Fondulac Reservoir
Nature preserve
138 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in East Peoria
East Peoria has 888 acres of parks, 40 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Fondulac Reservoir (1.4 mi), Cooper Park (1 mi), Brady Park (0.6 mi). 7% of East Peoria’s land is conserved, about 907 acres. 76% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #267 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
907 acres · of 20.7 sq mi of land
Trails
7.2 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
888 ac
40 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.7 mi
8.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
5 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does East Peoria have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, East Peoria is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #267 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of East Peoria’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land40 acres of park per 1,000 residents (888 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home76% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 74%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 65%
Water is 8% of East Peoria’s area (2 of 23 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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
The longest trail network is Fondulac Reservoir, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bennett's Terraqueous Gardens
Nature preserve
18 acres0.3 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
All 24 parks & preserves
Fondulac Reservoir138 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Cooper Park126 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBrady Park137 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsBennett's Terraqueous Gardens18 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGeorge Doering Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFondulac Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsStiers Family Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fon du Lac Park District
DirectionsCooper Park South8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fondulac Park District
DirectionsCooper Park North4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Fondulac Park District
DirectionsNeumann Park93 acres · Fon du Lac Park District
Veterans Park60 acres
DirectionsEast Peoria Riverfront12 acres
DirectionsRiverhill Nature Preserve12 acres
DirectionsFondulac Parks Administrative Center4 acres
Fon du Lac Farm Park & Petting Zoo4 acres · Fon du Lac Park District
Spinder Park4 acres · Fondulac Park District
DirectionsBunnell Park3 acres
Farmdale Reservoir Recreation Area2 acres · United States Army Corps of Engineers
DirectionsWymann Nature Preserve2 acres
DirectionsLevee Park1 acres
DirectionsAuer/Broshears Park1 acres · Fondulac Park District
DirectionsWindsong Estates Park1 acres
Mary Cunningham Park1 acres · Fondulac Park District
DirectionsJaycee Park1 acres · Fon du Lac Park District
DirectionsWho protects it
907 conserved acres
7% of East Peoria’s land. Water is left out: East Peoria has 20.7 square miles of land and 1.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages East Peoria’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency621 ac
Town or city220 ac
State conservation74 ac
State natural resources52 ac
Army Corps of Engineers4 ac
Other state land3 ac
Local Park · 770 acConservation Easement · 74 acState Conservation Area · 71 acUnknown · 25 acLocal Recreation Area · 15 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 35 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brady Park Local Park | Regional agency | 149 | Open |
| Quail Meadows Local Park | Regional agency | 146 | Open |
| Eastside Center Local Park | Town or city | 115 | Open |
| Fon Du Lac Farm Park Local Park | Regional agency | 75 | Open |
| Cooper Park - North & South Local Park | Regional agency | 60 | Open |
| Spindler Campground/Marina Local Park | Regional agency | 53 | Open |
| Woodford State Fish and Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 52 | Open |
| Veterans Of Foreign Wars Park Local Park | Regional agency | 35 | Open |
| Fon du Lac Golf Course Unknown | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Eastport Marina Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
31 places to go in East Peoria
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in East Peoria
19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in East Peoria
Brady Bark ParkHours: sunrise-sunset · In Brady Park
DirectionsBoat launches in East Peoria
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in East Peoria
Fondulac Drive Lookout 1Hours: open; Mo-Su,PH 22:00+ off
DirectionsPicnic areas in East Peoria
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in East Peoria
ICC Disc Golf Course
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
James E. Henry Nature Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
26Baseball
17Tennis
7Soccer
5Football
4Basketball
4Pickleball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in East Peoria: 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 39 | 51 | 64 | 75 | 84 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in East Peoria →
Next door
East Peoria and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Peoria34 miPeoria City Township34 miFondulac Township12 miEast Peoria7.2 miWashington3.8 miMorton2.4 miCreve Coeur0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Peoria | 7% | 0.3 | 40 | 76% | B+ |
| Creve Coeur | 4% | under 0.1 | 35 | 86% | B |
| Morton | 3% | 0.2 | 18 | 82% | B |
| Washington | 4% | 0.4 | 13 | 82% | B |
| Fondulac Township | 9% | 0.7 | 62 | 80% | A |
| Peoria City Township | 17% | 0.8 | 42 | 89% | A |
| Peoria | 16% | 0.7 | 37 | 88% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in East Peoria
Where can I hike in East Peoria?
The longest trail networks: Fondulac Reservoir, 1.4 miles; Cooper Park, 1 miles; Brady Park, 0.6 miles; Bennett's Terraqueous Gardens, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of East Peoria is conserved land?
7% 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 East Peoria’s trails?
Fondulac Reservoir and Cooper Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in East Peoria?
8.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near East Peoria?
15,127 acres of parks and open public land lie inside East Peoria or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 893 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does East Peoria have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #267 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 East Peoria 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 →