Photo: Stevedrone91 · CC BY-SA 4.08% of Freeport’s land is conserved: 599 acres
The biggest trail networks: Krape Park (1.5 mi). 600 acres are parks and preserves, 26 per 1,000 residents. 83% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #314 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Freeport?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Freeport have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Freeport is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #314 of 768 in Illinois. Conserved land 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 Krape Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Read Park
Taylor Park
Freeport Wetland Preserve
All 9 parks & preserves
599 conserved acres
8% of Freeport’s land. Who manages Freeport’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Hills Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 279 | Open |
| Krape Park Local Park | Regional agency | 114 | Open |
| Taylor Park Local Park | Regional agency | 70 | Open |
| Wetland Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Read Park Local Park | Regional agency | 39 | Open |
| Freeport Fairground Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Winter Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Larson Prairie Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 6 | Open |
| Stephenson County Historical Museum Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Pecatonica Prairie Trail Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
7 places to go in Freeport
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 lakes & rivers
5.6 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.
3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Freeport: April 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 34 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 1.8 |
January is the driest month (1.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Freeport →
Freeport 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeport | 8% | 0.2 | 26 | 83% | B+ |
| Freeport Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lancaster Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 13% | D |
| Harlem Township | 1% | 0.2 | 1 | 12% | C− |
| Silver Creek Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Freeport
Where can I hike in Freeport?
The longest trail networks: Krape Park, 1.5 miles; Read Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Freeport is conserved land?
8% 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 Freeport’s trails?
Krape Park and Read Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Freeport?
5.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes, 5.0 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Freeport?
821 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Freeport or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 604 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Freeport have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #314 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 Freeport 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 →