A national park 29 km from Thorhild County: Elk Island National Park
19 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. 1.2% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). Protected areas take in 1.9% of the town itself.
Thorhild 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. There is no Outdoors grade for Canadian towns; the figures stand beside the country’s towns of 2,500+ without a letter.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Thorhild County sits 15th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,100 to 3,196 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
For public protected areas, Thorhild County sits near the top of its size group: 15 of 39 have more. For protected land nearby, though, 24 of 39 are ahead.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trois-Pistoles QC | 44% | 0.9% | 20 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | Pincher Creek No. 9 AB | 32% | 30% | 74 | 11 | 43 |
| 3 | Electoral Area C (Part 1), Kitimat-Stikine BC | 21% | 17% | 36 | 0 | 84 |
| 4 | Saint-Alexis-des-Monts QC | 16% | 12% | 43 | 15 | 8 |
| 5 | Welcome Beach BC | 15% | 8.8% | 37 | 0 | 60 |
| 6 | Percé QC | 15% | 2.2% | 39 | 2 | 20 |
| 7 | Queensway Terrace North ON | 12% | 0% | 26 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | French River / Rivière des Français ON | 9.5% | 8.1% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré QC | 9.1% | 0.2% | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Roblin MB | 8.8% | 0.5% | 37 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Saint-David-de-Falardeau QC | 8.6% | 3.7% | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Chalk River ON | 8.2% | 1% | 29 | 0 | 21 |
| 13 | Beaumont QC | 7.7% | 0.1% | 42 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Kingsclear NB | 7.4% | 7.7% | 31 | 1 | 14 |
| 15 | Ainslie Wood East ON | 7.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| 16 | Gilbert ON | 7.2% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | Paspébiac QC | 6.5% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Electoral Area D, North Okanagan BC | 6.2% | 6.4% | 26 | 0 | 10 |
| 19 | Clear Hills AB | 5.4% | 5.4% | 31 | 0 | 115 |
| 20 | Clermont QC | 4.1% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Blakeley ON | 4.1% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| 22 | Cedar Hill ON | 1.9% | 0% | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Garrison Woods AB | 1.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Lakeshore ON | 1.5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| 25 | Minburn County No. 27 AB | 1.2% | 0.9% | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Thorhild County AB | 1.2% | 1.9% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Brooklands MB | 1.1% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Mont-Saint-Grégoire QC | 0.9% | 0.8% | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Lower Mount Royal AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Ange-Gardien QC | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Adelaide-Metcalfe ON | 0.3% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Westgate AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Brookside AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 34 | Enniskillen ON | 0.2% | 0.3% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Valhalla MB | 0.2% | 0.6% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Bishop's Falls NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Saint-Liboire QC | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 38 | La Loche SK | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Houston BC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 40 | Crystallina Nera West AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The green map of Thorhild County
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town.
A park is within a short walk for 1 in 10 in Thorhild County
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.
The typical Canadian town reaches 83%. Around 2,700 residents are further than 400 m from a park.
Within 10 km of Thorhild County, 1.2% 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.
On public land: 10 of the 19. The others are private conservation land. Biggest of the named areas: White Earth Valley Natural Area, 2,021 ha. The figures include 9 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
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.
Parks around Thorhild 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.
Long Lake Provincial Park
Elk Island National Park
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Thorhild County has 4 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 · km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
99% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km². Woods cover more of it than in 51% 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.
No named walking route passes Thorhild County 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.
No walking route is mapped within 2 km of the town. Mapping of trails as routes varies a great deal across Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
The best months for walking in Thorhild County: May, August and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Fort Saskatchewan (49 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) | 7.9 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 17.1 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | -6 | -3 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 10 | 1 | -5 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 30 | 14 | 22 | 27 | 49 | 78 | 82 | 56 | 39 | 23 | 29 | 23 |
In July the typical high is 24 °C; in January, -6 °C. Rain peaks with the heat: 82 mm in July, against 14 mm in February. A typical year sees 132 cm of snow. The climate in Thorhild County →
Near Thorhild County: 5 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.
Top of the list: nature reserves, 3 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Nature reserves 3
Playgrounds 1
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next to Thorhild County
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. No closer places have figures: these lie 23–42 km from Thorhild County.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorhild County | 1.2% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Redwater 23 km | 0.5% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Legal 38 km | 0.1% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gibbons 40 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bon Accord 40 km | 0.1% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruderheim 42 km | 1.7% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
None of its neighbours has twice the protected land around it that Thorhild County has.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected land. Protected here means in CPCAD, Canada’s official list: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and other conserved land, measured within 10 km of the town’s edge.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Thorhild County
Is there a provincial park near Thorhild County?
Long Lake Provincial Park touches the town.
Which is the biggest protected area near Thorhild County?
It is White Earth Valley Natural Area, a nature reserve covering 2,021 ha.
How much land around Thorhild County is protected?
Protected areas cover 1.2% of the land within 10 km.
Is Thorhild County near a national park?
It is Elk Island National Park, 29 km off.
When is the best time for walking in Thorhild County?
On the normals, May, August and September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
Sources for this page on Thorhild 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).