Photo: rd laloche · CC BY 2.0None of the land within 10 km of La Loche is protected
The closest provincial park is Clearwater River Provincial Park, 15 km from the edge of town. There is no national park within 100 km of the town.
Each figure for La Loche, 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. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
La Loche sits 4th from last of 40 towns its size for protected land around it
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (3,073 to 3,174 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Against towns its size, La Loche is weakest for public protected areas: 32 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 | Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré QC | 9.1% | 0.2% | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Saint-David-de-Falardeau QC | 8.6% | 3.7% | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Chalk River ON | 8.2% | 1% | 29 | 0 | 21 |
| 11 | Kingsclear NB | 7.4% | 7.7% | 31 | 1 | 14 |
| 12 | Greenbelt (east) ON | 7.4% | 45% | 53 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Ainslie Wood East ON | 7.4% | 0% | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| 14 | Paspébiac QC | 6.5% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 15 | Clear Hills AB | 5.4% | 5.4% | 31 | 0 | 115 |
| 16 | Clermont QC | 4.1% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Blakeley ON | 4.1% | 0% | 22 | 1 | 3 |
| 18 | Athens ON | 3.9% | 2% | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | Garrison Woods AB | 1.9% | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Lakeshore ON | 1.5% | 0% | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| 21 | Minburn County No. 27 AB | 1.2% | 0.9% | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Thorhild County AB | 1.2% | 1.9% | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Brooklands MB | 1.1% | 0% | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Mont-Saint-Grégoire QC | 0.9% | 0.8% | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 25 | Admaston/Bromley ON | 0.7% | 1% | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 26 | Lower Mount Royal AB | 0.6% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | Shippagan NB | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| 28 | Ange-Gardien QC | 0.3% | 0% | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Westgate AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Brookside AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 31 | Crawford Plains AB | 0.3% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 32 | Saint-Gabriel QC | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 33 | Enniskillen ON | 0.2% | 0.3% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 |
Where the green is in La Loche
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town.
A park is within a short walk for 3 in 10 in La Loche
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.
The typical Canadian town reaches 83%. That leaves about 2,200 people more than a short walk away.
No protected area lies within 10 km of La Loche
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Clearwater River Provincial Park, 15 km away, is the closest provincial park.
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.
Clearwater River Provincial Park is 15 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.
Clearwater River Provincial Park
There is no national park within 100 km; for big parks, La Loche has its province’s.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
3 km of paths in and around La Loche
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
It has fewer paths per km² than 88% of Canadian towns. Woods cover more of it than in 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.
No named walking route passes La Loche on the map
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
OpenStreetMap lists no walking route near the town, though paths on the ground may well exist.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
The best months for walking in La Loche: May, August and September
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 normals from Buffalo Narrows (96 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) | 7.5 | 9.4 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 16.4 | 17.7 | 17.1 | 15.1 | 12.6 | 10.2 | 8.0 | 6.9 |
| High (°C) | -12 | -9 | -2 | 7 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 6 | -4 | -11 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 22 | 18 | 18 | 26 | 38 | 70 | 82 | 62 | 47 | 29 | 24 | 22 |
In July the typical high is 23 °C; in January, -12 °C. Expect 82 mm in July, warm and wet, and 18 mm in February. The climate in La Loche →
Near La Loche: one outdoor spot 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
Playgrounds 1
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Source: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next to La Loche
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page. The nearest places to La Loche with figures are 91–149 km away.
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Loche | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buffalo Narrows 91 km | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fort McMurray 125 km | 34% | 21 | 1 | 289 |
| Île-à-la-Crosse 149 km | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Around Fort McMurray the protected share is at least double.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected land. The 10 km band starts at the town’s outline, not its centre, so a large municipality reaches further than a small town.
- 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.
- Private land. Areas held by land trusts or private owners stay unnamed here, though they count in the shares.
- National and provincial parks. Distances run from the town’s edge to the park’s, so 0 km means they touch.
Questions about the outdoors in La Loche
How far is La Loche from a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from La Loche.
When is the best time for walking in La Loche?
May, August and September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Is there a provincial park near La Loche?
Clearwater River Provincial Park, 15 km from the edge of town.
Sources for this page on La Loche
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).