Plummer Family Park
Park
80 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Illinois2011 (Tyler Warren) · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Edwardsville
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Edwardsville
21 miles of mapped trail cross Edwardsville, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Plummer Family Park (1.1 mi), Watershed Nature Center (1.1 mi), Joe Glik Park (1 mi). 426 acres are parks and preserves, 16 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #216 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
476 acres · of 20.0 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
426 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
25 mi
6.8 mi lanes · 18 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Edwardsville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Edwardsville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Edwardsville is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #216 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Edwardsville’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (426 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home95% of 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
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 72%
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 Plummer Family Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Watershed Nature Center
Park
58 acres1.1 mi of trail
Loop TrailMarsh Walk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Township Park
Managed by Edwardsville Township
27 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Willam C Drda Woods Nature Preserve
Managed by City of Edwardsville
63 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Plummer Family Park80 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWatershed Nature Center58 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJoe Glik Park33 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsTownship Park27 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Edwardsville Township
DirectionsSIUE Gardens33 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWillam C Drda Woods Nature Preserve63 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Edwardsville
Leclaire Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHoppe Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLeclaire Sports Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSam Vadalabene Field3 acres
DirectionsLusk Park2 acres
DirectionsEdwardsville City Park2 acres
DirectionsLeon Corlew Park2 acres · Edwardsville Township
DirectionsTower Park1 acres
DirectionsSketch Park1 acres
Rotary Park1 acres
Who protects it
476 conserved acres
4% of Edwardsville’s land. Who manages Edwardsville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city245 ac
County84 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits65 ac
Private owners57 ac
Regional agency16 ac
State natural resources7 ac
Local Park · 263 acConservation Easement · 65 acLocal Conservation Area · 56 acPrivate Park · 44 acLocal Recreation Area · 30 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 65 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plummer Family Park Local Park | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Watershed Nature Center Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| American Legion Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 44 | Open |
| Mct Nature Trail Local Park | County | 39 | Open |
| Joe Glik Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Mct Nickel Plate Trail Local Park | County | 27 | Open |
| Robert C. Stille Edwardsville Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Siue Bikeway Local Park | Regional agency | 16 | Open |
| Springer'S Woods Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Winston Brown Rec. Complex Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
36 places to go in Edwardsville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Edwardsville
Splash PadIn Leon Corlew Park
DirectionsPlus 2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Edwardsville
Children's Museum Playground
DirectionsEdwardsville TownshipIn Township Park
DirectionsJSC Boundless PlaygroundIn Township Park
DirectionsPlus 27 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Edwardsville
Brent Leh Memorial Dog ParkHours: Mon–Sun 6 am – 10 pm
DirectionsJoe Glik Dog ParkIn Joe Glik Park
DirectionsScenic views in Edwardsville
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 13.5 mi
Loop Trail0.5 mi
Marsh Walk0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
25 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
18 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
29Tennis
25Baseball
17Pickleball
14Soccer
11Basketball
7Beach volleyball
5Tracks
4Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
LeClaire Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itBerlemann HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itBenjamin Stephenson HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itEdwardsville Chapter HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itJohn Weir HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itSt. Louis Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itNarodni SinBuilding · listed 2002
About itAT&T Booster StationBuilding · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Edwardsville
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 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 44 | 55 | 67 | 76 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 55 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Edwardsville →
Next door
Edwardsville and its neighbors
Edwardsville has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Edwardsville Township22 miEdwardsville21 miPontoon Beach5.5 miPin Oak Township2.2 miGlen Carbon0.7 miSouth Roxana0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edwardsville | 4% | 1.0 | 16 | 95% | A− |
| Glen Carbon | 4% | 0.1 | 26 | 83% | B |
| Pontoon Beach | 30% | 0.6 | 306 | 78% | A |
| South Roxana | 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 95% | C |
| Edwardsville Township | 5% | 0.6 | 20 | 90% | A− |
| Pin Oak Township | 2% | 0.1 | 73 | 58% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Edwardsville
Where can I hike in Edwardsville?
The longest trail networks: Plummer Family Park, 1.1 miles; Watershed Nature Center, 1.1 miles; Joe Glik Park, 1 miles; Township Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Edwardsville is conserved land?
4% 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 Edwardsville’s trails?
Plummer Family Park and Watershed Nature Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Edwardsville?
25 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.8 of painted or protected lanes and 18 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Edwardsville?
17,407 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Edwardsville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 426 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Edwardsville have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #216 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 Edwardsville 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 →