Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Globalphotobank · CC BY-SA 4.05.2 km from town is Fraser River Breaks Park, the nearest provincial park. No national park lies within 100 km. There is a beach within 5 km, unnamed on the map.
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.
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (11,276 to 11,632 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Among its peers, Williams Lake’s strong point is protected land nearby, where 3 of 39 top it. On public protected areas it is behind: 25 of 39 have more.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banff AB | 100% | 100% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 | Montmagny QC | 26% | 0.1% | 51 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Carson Grove - Carson Meadows ON | 14% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Williams Lake BC | 14% | 8.3% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Ramara ON | 8.6% | 0.5% | 37 | 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Sechelt BC | 7.5% | 2% | 17 | 0 | 24 |
| 7 | Milton-Parc QC | 7.5% | 0% | 18 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | New Kleinburg ON | 7.5% | 12% | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | La Tuque QC | 7.4% | 7.5% | 372 | 0 | 140 |
| 10 | Katimavik-Hazeldean ON | 6.8% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Ebenezer West ON | 6.8% | 11% | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Estevan SK | 6.5% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Coldstream BC | 6.2% | 0.4% | 10 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Hochelaga QC | 5.3% | 0% | 22 | 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Provinceton BC | 5.3% | 5.9% | 160 | 6 | 0 |
| 16 | Pont-Rouge QC | 5.1% | 0% | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Arnprior ON | 3.9% | 1.3% | 22 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | Hawkesbury ON | 3.5% | 0% | 9 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | Casa Loma ON | 2.3% | 0% | 14 | 4 | 3 |
| 20 | North Riverdale ON | 2.2% | 0% | 10 | 5 | 31 |
| 21 | Dufferin Grove ON | 1.9% | 0% | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| 22 | Selkirk MB | 1.8% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Fort Richmond MB | 1.6% | 2.3% | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Bridgwater Trails MB | 1.4% | 0% | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Norquay Village BC | 1.4% | 0% | 11 | 3 | 15 |
| 26 | Pelmo Park-Humberlea ON | 1.3% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | William Whyte MB | 1.3% | 0% | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| 28 | Bowness AB | 0.9% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 29 | Millbrook ON | 0.6% | 0.1% | 9 | 3 | 3 |
| 30 | Keelesdale-Eglinton West ON | 0.5% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Long Branch ON | 0.3% | 0% | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| 32 | New Toronto ON | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| 33 | Jefferson MB | 0.3% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | West Springs AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | Farnham QC | 0.2% | 0% | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | Fontainebleau ON | 0.2% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 | Dundalk ON | 0.1% | 0.1% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | Morden MB | 0.1% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 39 | Drayton ON | 0% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 40 | Beddington Heights AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The town’s parks, woods, protected land and paths, with its named places numbered.
The biggest is Williams Lake River Valley Recreation Site, 498 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
Two places, Williams Lake River Valley Recreation Site and Scout Island Nature Centre, make up 95% of the total.
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.
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.
About 5,500 residents live further than 400 m from one. The typical Canadian town reaches 83%.
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Of those 3, 2 are public and the remainder private. One area belongs to a private owner or a land trust and isn’t named here.
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 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.
For a national park, people in Williams 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.
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).
Woods cover more of it than in 91% of Canadian towns. It has more footpath per km² than 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.
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
The map shows no named route near the town. That says more about OpenStreetMap’s coverage than about the paths on the ground.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Williams Lake, 7.8 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) | 8.2 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | -3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 2 | -3 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 37 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 66 | 57 | 43 | 37 | 41 | 42 | 38 |
December brings highs of -3 °C, July highs of 23 °C. June is the wettest month (66 mm) and February the driest (19 mm). About 176 cm of snow falls in a year. The climate in Williams Lake →
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.
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Lake | 14% | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Electoral Area D, Cariboo 6.4 km | 9.4% | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Electoral Area E, Cariboo 6.8 km | 16% | 10 | 0 | 1 |
Around Williams Lake, nobody nearby has double its protected land.
Fraser River Breaks Park, a provincial park of 883 ha.
There is an unnamed beach within 5 km.
Within 10 km, 14% of the land lies in protected areas.
Fraser River Breaks Park, 5.2 km from the edge of town.
May to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
None within 100 km of Williams Lake.
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).