Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainBanff National Park begins at the edge of Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap
The protected share within 10 km is 33%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. 26 mapped walking routes pass within 2 km, among them the GDT ekw and GDT enc. Within its own boundary, 25% of the town is protected.
Where Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
What Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap has most to offer outdoors is Banff National Park on its doorstep, with protected land around it close behind.
Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap 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 one of Canada’s graded subjects, so there’s no letter here: each figure is set against other Canadian towns instead.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap comes 2nd of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,621 to 3,723 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
For protected land nearby, Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap sits near the top of its size group: 1 of 39 has more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baie-D'Urfé QC | 49% | 0.1% | 44 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap BC | 33% | 25% | 26 | 26 | 2 |
| 3 | Blind River ON | 21% | 41% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Saint-Sulpice QC | 12% | 5.8% | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Bright NB | 7.1% | 4.6% | 46 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | Woodbridge Meadows ON | 5.7% | 2.7% | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Central ON | 5.6% | 0% | 24 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Electoral Area F, Bulkley-Nechako BC | 4.8% | 4.4% | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 | Cowichan Bay BC | 4.2% | 5.7% | 64 | 2 | 10 |
| 10 | Industrial Sector A and Keith ON | 3.5% | 0.9% | 30 | 0 | 15 |
| 11 | Deer Run AB | 3.4% | 47% | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| 12 | Parkland AB | 3.4% | 39% | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 13 | Piedmont QC | 3.1% | 15% | 17 | 2 | 3 |
| 14 | Quinndale ON | 2.9% | 0% | 16 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | Parkview West ON | 2.1% | 2.7% | 26 | 0 | 14 |
| 16 | Hudson AB | 2.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | North Glenora AB | 1.9% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | Killarney MB | 1.8% | 2.3% | 61 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Powassan ON | 1.6% | 1.8% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Kensington AB | 1.5% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Studholm NB | 1.4% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | Deer Lodge MB | 1.3% | 0% | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Fifty Point ON | 1.2% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 3 |
| 24 | South Tuxedo MB | 1.2% | 50% | 23 | 0 | 19 |
| 25 | Rapperswill AB | 1.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez QC | 0.9% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Alpine Place MB | 0.9% | 2.3% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Cameron Heights AB | 0.9% | 0% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | Inkster-Faraday MB | 0.8% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Lawson Heights Urban Centre SK | 0.7% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| 31 | Two Hills County No. 21 AB | 0.5% | 0.6% | 53 | 0 | 4 |
| 32 | Eaglemere MB | 0.5% | 0% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | North Inkster Industrial MB | 0.5% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Dunham QC | 0.4% | 0.3% | 24 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | Radisson MB | 0.4% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Victoria West MB | 0.4% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | West Kildonan Industrial MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Greenfield AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Saint-Michel QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Country Hills AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The green map of Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
17 named parks and woods to walk in near Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap
Help Lake Recreation Site is the largest, at 101 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
No one place dominates; the largest has 25%.
Three Island Lake Recreation Site
Giant Cedars Recreation Site
Thompson Falls Recreation Site
Bluewater Creek Recreation Site
Esplanade Bay Recreation Site
Bush Arm Recreation Site
All 17 named parks and green spaces
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.
Few people in Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap 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.
For about 3,700 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. In the typical Canadian town the share is 83%, higher than here.
33% of the land around Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Public bodies own 17 of the 26; land trusts and private owners hold the others. Jasper National Park covers 1,087,800 ha, the most of any named area. The figures include 9 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
6 more named areas within 10 km are in the figures.
1 area recorded only by its type (a provincial layer such as wildlife habitat areas) is counted, not listed.
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.
Big parks near Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap
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.
Jasper National Park
Banff National Park
Kootenay National Park
Glacier National Park
Yoho National Park
Hamber Park
There are 3 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.
1,308 km of paths in and around Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap
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
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 87% 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.
The GDT ekw runs past Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
Plus 14 more waymarked walks on the map.
The GDT ekw is 42 km long on the map, and 41.9 km of it lies within 2 km of town. For a longer outing, the Rockwall Trail runs 52.5 km. 9 of them are under 3 km, good for a short outing.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Walking season in Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap: May to September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Golden (4.9 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) | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | -4 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 10 | 1 | -4 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 42 | 23 | 30 | 24 | 36 | 54 | 41 | 39 | 41 | 38 | 51 | 39 |
Some 169 cm of snow falls each winter. Summer highs reach 25 °C in July; in December they stay near -4 °C. Most rain and snow falls in June, 54 mm; February sees 23 mm. The climate in Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap →
2 beaches within 5 km of Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap, 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.
Near Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap: 43 viewpoints, 59 waterfalls
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Most numerous: hills and peaks (785). Among the peaks, Adamant Mountain is highest at 3,335 m.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 43
Plus 35 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 785
Plus 777 hills and peaks without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 59
Plus 51 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 10
Plus 2 nature reserves more.
Picnic sites 24
Plus 18 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 10
Plus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 78
Plus 70 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 3
Plus 3 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap has a historic garden or park
Gardens and arboretums within 15 km of the town’s edge, and the historic gardens, parks and estates in the town itself, nearest first.
One carries a national designation. Oldest of them: Howse Pass, from 1806.
Sources: OpenStreetMap (leisure=garden), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, and Wikidata (CC0), as gathered in TownRatings’ Canadian attractions set; historic places from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places and Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel.
Next to Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 5–95 km out.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap | 33% | 26 | 26 | 2 |
| Golden 4.5 km | 5.5% | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Improvement District No. 9 Banff 63 km | 80% | 17 | 20 | 4 |
| Electoral Area G, East Kootenay 86 km | 40% | 23 | 8 | 2 |
| Revelstoke 89 km | 16% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Radium Hot Springs 95 km | 35% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Around Improvement District No. 9 Banff the protected share is at least double.
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.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- 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.
- 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.
Questions about the outdoors in Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap
Where can you swim near Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap?
There are beaches within 5 km, none of them named.
Are there hiking trails near Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap?
OpenStreetMap maps the GDT ekw, GDT enc and GDT ekm close by, with others.
What is the nearest national park to Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap?
Yes: Banff National Park reaches the edge of Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap.
Are there protected areas near Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap?
Protected areas cover 33% of the land within 10 km.
Which is the biggest protected area near Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap?
Jasper National Park: 1,087,800 ha, a national park.
When should you visit Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap for the outdoors?
On the normals, May to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
Is there a provincial park near Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap?
Hamber Park begins at the town’s edge.
Sources for this page on Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap
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.
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).