First pick
Sylvan Lake Park
Park or garden
7.6 ha3.7 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.7 km of path
1.2 km north-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.00.5%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Sylvan Lake · parks, protected land & trails
Protected land is scarce around Sylvan Lake: 0.5% within 10 km
2 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. OpenStreetMap shows 2 unnamed beaches within 5 km. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away.
Protected land
0.5%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
2
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
58 km
Crimson Lake Provincial Park
Beaches
2
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
How Sylvan Lake 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
Protected within 10 km0.5%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.1%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
Beaches2Beaches 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, Sylvan Lake is 7th from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (17,391 to 18,399 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
Sylvan Lake0.5%
Towns its size2.2%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Sylvan Lake1
Towns its size4
Towns in Alberta2
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Sylvan Lake0
Towns its size0
Towns in Alberta0
Typical Canadian town0
Where Sylvan Lake trails its peers is protected land nearby; 32 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fallingbrook ON | 14% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Central Saanich BC | 9.2% | 3.3% | 35 | 2 | 29 |
| 3 | Sainte-Catherine QC | 7.9% | 6.3% | 23 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Unionville ON | 7.5% | 0% | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Yorkton SK | 6.4% | 0% | 38 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Lake Country BC | 6.1% | 0.5% | 20 | 0 | 22 |
| 7 | Schmidtville NS | 5.9% | 0% | 16 | 4 | 18 |
| 8 | Iberville QC | 5.1% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Fraser Heights BC | 4.1% | 24% | 129 | 4 | 6 |
| 10 | Royal Oak BC | 4.1% | 0% | 27 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 | Sainte-Thérèse-de-Lisieux QC | 4% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 8 |
| 12 | L'Ancienne-Lorette QC | 3.9% | 0% | 29 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Centre ON | 3.8% | 12% | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Parc-Laurier QC | 3.5% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Morningside ON | 3% | 27% | 16 | 0 | 4 |
| 16 | McKenzie Towne AB | 3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| 17 | Auburn Bay AB | 2.9% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| 18 | Bay-Cloverhill ON | 2.4% | 0% | 12 | 9 | 18 |
| 19 | Downtown Yonge East ON | 2.3% | 0% | 11 | 10 | 39 |
| 20 | Victoria Village ON | 2.2% | 0% | 12 | 0 | 4 |
| 21 | Credit Valley ON | 2.2% | 5.5% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Thornhill ON | 2.1% | 0.4% | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Greater Napanee ON | 1.9% | 1.2% | 34 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Cold Lake AB | 1.7% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Port Elgin ON | 1.6% | 6.2% | 8 | 0 | 25 |
| 26 | Mahogany AB | 1.4% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| 27 | Clanton Park ON | 1.3% | 0% | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | Downsview ON | 1.1% | 0% | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Oakbank MB | 0.8% | 0.8% | 22 | 7 | 1 |
| 30 | Collingwood BC | 0.8% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 6 |
| 31 | Edmundston NB | 0.6% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 32 | Swift Current SK | 0.6% | 0.2% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Listowel ON | 0.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Sylvan Lake AB | 0.5% | 0.1% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | Brookhaven-Amesbury ON | 0.5% | 0% | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 36 | Brooks AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Mimico-Queensway ON | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 3 | 20 |
| 38 | DT Fairview ON | 0.2% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Taradale AB | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Coventry Hills AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Where the green is in Sylvan Lake
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
One park or wood to walk in, in or near Sylvan Lake
The biggest is Sylvan Lake Park, 7.6 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
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
7 in 10 people in Sylvan Lake 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 (72%)Further (28%)
Sylvan Lake72%
Towns in Alberta100%
Typical Canadian town83%
For comparison, the typical Canadian town has 83%. About 5,000 residents live further than 400 m from one.
Protected areas
Sylvan Lake has 2 protected areas 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 Sylvan Lake0.1%
Within 10 km0.5%
Towns in Alberta0.4%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Of those 2, 1 are public and the remainder private. One further area is privately owned conservation land; it counts in the figures but isn’t named, as a person’s land isn’t a place to visit.
Sylvan Lake Natural AreaNature reserve · 14 ha · 9.8 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
58 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
58 km west32 km²since 1955
For a national park, people in Sylvan Lake travel more than 100 km.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
47 km of paths in and around Sylvan 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
47 km
in and around the town (51.8 km²)
Woodland
7.4%
about 3.8 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Sylvan LakeTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.9
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Sylvan LakeTowns in AlbertaTypical Canadian town
Woodland7.4%
0%50%100%
It is less wooded than 54% of Canadian towns. For path density, 59% of Canadian towns do better.
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 Sylvan 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.
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 Sylvan Lake: May and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Red Deer (20 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 | 16.8 | 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 |
Winter brings about 138 cm of snow. The warmest days come in July (23 °C highs), the coldest in January (-6 °C). The wettest month, June, brings 98 mm, against 12 mm in February. The climate in Sylvan Lake →
Beaches
2 beaches within 5 km of Sylvan Lake, none named
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
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 Sylvan Lake: 35 outdoor spots 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 34 playgrounds, ahead of the rest.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 34
Plus 34 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 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 Sylvan Lake
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. Distances here run 18–23 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Sylvan Lake.
BentleyEckvilleRed DeerRed Deer CountyBlackfaldsSylvan Lake
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvan Lake | 0.5% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Bentley 18 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Eckville 20 km | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Red Deer 21 km | 0.7% | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Red Deer County 21 km | 1.1% | 76 | 1 | 60 |
| Blackfalds 23 km | 0.6% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
For protected land, Red Deer County has twice as much or more.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
- 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.
- 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 Sylvan Lake
Are there protected areas near Sylvan Lake?
Yes: 0.5% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the nearest provincial park to Sylvan Lake?
Crimson Lake Provincial Park, 58 km away.
Is there a beach near Sylvan Lake?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
When should you visit Sylvan Lake for the outdoors?
May and September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Which is the biggest protected area near Sylvan Lake?
It is Sylvan Lake Natural Area, a nature reserve covering 14 ha.
How far is Sylvan Lake from a national park?
No national park lies within 100 km of Sylvan Lake.
Sources
The sources behind Sylvan Lake’s outdoors figures
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).