First pick
Observation Mountain
Wood or forest
235 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1.4 km northfrom the centre
Snakehole Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Vxceprex · CC BY-SA 3.04.5%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Grand Forks · parks, protected land & trails
Boothman's Oxbow Park is 4.4 km from Grand Forks
There is no national park within 100 km of the town. 4.5% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). CPCAD lists 8 protected areas within 10 km.
Protected land
4.5%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
8
within 10 km, 3 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
4.4 km
Boothman's Oxbow Park
Against other towns
Grand Forks 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. No letter: the outdoors is described for Canadian towns, not graded.
Protected within 10 km4.5%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0.9%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas3Areas 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
Grand Forks has the 13th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (4,237 to 4,380 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
Grand Forks4.5%
Towns its size2.4%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Grand Forks3
Towns its size4
Towns in British Columbia14
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Grand Forks0
Towns its size0
Towns in British Columbia1
Typical Canadian town0
For protected land nearby, Grand Forks sits near the top of its size group: 12 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay BC | 26% | 31% | 24 | 2 | 14 |
| 2 | Oka QC | 20% | 26% | 53 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Electoral Area E, Cariboo BC | 16% | 17% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Beaupré QC | 16% | 1.2% | 26 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Victoria County, Subdivision B NS | 12% | 17% | 244 | 1 | 21 |
| 6 | Invermere BC | 10% | 13% | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Red Lake ON | 10% | 1.1% | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | Bancroft ON | 9.5% | 2.3% | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | Deep River ON | 8.1% | 1% | 18 | 0 | 10 |
| 10 | Sunrise Estates BC | 5.8% | 3.1% | 152 | 5 | 0 |
| 11 | Highlands East ON | 5.2% | 2.1% | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 12 | Bruleville ON | 4.9% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Grand Forks BC | 4.5% | 0.9% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Simonds NB | 3.9% | 12% | 12 | 0 | 17 |
| 15 | Electoral Area E, Sunshine Coast BC | 3.4% | 5.1% | 34 | 0 | 48 |
| 16 | Downtown SK | 3.2% | 39% | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | Stellarton NS | 3.1% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Ormstown QC | 2.9% | 1.6% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | Richmond County, Subdivision A NS | 2.7% | 1.4% | 149 | 0 | 27 |
| 20 | Bartonville ON | 2.5% | 0% | 16 | 1 | 4 |
| 21 | White City SK | 2.3% | 0% | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | Central Park MB | 1.6% | 0% | 20 | 4 | 0 |
| 23 | Spence MB | 1.6% | 0% | 21 | 4 | 0 |
| 24 | Eganville ON | 1.5% | 0.4% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Lantzville BC | 1.5% | 0% | 19 | 0 | 8 |
| 26 | St. George MB | 1.5% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Rossland BC | 1.4% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Tuxedo MB | 1.3% | 20% | 24 | 1 | 27 |
| 29 | Inglewood AB | 0.6% | 17% | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 30 | Discovery Ridge AB | 0.5% | 32% | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Lorelei AB | 0.4% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Patricia Heights AB | 0.3% | 0% | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 33 | Pollard Meadows AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 34 | Winston Heights/Mountview AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | East Angus QC | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | Crabtree QC | 0.1% | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Saint-Ambroise QC | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Prescott ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 39 | Claresholm AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Mayliewan AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Grand Forks
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
Walk in Grand Forks: 4 named parks and woods
Largest first: Observation Mountain leads with 235 ha. Numbers match the map.
4 named parks and woods, 240 ha in all
Parks & gardens 4.3 haWoods 235 ha
Between them, Observation Mountain and Grand Forks City Park cover 100%.
Grand Forks City Park
Park or garden
3.7 ha0.2 km of path
1.4 km eastfrom the centre
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
A park is within a short walk for 5 in 10 in Grand Forks
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 (46%)Further (55%)
Grand Forks46%
Towns in British Columbia72%
Typical Canadian town83%
For comparison, the typical Canadian town has 83%. Around 2,300 residents are further than 400 m from a park.
Protected areas
Around Grand Forks, protected areas make up 4.5%
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Grand Forks0.9%
Within 10 km4.5%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
3 of the 8 are on public land. Gilpin Grasslands Park is the biggest, 912 ha. The figures include 5 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
Boothman's Oxbow ParkProvincial park · 43 ha · 4.4 km from the edge of town
Gilpin Grasslands ParkProvincial park · 912 ha · 6.5 km from the edge of town
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.
National & provincial parks
4.4 km to Boothman's Oxbow 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
Boothman's Oxbow Park
4.4 km east0.4 km²since 2007
Provincial park
Gilpin Grasslands Park
6.5 km east9.1 km²since 2007
Canada’s national parks are all more than 100 km from Grand Forks, so the parks here are provincial. 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
Paths to walk: 24 km in and around Grand Forks
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
24 km
in and around the town (31 km²)
Woodland
17%
about 5.3 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
Grand ForksTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.8
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Grand ForksTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Woodland17%
0%50%100%
For woods, it beats 64% of Canadian towns. 61% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km².
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 mapped walking route near Grand Forks
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.
When to get out
Walking season in Grand Forks: April and June to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Warfield, 52 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.2 |
| High (°C) | 0 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 24 | 29 | 30 | 23 | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 93 | 62 | 61 | 54 | 72 | 68 | 47 | 25 | 32 | 62 | 86 | 98 |
The wettest month, December, brings 98 mm, against 25 mm in August. December brings highs of 0 °C, August highs of 30 °C. The climate in Grand Forks →
Things to do
Outdoors around Grand Forks: 5 places to go
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: playgrounds, 3 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 3
Dr. D.A. Perley Elementary Playgroundin town
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Grand Forks Municipal Campgroundin town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Grand Forks
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Electoral Area D (Rural Grand Forks), Kootenay BoundaryElectoral Area C (Christina Lake), Kootenay BoundaryGrand Forks
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Forks | 4.5% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Electoral Area D (Rural Grand Forks), Kootenay Boundary 2.7 km | 17% | 13 | 0 | 39 |
| Electoral Area C (Christina Lake), Kootenay Boundary 18 km | 21% | 9 | 0 | 7 |
For protected land, Electoral Area D (Rural Grand Forks), Kootenay Boundary and Electoral Area C (Christina Lake), Kootenay Boundary have 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.
- 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.
- Walking routes. The list is OpenStreetMap’s, so a missing trail may just be unmapped. The Trans Canada Trail appears where OSM maps it.
- Private land. Land owned by individuals, companies or conservation groups counts toward the figures but is never named: a person’s land isn’t a place to visit.
Questions about the outdoors in Grand Forks
What is the nearest national park to Grand Forks?
None within 100 km of Grand Forks.
Which is the biggest protected area near Grand Forks?
Gilpin Grasslands Park, a provincial park of 912 ha.
How much land around Grand Forks is protected?
Within 10 km, 4.5% of the land lies in protected areas.
When is the best time for walking in Grand Forks?
On the normals, April and June to September: that is when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light.
Is there a provincial park near Grand Forks?
It is Boothman's Oxbow Park, 4.4 km away.
Sources
The sources behind Grand Forks’ 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).