Hand Park
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Kepper66 · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Cambridge
17% of Cambridge’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 221 acres are parks and preserves, 104 per 1,000 residents. 17% of Cambridge’s land is conserved, about 221 acres.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
221 acres · of 2.0 sq mi of land
Trails
0.0 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
221 ac
104 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Cambridge?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cambridge have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cambridge is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cambridge’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4DPark land104 acres of park per 1,000 residents (221 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 79%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
College Square Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
221 conserved acres
17% of Cambridge’s land. Who manages Cambridge’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits166 ac
County43 ac
Town or city12 ac
Private Park · 166 acLocal Recreation Area · 43 acLocal Park · 12 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley View Club Private Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 166 | Open |
| Henry County Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 43 | Open |
| College Square Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Hand Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Railroad Park / Veterans Memorial Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
3Tennis
1Football
1Baseball
1Beach volleyball
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).
Henry County CourthouseBuilding · listed 2004
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Cambridge
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) | 30 | 35 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
January is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Cambridge →
Questions about parks and trails in Cambridge
How much of Cambridge is conserved land?
17% 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 Cambridge’s trails?
Hand Park and College Square Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Cambridge?
409 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cambridge or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 221 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cambridge have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Cambridge 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 →