 20% | 1.1% | 33 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | Trent Lakes ON | 14% | 12% | 18 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Vanier South ON | 12% | 1.1% | 39 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Hampstead QC | 12% | 0% | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Peace River AB | 8.4% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Lochdale BC | 7.2% | 0% | 15 | 2 | 71 |
| 7 | Saint-Jude QC | 7.1% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | Colborne ON | 6.1% | 5.7% | 31 | 3 | 2 |
| 9 | Chandler QC | 5.8% | 0.4% | 22 | 0 | 17 |
| 10 | Teston ON | 5.1% | 0% | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Portage la Prairie MB | 4.7% | 7% | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Coronation Park SK | 4% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Haysboro AB | 3.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Concord ON | 3.1% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Cathedral Village SK | 2.8% | 0% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 16 | Saint-Paul QC | 2.4% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Athabasca County AB | 2.4% | 3.2% | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Twin Lakes SK | 2.3% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Colborne ON | 2.2% | 0.3% | 28 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | Slave Lake AB | 2.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Currie Barracks AB | 1.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Brown's Corners ON | 1.8% | 0% | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Whyte Ridge MB | 1.7% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Lymburn AB | 1.7% | 0% | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | North River Heights MB | 1.5% | 0% | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| 26 | Wainfleet ON | 1.4% | 5.7% | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| 27 | Bonnyville AB | 1.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 28 | Chibougamau QC | 0.8% | 0.1% | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 29 | Blairmore Suburban Centre SK | 0.8% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Erin Woods AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 31 | Ranchlands AB | 0.6% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 32 | Sage Creek MB | 0.5% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Brighton SK | 0.5% | 0.1% | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| 34 | Cavanagh AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | Brentwood AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Clarenville NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 37 | Val-des-Sources QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Niverville MB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Hamptons AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Kincora AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Slave Lake
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
Green: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, playing fields and woods. Hatched: CPCAD protected areas.© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); CPCAD (OGL-Canada)
Places to walk
6 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Slave Lake
The biggest is Sinclair Sports Fields, 4.3 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
6 named parks and woods, 25 ha in all
Parks & gardens 10 haWoods 15 ha
The bulk, 76%, is Sawridge Development Co. and Sinclair Sports Fields.
Shurter Park
Park or garden
1.6 ha0.2 km of path
1.2 km north-eastfrom the centre
Bear Trails
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
About 7 in 10 of Slave Lake’s residents are a short walk from 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 (67%)Further (33%)
Slave Lake67%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
About 2,400 residents live further than 400 m from one. The typical Canadian town does better, at 83%.
Protected areas
Within 10 km of Slave Lake, 2.1% is protected land
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Slave Lake0%
Within 10 km2.1%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Each of the 2 is held by a public body. At 10,711 ha, Grizzly Ridge Wildland Provincial Park is the largest.
Lesser Slave Lake Provincial ParkProvincial park · 7,618 ha · 1.5 km from the edge of town
Grizzly Ridge Wildland Provincial ParkProvincial park · 10,711 ha · 7.5 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
The nearest big park: Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park, 1.5 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
Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park
1.5 km north76 km²since 1966
Provincial park
Grizzly Ridge Wildland Provincial Park
7.5 km south-west107 km²since 1999
For a national park, people in Slave Lake travel more than 100 km. There are 2 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
10 km of paths in and around Slave Lake
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
10 km
in and around the town (36.3 km²)
Woodland
64%
about 23.4 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Slave LakeTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.3
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Slave LakeTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland64%
0%50%100%
For path density, 73% of Canadian towns do better. It is more wooded than 89% 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 Slave Lake 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.
There is no mapped walking route within 2 km of the town; a local trail club’s maps may show more.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Get out in Slave Lake in May, August and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Slave Lake (1.3 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) | 7.7 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.2 | 17.4 | 16.9 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.2 | 7.1 |
| High (°C) | -8 | -5 | 1 | 9 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 8 | -1 | -7 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 19 | 13 | 13 | 23 | 41 | 75 | 77 | 56 | 42 | 27 | 19 | 16 |
From -8 °C in January to 22 °C in July: that is the range of daytime highs. July is warm and wet, 77 mm; the driest month, March, has 13 mm. The yearly snowfall is near 93 cm. The climate in Slave Lake →
Things to do
7 things to do outdoors near Slave Lake
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Most numerous: playgrounds (3).
Every named place, with directions
Campsites 2
Big Fish Bay RV Resortin town
DirectionsNorm's Walleye Camp0.5 km from town
DirectionsSlipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Slave Lake
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 Slave Lake with figures are 11–109 km away.
Lesser Slave River No. 124Swan HillsBig Lakes CountyOpportunity No. 17High PrairieSlave Lake
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slave Lake | 2.1% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Lesser Slave River No. 124 11 km | 2.4% | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| Swan Hills 74 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Big Lakes County 93 km | 1.8% | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| Opportunity No. 17 98 km | 2% | 7 | 0 | 57 |
| High Prairie 109 km | 1.7% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Its neighbours have no more than twice Slave Lake’s protected share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Slave Lake
How far is Slave Lake from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Slave Lake.
Are there protected areas near Slave Lake?
Within 10 km, 2.1% of the land lies in protected areas.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Slave Lake?
It is Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park, 1.5 km away.
What is the biggest park or reserve near Slave Lake?
Grizzly Ridge Wildland Provincial Park, a provincial park of 10,711 ha.
When should you visit Slave Lake for the outdoors?
May, August and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Sources
Where Slave Lake’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).