Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0Chatham has 150 acres of parks, 10 for every 1,000 residents
71% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Chatham’s land is conserved, about 111 acres.
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns · #648 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
How much outdoors does Chatham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chatham is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns, #648 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull 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.
All 7 parks & preserves
111 conserved acres
2% of Chatham’s land. Who manages Chatham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 77 | Open |
| Westside Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Chatham Trail State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 7 | Open |
| Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
12 places to go in Chatham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
4.2 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).
August is the best month for walking in Chatham
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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 41 | 52 | 65 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 52 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Chatham →
Chatham and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham | 2% | under 0.1 | 10 | 71% | C |
| Springfield | 6% | 0.8 | 19 | 72% | B+ |
| Capital Township | 6% | 0.8 | 19 | 73% | B+ |
| Ball Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 11 | 68% | C− |
| Chatham Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 18 | 65% | C |
| Woodside Township | 1% | 0.2 | 5 | 61% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chatham
How much of Chatham 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 Chatham’s trails?
Chatham Community Park and Spartan Sports Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chatham?
4.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes and 3.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Chatham?
4,503 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chatham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 150 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chatham have?
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #648 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 Chatham 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 →