Photo: Aaron Lucas · CC BY-SA 4.0Benton has 93 acres of parks, 14 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Benton City Park (1.2 mi). 15% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross Benton, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 33% of U.S. towns · #627 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
How much outdoors does Benton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Benton is ahead of 33% of U.S. towns, #627 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Benton City Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
84 conserved acres
2% of Benton’s land. Who manages Benton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton City Park Local Park | Town or city | 83 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 1 | Open |
3 places to go in Benton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 lakes & rivers
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place 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.
The walking year in Benton
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 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 46 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.4 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Benton →
Benton and its neighbors
Benton has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton | 2% | 0.2 | 14 | 15% | C |
| West City | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Benton
Where can I hike in Benton?
The longest trail networks: Benton City Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Benton 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 Benton’s trails?
Benton City Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Benton?
5,112 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Benton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 94 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Benton have?
Ahead of 33% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #627 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 Benton neighbors.
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 →