Bethalto Sports Complex
Park
98 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Tyler Warren · CC BY 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bethalto
Bethalto has 180 acres of parks, 19 for every 1,000 residents
91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Bethalto Sports Complex (1.4 mi), Steve Bryant Park (1.1 mi). 2.9 miles of mapped trail cross Bethalto, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #327 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
155 acres · of 7.6 sq mi of land
Trails
2.9 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
180 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.5 mi
1.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Bethalto?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bethalto have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bethalto is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #327 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bethalto’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (180 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home91% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 68%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 57%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. 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 Bethalto Sports Complex, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 7 parks & preserves
Bethalto Sports Complex98 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsSteve Bryant Park28 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBethalto Central Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRotary Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Khoury League Park8 acres
DirectionsBethalto Arboretum5 acres
DirectionsVeterans of Foreign Wars Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
155 conserved acres
3% of Bethalto’s land. Who manages Bethalto’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city151 ac
Other state land3 ac
Private owners1 ac
Local Recreation Area · 105 acLocal Park · 46 acState Other or Unknown · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethalto Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 101 | Open |
| Steve Bryant Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Khoury League Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Bethalto Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Bethalto Arboretum Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Unknown Park State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 3 | Open |
| Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Vfw Memorial Park Local Park | Private owners | 1 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Bethalto
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bethalto
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Bethalto
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
16Baseball
8Tennis
3Pickleball
2Soccer
1Football
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →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.
Bethalto Village HallBuilding · listed 1987
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Bethalto
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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 44 | 55 | 67 | 76 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 80 | 68 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bethalto →
Next door
Bethalto and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Wood River Township6.3 miFort Russell Township5.6 miFoster Township4.0 miBethalto2.9 miMoro Township1.3 miWood River0.7 miRosewood Heights0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethalto | 3% | 0.4 | 19 | 91% | B+ |
| Rosewood Heights | 2% | under 0.1 | 6 | 53% | C− |
| Wood River | 4% | 0.1 | 16 | 92% | B |
| Wood River Township | 3% | 0.3 | 19 | 86% | B |
| Foster Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | 2% | D |
| Fort Russell Township | 1% | 0.2 | 5 | 43% | C− |
| Moro Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 45% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bethalto
Where can I hike in Bethalto?
The longest trail networks: Bethalto Sports Complex, 1.4 miles; Steve Bryant Park, 1.1 miles; Bethalto Central Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bethalto is conserved land?
3% 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 Bethalto’s trails?
Bethalto Sports Complex and Steve Bryant Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bethalto?
1.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bethalto?
7,135 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bethalto or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 180 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bethalto have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #327 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 Bethalto 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 →