First pick
Alexander Park
Park or garden
3.7 ha0.4 km of path
0.7 km eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: William Matheson · CC BY-SA 2.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Houston · parks, protected land & trails
The nearest provincial park, Old Man Lake Park, is 10 km from Houston
Within 5 km lie 8 beaches, unnamed on the map. Within 10 km of the town, 0% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. Within 100 km there is no national park.
Protected land
0%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
1
within 10 km, 1 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
10 km
Old Man Lake Park
Beaches
8
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Character
The outdoors in Houston, in short
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Above all, Houston offers its beaches. The gap is protected land nearby.
Against other towns
How Houston 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. This page carries no grade, because Canada’s grading doesn’t cover the outdoors; the comparisons are the point.
Protected within 10 km0%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0%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
Beaches8Beaches 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, Houston is 3rd from the bottom for protected land
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,065 to 3,162 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
Houston0%
Towns its size1.7%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Houston1
Towns its size3
Towns in British Columbia14
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Houston0
Towns its size0
Towns in British Columbia1
Typical Canadian town0
Against towns its size, Houston is weakest for protected land nearby: 34 of 39 have more.
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 | Cap-Pelé NB | 43% | 2.6% | 11 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Cap-Saint-Ignace QC | 20% | 0.1% | 51 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Welcome Beach BC | 15% | 8.8% | 37 | 0 | 60 |
| 5 | Percé QC | 15% | 2.2% | 39 | 2 | 20 |
| 6 | Queensway Terrace North ON | 12% | 0% | 26 | 4 | 6 |
| 7 | Sudbury, Unorganized, North Part ON | 11% | 9.8% | 92 | 2 | 15 |
| 8 | Saint-David-de-Falardeau QC | 8.6% | 3.7% | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Chalk River ON | 8.2% | 1% | 29 | 0 | 21 |
| 10 | Kingsclear NB | 7.4% | 7.7% | 31 | 1 | 14 |
| 11 | Greenbelt (east) ON | 7.4% | 45% | 53 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Ainslie Wood East ON | 7.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| 13 | Paspébiac QC | 6.5% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Clear Hills AB | 5.4% | 5.4% | 31 | 0 | 115 |
| 15 | Clermont QC | 4.1% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Blakeley ON | 4.1% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| 17 | Athens ON | 3.9% | 2% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | Rosedale ON | 2.3% | 0% | 16 | 2 | 4 |
| 19 | Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot BC | 1.9% | 0% | 10 | 15 | 2 |
| 20 | Garrison Woods AB | 1.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Lakeshore ON | 1.5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| 22 | Minburn County No. 27 AB | 1.2% | 0.9% | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Thorhild County AB | 1.2% | 1.9% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Normandin QC | 1.1% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Brooklands MB | 1.1% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Mont-Saint-Grégoire QC | 0.9% | 0.8% | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | Admaston/Bromley ON | 0.7% | 1% | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 28 | Lower Mount Royal AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Shippagan NB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| 30 | Ange-Gardien QC | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Westgate AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Crawford Plains AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 33 | Saint-Gabriel QC | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 34 | Valhalla MB | 0.2% | 0.6% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Bishop's Falls NL | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Saint-Liboire QC | 0% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 37 | La Loche SK | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Houston BC | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 39 | Crystallina Nera West AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Glengarry AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Houston
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
8 named parks and woods to walk in near Houston
Alexander Park is the largest, at 3.7 ha; the rest follow by size, numbered as on the map.
8 named parks and woods, 9 ha in all
Parks & gardens 9.4 ha
Two places, Alexander Park and Jamie Baxter Park, make up 59% of the total.
Steelhead Park
Park or garden
1.8 ha0.3 km of path
1.0 km north-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
3 in 10 people in Houston 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 (28%)Further (72%)
Houston28%
Towns in British Columbia72%
Typical Canadian town83%
Around 2,200 residents are further than 400 m from a park. A median Canadian town manages 83%.
Protected areas
Houston has 1 protected area 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 Houston0%
Within 10 km0%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
It is public.
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
The nearest big park: Old Man Lake Park, 10 km away
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
Old Man Lake Park
10 km east3.3 km²since 2008
Canada’s national parks are all more than 100 km from Houston, so the parks here are provincial.
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 Houston
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 (118.1 km²)
Woodland
71%
about 83.3 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
HoustonTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths0.2
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
HoustonTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Woodland71%
0%50%100%
78% of Canadian towns have more footpath per km². For woods, it beats 92% 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.
Walking routes
OpenStreetMap shows no walking route near Houston
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
Get out in Houston in May to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Smithers, 59 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) | 7.9 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 16.7 | 14.9 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.3 |
| High (°C) | -4 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 9 | 1 | -4 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 42 | 24 | 20 | 27 | 39 | 51 | 44 | 45 | 49 | 66 | 54 | 44 |
July is the warmest month, with highs around 22 °C; January the coldest, at -4 °C. For dry weather, March is best (20 mm); October gets 66 mm. The climate in Houston →
Beaches
8 beaches within 5 km of Houston, none named
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
For water quality, look to the local health unit: no open beach-testing data covers Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Near Houston: 4 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.
Every named place, with directions
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 1
Morice-Klinger Trails0.1 km from town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Houston
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 42–61 km from Houston.
TelkwaElectoral Area A, Bulkley-NechakoSmithersElectoral Area B, Bulkley-NechakoBurns LakeHouston
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 0% | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Telkwa 42 km | 3.3% | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Electoral Area A, Bulkley-Nechako 51 km | 15% | 9 | 0 | 17 |
| Smithers 55 km | 5.5% | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Electoral Area B, Bulkley-Nechako 60 km | 6.2% | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Burns Lake 61 km | 4.7% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Telkwa, Electoral Area A, Bulkley-Nechako and Smithers have at least twice the protected share around them.
How to read these numbers
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.
- 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. CPCAD includes conservation land held privately; the page counts it and leaves the names out.
- National and provincial parks. A park at 0 km touches or overlaps the town’s outline; directions point from the town’s centre.
- Beaches. A beach counts when its centre point lies within 5 km of the town’s outline. Names come from the map.
Questions about the outdoors in Houston
What is the nearest provincial park to Houston?
Old Man Lake Park, 10 km away.
Is there protected land near Houston?
Yes: 0% of the land within 10 km is protected.
What is the nearest beach to Houston?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
Is Houston near a national park?
None within 100 km of Houston.
What is the best season to get outdoors in Houston?
May to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Sources
Sources for this page on Houston
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).