Photo: Felspar13 · CC BY-SA 4.0Step out of Alexander into Grand Beach Provincial Park
For a swim, Grand Beach is the nearest of 18 beaches within 5 km. Walkers have 2 mapped routes close by, starting with the Brokenhead Wetland Interpretive Trail and North Whiteshell Trail. Within 10 km of the town, 4.9% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town.
Where Alexander stands out outdoors
Each figure against Canadian towns of 2,500+; tap a tile for the detail.
Out of doors, Alexander leads with a provincial park at its edge, with its beaches close behind.
Each figure for Alexander, set against 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. Outdoors isn’t graded in Canada. The page compares each figure with other towns and leaves it there.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Among 40 towns its size, Alexander ranks 8th for protected land within 10 km
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,966 to 4,103 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, Alexander’s strong point is protected land nearby, where 7 of 39 top it.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mistissini QC | 26% | 1.4% | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges QC | 12% | 0% | 25 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen BC | 12% | 12% | 52 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Okanagan Falls BC | 9.1% | 18% | 34 | 0 | 30 |
| 5 | Oakes ON | 7.4% | 0% | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | East Lawrencetown NS | 5.9% | 2.4% | 20 | 0 | 23 |
| 7 | Centremount ON | 5.6% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Alexander MB | 4.9% | 1.3% | 7 | 2 | 18 |
| 9 | Stinson ON | 4.9% | 0% | 21 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | Woodlands MB | 4.8% | 6.6% | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Inch Park ON | 4.8% | 0% | 21 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | North Norfolk MB | 4.5% | 0.5% | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | Belmead AB | 3.7% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard QC | 3% | 0.2% | 20 | 4 | 9 |
| 15 | Saint-Faustin--Lac-Carré QC | 3% | 0.2% | 14 | 7 | 8 |
| 16 | Callander ON | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Haut-Madawaska NB | 2.2% | 7.7% | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs QC | 2% | 2.9% | 19 | 2 | 2 |
| 19 | Kentley ON | 1.4% | 0% | 13 | 1 | 9 |
| 20 | Kirkfield MB | 1% | 0.3% | 14 | 1 | 37 |
| 21 | Haddow AB | 0.9% | 0% | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | Smoky Lake County AB | 0.7% | 0.5% | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | University Heights AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 24 | Mission Gardens MB | 0.5% | 2.3% | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Perth South ON | 0.3% | 0.3% | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 26 | Leila North MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Templeton-Sinclair MB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Tuxedo Park AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Fraser AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Meyokumin AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 31 | Saint-Prosper QC | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Matt Berry AB | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Lac-Etchemin QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 34 | Morris-Turnberry ON | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Swan River MB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Crossfield AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Balwin AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 38 | McCauley AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 39 | Parkdale AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 40 | York AB | 0% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The green map of Alexander
The town’s parks, woods, protected land and paths, with its named places numbered.
Walk in Alexander: 5 named parks and woods
The biggest is Muck Hill, 5.4 ha. Biggest first, numbered as on the map.
Add Wendigo Island to Muck Hill and you have 88% of it.
Wendigo Island
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 Alexander 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 4,000 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away. In the typical Canadian town the share is 83%, higher than here.
4.9% of the country within 10 km of Alexander is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
None of the 7 is private. At 119,825 ha, Whiteshell Provincial Park is the largest.
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.
Grand Beach Provincial Park meets Alexander
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.
Grand Beach Provincial Park
Whiteshell Provincial Park
Elk Island Provincial Park
Pinawa Dam Provincial Park
No national park lies within 100 km of Alexander; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach. Within 10 km are 4 provincial parks.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
676 km of paths in and around Alexander
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
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 71% of Canadian towns. More of it is wooded than in 94% 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.
Alexander has 2 named walking routes
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
For a longer outing, the North Whiteshell Trail runs 103.0 km.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
September is the best month for walking in Alexander
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Pinawa (41 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) | 8.4 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.4 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | -11 | -8 | 0 | 9 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 10 | 0 | -8 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 30 | 14 | 28 | 30 | 71 | 99 | 83 | 67 | 63 | 39 | 24 | 25 |
Most rain and snow falls in June, 99 mm; February sees 14 mm. Highs peak near 25 °C in July and fall to -11 °C in January. The climate in Alexander →
18 beaches within 5 km of Alexander
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
4 are mapped as sand. 11 more are mapped without a name. 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.
3 waterfalls near Alexander
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
The most common are slipways: 9 on the map.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 4
Plus 1 peak more.
Waterfalls 3
Plus 1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Nature reserves 5
Plus 2 nature reserves more.
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 4
Plus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 4
Plus 2 campsites without a name on the map.
Slipways 9
Plus 3 slipways without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next to Alexander
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander | 4.9% | 7 | 2 | 18 |
| Powerview-Pine Falls 5.0 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Fort Alexander 3 11 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
None of the places nearby has twice as much protected land around it as Alexander.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Beaches. The count includes unnamed stretches mapped as beach, which can make a lakeside town’s figure large.
- 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.
- Walking routes. Only named route relations count; a park’s own path network may not show unless it is mapped as a route.
- 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. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
Questions about the outdoors in Alexander
Are there protected areas near Alexander?
Within 10 km, 4.9% of the land lies in protected areas.
What walking routes are near Alexander?
Try the Brokenhead Wetland Interpretive Trail and North Whiteshell Trail; more are on the map.
Where can you swim near Alexander?
Grand Beach, 1.4 km from town, is the nearest mapped beach.
How far is Alexander from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Alexander.
What is the largest protected area near Alexander?
It is Whiteshell Provincial Park, a provincial park covering 119,825 ha.
When is the best time for walking in Alexander?
September, on the 1991–2020 normals and the daylight: long days, highs of 15 °C or more, light rain for the place.
Is there a provincial park near Alexander?
Grand Beach Provincial Park, which reaches the edge of town.
The sources behind Alexander’s 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).