St. Mary's Church of Gilberts · Photo: Smallbones · Public domainVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Gilberts
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 153 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents. 4% of Gilberts’ land is conserved, about 145 acres.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #250 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Gilberts?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Gilberts have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gilberts is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #250 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles 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 Town Square Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Nyman Farm Forest Preserve
Freeman Kame - Meagher Forest Preserve
All 7 parks & preserves
145 conserved acres
4% of Gilberts’ land. Who manages Gilberts’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 7 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeman Kame-Meagher Forest Preserve 7 Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 39 | Unknown |
| Camp Tomo Chi Chi Knolls, Oury Property Local Park | Regional agency | 36 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Town Center Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Waitcus Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Riley'S Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
17 places to go in Gilberts
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
16 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.
1 lakes & rivers
7.7 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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
September is the best month for walking in Gilberts
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 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
January is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Gilberts →
Gilberts 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilberts | 4% | 0.3 | 18 | 99%+ | A− |
| West Dundee | 14% | 2.6 | 44 | 92% | A+ |
| Elgin | 7% | 0.5 | 14 | 95% | A− |
| Rutland Township | 16% | 0.9 | 116 | 88% | A |
| Dundee Township | 21% | 1.6 | 56 | 98% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Gilberts
Where can I hike in Gilberts?
The longest trail networks: Town Square Park, 0.3 miles; Memorial Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gilberts 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 Gilberts’ trails?
Town Square Park and Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Gilberts?
7.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 7.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Gilberts?
23,207 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gilberts or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 154 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Gilberts have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #250 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 Gilberts 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 →