Bruce Township has 100 acres of parks, 8.4 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: City Park (0.5 mi). 2.9 miles of mapped trail cross Bruce Township, 0.2 per square mile of land. 56% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 31% of U.S. towns · #643 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
How much outdoors does Bruce Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bruce Township is ahead of 31% of U.S. towns, #643 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park comes closest.
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 City Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Marilla Park
Bodznick Park
All 5 parks & preserves
96 conserved acres
1% of Bruce Township’s land. Who manages Bruce Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marilla Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Oakland Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Southside Athletic Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Otter Creek Private Conservation | Private owners | 6 | Restricted |
| Bodznick Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
2 places to go in Bruce Township
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.
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.
The best walking months in Bruce Township: April, August and September
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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Bruce Township →
Bruce Township and its neighbors
Bruce Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Township | 1% | 0.2 | 8 | 56% | C |
| Eagle Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 17 | 44% | C |
| Streator | 2% | 0.4 | 6 | 61% | C+ |
| Otter Creek Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 39% | D |
| Farm Ridge Township | — 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 Bruce Township
Where can I hike in Bruce Township?
The longest trail networks: City Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bruce Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Bruce Township’s trails?
City Park and Marilla Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bruce Township?
4,541 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bruce Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 100 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bruce Township have?
Ahead of 31% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #643 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 Bruce Township 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 →