Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain
9.4%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Strathcona County · parks, protected land & trails
The boundary of Elk Island National Park runs along Strathcona County
For walks, 7 named routes run within 2 km, such as the Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw and Strathcona County Regional Trail. Protected areas cover 9.4% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%. 9.6 km from town is Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park.
Strathcona County’s best card is Elk Island National Park on its doorstep, with protected land around it close behind.
Against other towns
Strathcona County 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. Outdoors isn’t graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
Protected within 10 km9.4%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town1.4%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 routes7Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches6Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Strathcona County has the 9th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (79,371 to 142,450 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Strathcona County 9.4%
Fort McMurrayAirdrie
018%36%
Protected within 10 km
Strathcona County9.4%
Towns its size3%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Strathcona County9
Towns its size12
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Strathcona County7
Towns its size1
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
For walking routes, Strathcona County sits near the top of its size group: 4 of 39 have more. On public protected areas it is behind: 21 of 39 have more.
About 7 in 10 of Strathcona County’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 (74%)Further (26%)
Strathcona County74%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
A median Canadian town manages 83%. For about 28,000 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
9.4% of the land around Strathcona County is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Strathcona County1.4%
Within 10 km9.4%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public ownership covers 9 of the 38. Elk Island National Park covers 19,402 ha, the most of any named area. The figures include 29 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
Elk Island National ParkNational park · 19,402 ha · reaches Strathcona County
Parkland Natural AreaNature reserve · 258 ha · reaches Strathcona County
North Cooking Lake Natural AreaNature reserve · 212 ha · reaches Strathcona County
Edgar T. Jones Natural AreaNature reserve · 88 ha · reaches Strathcona County
Sherwood Park Natural AreaNature reserve · 69 ha · reaches Strathcona County
Hastings Lake Islands Natural AreaNature reserve · 14 ha · reaches Strathcona County
Antler Lake Island Natural AreaNature reserve · 2.5 ha · reaches Strathcona County
Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation AreaProtected area · 9,897 ha · reaches Strathcona County
Miquelon Lake Provincial ParkProvincial park · 1,277 ha · 9.6 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
The parks within reach of Strathcona County
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
National park
Elk Island National Park
At the edge194 km²since 1913
Provincial park
Miquelon Lake Provincial Park
9.6 km south-east13 km²since 1958
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Strathcona County has 428 km of footpaths in and around it
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
428 km
in and around the town (1,413.9 km²)
Woodland
19%
about 263.8 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Strathcona CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.3
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Strathcona CountyTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland19%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 72% of Canadian towns. More of it is wooded than in 66% of Canadian towns.
Get out in Strathcona County in May, August and September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Edmonton (City), 18 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)
8.0
9.7
11.7
13.9
15.9
17.0
16.5
14.8
12.6
10.4
8.5
7.5
High (°C)
-6
-3
2
10
18
21
24
23
18
10
1
-5
Rain & snow (mm)
20
12
17
29
44
70
83
61
39
21
18
12
Some 124 cm of snow falls each winter. Summer highs reach 24 °C in July; in January they stay near -6 °C. The warmest month, July, is also the wettest (83 mm), while February is driest at 12 mm. The climate in Strathcona County →
Beaches
The beach near Strathcona County: Accidental Beach, 4.6 km away
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
The map adds 5 unnamed stretches of beach. This page can’t show water quality: no open, Canada-wide record of beach testing exists. Check local advisories first.
Its neighbours have no more than twice Strathcona County’s protected share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Protected land. The 10 km band starts at the town’s outline, not its centre, so a large municipality reaches further than a small town.
•
Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
•
National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
•
Walking routes. A route counts when 300 m or more of it lies within 2 km of the town. Coverage of trails on OpenStreetMap varies by region.
•
Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
Questions about the outdoors in Strathcona County
When is the best time for walking in Strathcona County?
On the normals, May, August and September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
What is the nearest national park to Strathcona County?
It is on the doorstep: Elk Island National Park touches Strathcona County.
Which is the biggest protected area near Strathcona County?
Elk Island National Park, a national park of 19,402 ha.
What walking routes are near Strathcona County?
OpenStreetMap maps the Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw, Strathcona County Regional Trail and Beaver Hills Biodiversity Trail close by, with others.
Where can you swim near Strathcona County?
The nearest is Accidental Beach, 4.6 km from town.
How far is the nearest provincial park from Strathcona County?
It is Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, 9.6 km away.
Is there protected land near Strathcona County?
Yes: 9.4% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Sources
Where Strathcona 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.
Gardens: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden) and Wikidata gardens within 15 km, as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic gardens and parks from Canada’s heritage registers (Parks Canada DFHD, the Canadian Register of Historic Places, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel).
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.
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain