Bicentennial Park
Managed by City of Belleville
49 acres1.5 mi of trail
Bicentennial Park Walking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: artistmac · CC BY-SA 2.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Belleville
Belleville has 352 acres of parks, 8.5 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Bicentennial Park (1.5 mi), Bellevue Park (1.2 mi), Laderman Park (1 mi). 4.6 miles of mapped trail cross Belleville, 0.2 per square mile of land. 2% of Belleville’s land is conserved, about 316 acres.
Ahead of 39% of U.S. towns · #593 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
316 acres · of 23.2 sq mi of land
Trails
4.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
352 ac
8.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
62%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
16 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 16 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Belleville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Belleville is ahead of 39% of U.S. towns, #593 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Belleville’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land8.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (352 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home62% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 39%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 23%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be C+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Bicentennial Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bellevue Park
Managed by City of Belleville
21 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pleasant Hill Park
Managed by City of Belleville
20 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 17 parks & preserves
Bicentennial Park49 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · City of Belleville
DirectionsBellevue Park21 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · City of Belleville
DirectionsLaderman Park31 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsPleasant Hill Park20 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Belleville
DirectionsCambridge Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Belleville
Citizen's Park52 acres · City of Belleville
DirectionsSouth Side Park22 acres
DirectionsHough Park7 acres · CIty of Belleville
DirectionsNorth End Park7 acres
DirectionsSignal Hill Athletic Park6 acres
DirectionsEast End Park6 acres
DirectionsOptimist Park6 acres · Belleville Park and Recreation
DirectionsBelleville Skate Board Park5 acres · Belleville Parks and Recreation
DirectionsNorth Municipal Gateway Entrance Park4 acres · Belleville Parks and Recreation
DirectionsKhoury League Park4 acres
DirectionsWest Main Street Triangle1 acres · City of Belleville
Ever and Anon Park1 acres · City of Belleville
DirectionsWho protects it
316 conserved acres
2% of Belleville’s land. Who manages Belleville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city215 ac
County96 ac
Private owners4 ac
Local Park · 274 acLocal Recreation Area · 38 acPrivate Park · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens Park Local Park | County | 55 | Open |
| Bicentenial Park Local Park | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Family Sportsplex Local Recreation Area | County | 38 | Open |
| Bellevue Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Laderman Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Jaycees Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| South Side Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Pleasant Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Jaycess Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Optimist Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
36 places to go in Belleville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Belleville
Cambridge ParkIn Cambridge Park
DirectionsHough Park PlaygroundIn Hough Park
DirectionsJack & Jill Playground
Directions32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Belleville
Dog Park at Rotary Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Belleville
B.I.G. Disc Golf CourseIn East End Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Belleville
Belleville Heart GardenCity of Belleville Parks & Recreation
DirectionsBelleville Heart Garden Community OrchardCity of Belleville Parks & Recreation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.2 mi
Bicentennial Park Walking Trail0.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
16 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
16 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
42Tennis
33Baseball
7Tracks
5Football
3Soccer
2Basketball
2Skate park
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Belleville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itGustave Koerner HouseBuilding · listed 2004
About itTown of West Belleville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2014
About itBlair Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2015
About itTurkey Hill Grange HallBuilding · listed 2016
About itHotel BellevilleBuilding · listed 2018
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Belleville
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 45 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 89 | 87 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Belleville →
Next door
Belleville and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Centreville Township5.8 miSt. Clair Township5.6 miBelleville4.6 miEast St. Louis Township3.5 miEast St. Louis3.5 miSmithton Township3.0 miSwansea2.3 miStookey Township1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belleville | 2% | 0.2 | 9 | 62% | C+ |
| St. Clair Township | 3% | 0.3 | 9 | 41% | C+ |
| Stookey Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 45% | C− |
| Swansea | 3% | 0.4 | 10 | 69% | B− |
| Smithton Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Centreville Township | 9% | 0.2 | 71 | 76% | B+ |
| East St. Louis Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East St. Louis | 3% | 0.3 | 15 | 79% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Belleville
Where can I hike in Belleville?
The longest trail networks: Bicentennial Park, 1.5 miles; Bellevue Park, 1.2 miles; Laderman Park, 1 miles; Pleasant Hill Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Belleville is conserved land?
2% of its land, against a typical 4% for an Illinois town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Belleville’s trails?
Bicentennial Park and Bellevue Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Belleville?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 16 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Belleville?
17,282 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Belleville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 352 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Belleville have?
Ahead of 39% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #593 of 768 in Illinois. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Belleville neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →