Champion Park
Park
4 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
South Side School · Photo: John W. Ross · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Geneseo
Geneseo has 271 acres of parks, 41 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Geneseo’s land is conserved, about 297 acres. 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.0 miles of mapped trail cross Geneseo, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #243 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
297 acres · of 4.7 sq mi of land
Trails
1.0 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
271 ac
41 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.0 mi
0.1 mi lanes
What kind of outdoors town is Geneseo?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Geneseo have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Geneseo is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #243 of 768 in Illinois. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Geneseo’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land41 acres of park per 1,000 residents (271 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home87% 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 76%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 68%
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 Champion Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Geneseo Prairie Park
Managed by City of Geneseo
66 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Athletic Field
Managed by Geneseo Park District
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Champion Park4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Richmond Hill Park78 acres · City of Geneseo
DirectionsGeneseo Prairie Park66 acres · City of Geneseo
DirectionsAthletic Field8 acres · Geneseo Park District
Geneseo City Park7 acres
DirectionsHennepin Canal Parkway State Park2 acres · Illinois Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsLodge Community Park1 acres
Anderson Memorial Park1 acres · City Of Geneseo
Who protects it
297 conserved acres
10% of Geneseo’s land. Who manages Geneseo’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city203 ac
Regional agency86 ac
Other state land8 ac
Local Park · 163 acLocal Recreation Area · 82 acUnknown · 44 acState Recreation Area · 8 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Hill Park Local Park | Regional agency | 78 | Open |
| Geneseo Prairie Park Local Park | Town or city | 69 | Open |
| Geneseo Golf Club Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Geneseo City Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Hennepin Canal State Recreation Area | Other state land | 8 | Open |
| Ge Holting Park Local Park | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Community Center Unknown | Town or city | 7 | Open |
Things to do
27 places to go in Geneseo
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Geneseo
25 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Disc golf in Geneseo
Richmond Hill Disc Golf CourseHours: sunrise-22:00 · In Richmond Hill Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Geneseo
Florence Love Wildflower GardenIn Richmond Hill Park
DirectionsBiking & sports
1.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Tennis
8Pickleball
8Tracks
7Soccer
7Baseball
3Basketball
2Football
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Geneseo
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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 48 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Geneseo →
Questions about parks and trails in Geneseo
Where can I hike in Geneseo?
The longest trail networks: Champion Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Geneseo is conserved land?
10% 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 Geneseo’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Richmond Hill Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Geneseo?
1.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Geneseo?
1,676 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Geneseo or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 313 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Geneseo have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #243 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 Geneseo 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 →