Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0East St. Louis has 262 acres of parks, 15 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Jones Park (0.9 mi). 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.5 miles of mapped trail cross East St. Louis, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns · #467 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
How much outdoors does East St. Louis have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, East St. Louis is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns, #467 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
The longest trail network is Jones Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park
Virginia Park
All 10 parks & preserves
245 conserved acres
3% of East St. Louis’ land. Who manages East St. Louis’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackie Joyner Kersee Park Local Park | Town or city | 134 | Open |
| Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Jackie Robinson Khoury League Fields Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Lincoln Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Alorton Heron Rookery State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 14 | Open |
| Eshla Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Virginia Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| East St Louis Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Gaty Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| East St Louis Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
37 places to go in East St. Louis
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.
32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
2 community gardens without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
1.9 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.
8 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The walking year in East St. Louis
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 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 46 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 86 | 89 | 88 | 81 | 69 | 56 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in East St. Louis →
East St. Louis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East St. Louis | 3% | 0.3 | 15 | 79% | B− |
| East St. Louis Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Centreville Township | 9% | 0.2 | 71 | 76% | B+ |
| Canteen Township | 19% | 0.9 | 183 | 73% | A |
| Cahokia Heights | 3% | under 0.1 | 17 | 77% | C+ |
| Belleville | 2% | 0.2 | 9 | 62% | C+ |
| Fairmont City | 36% | 1.1 | 443 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Fairview Heights | 3% | 0.6 | 12 | 73% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in East St. Louis
Where can I hike in East St. Louis?
The longest trail networks: Jones Park, 0.9 miles; Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of East St. Louis is conserved land?
3% 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 St. Louis’ trails?
Jones Park and Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in East St. Louis?
1.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near East St. Louis?
19,747 acres of parks and open public land lie inside East St. Louis or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 263 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does East St. Louis have?
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #467 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 St. Louis 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 →