Evergreen Hollow Park
Park
38 acres1.3 mi of trail
Evergreen Park Tree Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Gerald Roll · Public domainC+Outdoors
Outdoors in Effingham
Effingham has 117 acres of parks, 9.4 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Evergreen Hollow Park (1.3 mi). 2% of Effingham’s land is conserved, about 105 acres. 67% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns · #576 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
105 acres · of 10.9 sq mi of land
Trails
2.8 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
117 ac
9.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
67%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.7 mi
6.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Effingham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Effingham is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #576 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Effingham’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land9.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (117 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home67% 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 41%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 25%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be C+. 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 Evergreen Hollow Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Community Park
Managed by Effingham Park District
33 acres
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Hendelmeyer Park
Managed by Effingham Park District
18 acres
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bliss Park
Park
3 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Evergreen Hollow Park38 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBliss Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Community Park33 acres · Effingham Park District
Hendelmeyer Park18 acres · Effingham Park District
DirectionsHarmony Playground1 acres · Effingham Park District
DirectionsWho protects it
105 conserved acres
2% of Effingham’s land. Who manages Effingham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency88 ac
Town or city16 ac
Local Park · 105 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Park Local Park | Regional agency | 37 | Open |
| Evergreen Park Local Park | Regional agency | 28 | Open |
| Hedelmeyer Park Local Park | Regional agency | 20 | Open |
| General Purpose Playflelds Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Bliss Park Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Effingham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Effingham
Lap PoolIn Evergreen Hollow Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Effingham
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Effingham
Evergreen Bark ParkIn Evergreen Hollow Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.7 mi
Evergreen Park Tree Path0.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
19Baseball
18Tennis
8Soccer
7Tracks
4Softball
4Football
2Basketball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Effingham
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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 42 | 53 | 65 | 75 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 80 | 68 | 53 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.0 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Effingham →
Next door
Effingham and its neighbors
Effingham has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effingham | 2% | 0.3 | 9 | 67% | C+ |
| Douglas Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 9 | 66% | C |
| Summit Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Teutopolis Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 12 | 46% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Effingham
Where can I hike in Effingham?
The longest trail networks: Evergreen Hollow Park, 1.3 miles; Bliss Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Effingham 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 Effingham’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Community Park (on leash) and Hendelmeyer Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Effingham?
6.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Effingham?
1,066 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Effingham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 117 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Effingham have?
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #576 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 Effingham 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 →