Photo: HeatherMarieKosur · CC BY-SA 4.0El Paso has 56 acres of parks, 19 for every 1,000 residents
90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.0 miles of mapped trail cross El Paso, 0.5 per square mile of land. 4% of El Paso’s land is conserved, about 49 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #296 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is El Paso?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does El Paso have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, El Paso is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #296 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
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 Jefferson Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
South Pointe Park
Cornbelt Park
49 conserved acres
4% of El Paso’s land. Who manages El Paso’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Jefferson Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Franklin Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Corn Belt Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
6 places to go in El Paso
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2.0 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.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in El Paso: April, 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) | 33 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in El Paso →
Questions about parks and trails in El Paso
Where can I hike in El Paso?
The longest trail networks: Jefferson Park, 0.3 miles; South Pointe Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of El Paso 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 El Paso’s trails?
Jefferson Park and South Pointe Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in El Paso?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near El Paso?
3,345 acres of parks and open public land lie inside El Paso or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 56 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does El Paso have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #296 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 El Paso 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 →