Photo: Green254 · CC BY-SA 4.0Gillespie has 10 acres of parks, 3.7 for every 1,000 residents
1% of Gillespie’s land is conserved, about 9 acres. 74% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.3 miles of mapped trail cross Gillespie, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns · #635 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
How much outdoors does Gillespie have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gillespie is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns, #635 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
9 conserved acres
1% of Gillespie’s land. Who manages Gillespie’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Big Brick Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
6 places to go in Gillespie
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.
0.0 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.
August is the best month for walking in Gillespie
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 | 85 | 80 | 67 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Gillespie →
Questions about parks and trails in Gillespie
How much of Gillespie is conserved land?
1% 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 Gillespie’s trails?
Big Brick doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Gillespie?
857 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gillespie or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 10 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Gillespie have?
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #635 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 Gillespie 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 →