Photo: Ruhe1986 at English Wikipedia · Public domainCarrier Mills has 18 acres of parks, 11 for every 1,000 residents
81% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Carrier Mills’ land is conserved, about 15 acres. 0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Carrier Mills, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Carrier Mills?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Carrier Mills have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carrier Mills is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
15 conserved acres
2% of Carrier Mills’ land. Who manages Carrier Mills’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunnel Hill State Recreation Area | Other state land | 15 | Open |
1 places to go in Carrier Mills
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1.4 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 walking year in Carrier Mills
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 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 47 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 70 | 56 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.7 |
August is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.2 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Carrier Mills →
Questions about parks and trails in Carrier Mills
How much of Carrier Mills 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 Carrier Mills’ trails?
Washington Street Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Carrier Mills?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Carrier Mills?
47,450 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carrier Mills or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 18 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Carrier Mills have?
Ahead of 51% 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 Carrier Mills 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 →