Resources · Climate

Acreage guides for towns in this county: Rocky Mountain House

Hardiness Zone in Clearwater County

Clearwater County is generally treated as Canadian plant hardiness zone 3b, with a frost-free window on the order of 120 days. The zone is read from the Natural Resources Canada plant hardiness map (4th edition, 1991–2020 normals) at a representative quarter; frost dates are a regional table keyed by zone, not a logger on your fence. Those two numbers decide more tree deaths than soil tests do.

Zone 3a near Rocky Mountain House, colder toward the mountains, with a frost-free window often under 90 days. Hay and pasture tolerate that; vegetables need protection.

What the zone is — and is not

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s plant hardiness maps combine several climate variables, not just one winter low. A zone 3b label means a typical winter in this belt, not the worst winter of the decade, and not the frost pocket at the bottom of your driveway.

Use it to:

• Filter nursery stock (do not buy zone 5 peaches for a Clearwater County field)
• Plan shelterbelts that will still be standing in twenty years
• Time cover crops against a 120-day window

Do not use it to:

• Ignore a north-facing draw
• Skip a thermometer logger for one season
• Assume the town of Rocky Mountain House and a rural quarter share the same last frost

Frost-free days in practice

120 days is a regional sketch. Last spring frost and first fall frost move with elevation, wet ground, and cold-air drainage. In Clearwater County, watch:

• River and lake edges that radiate heat at night — or collect cold
• Open peat or muskeg that frosts early
• South walls and gravel pads that buy you a week

A food forest that needs 130 days will fight this county most years. A shelterbelt of zone 3b natives will not.

Pair climate with water and sun

Zone is only one pillar. A 3b site with a 26 m well and 0.9 kWh/m²/day in winter is a different homestead than the same zone on a municipal line. Plan trees, wells, and panels on the same map.

Flood or wet ground near North Saskatchewan River, Clearwater River, Prairie Creek at Rocky Mountain House can also shorten the effective season by keeping soils cold in May.

See this for your specific parcel

Generate a free land report for a property in Clearwater County →

Sampled data for Clearwater County

From a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in Township 40, Range 8, W5. These are measured or record-based values for that location, shown to put the county figures above in context. They are not your parcel.

Growing zones near Clearwater County: Rocky Mountain House (zone 3b) · Sylvan Lake (zone 3b) · Red Deer (zone 3b) · Innisfail (zone 3b) · Alberta growing zones map

Neighbouring counties: Lacombe County (82 km) · Red Deer County (83 km) · Brazeau County (83 km) · Mountain View County (90 km) · Compare Clearwater County with another county

Sampled from the live report pipeline at a representative quarter in Township 40, Range 8, W5 on 2026-10-08: well depth, hardiness zone, solar irradiance (370 well records within 5 km). Text reviewed 2026-10-09. Methodology.

Common questions

What should I plant in Clearwater County?

Start with zone 3b stock and a 120-day season. Then walk frost pockets.

Is the town of Rocky Mountain House the same zone?

Often close, not identical. Elevation and cold-air drainage on a rural lot can run colder than town.