Photo: Catching12 · CC BY 3.0Granite City has 449 acres of parks, 17 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Wilson Park (0.5 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross Granite City, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns · #466 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Granite City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Granite City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Granite City is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns, #466 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Water is 8% of Granite City’s area (2 of 21 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Wilson Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Horseshoe Lake State Park
Loman Park
All 13 parks & preserves
479 conserved acres
4% of Granite City’s land. Water is left out: Granite City has 19.0 square miles of land and 1.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Granite City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy Golf Course Unknown | Town or city | 137 | Open |
| Wilson Park Local Park | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Horshoe Lake State Park State Park | State natural resources | 62 | Open |
| Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 48 | Open |
| Swic-Granite City Campus Athletic Fields Local Park | County | 33 | Open |
| Il Historic Preservation Agency Ppty Local Conservation Area | County | 31 | Open |
| Steel Fields Local Park | Private owners | 29 | Open |
| Worthen Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Loman Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Rode Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
12 places to go in Granite City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
4 lakes & rivers
11 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 map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The walking year in Granite City
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 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 45 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 89 | 88 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Granite City →
Granite City 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granite City | 4% | 0.1 | 17 | 90% | B− |
| Granite City Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Madison | 46% | 0.5 | 1,465 | 99% | A+ |
| Nameoki Township | 34% | 0.4 | 373 | 73% | A |
| Pontoon Beach | 30% | 0.6 | 306 | 78% | A |
| Venice Township | 32% | 0.1 | 461 | 95% | A |
| Hartford | 10% | 0.1 | 246 | 97% | A− |
| Chouteau Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 120 | 66% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Granite City
Where can I hike in Granite City?
The longest trail networks: Wilson Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Granite City 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 Granite City’s trails?
Wilson Park and Horseshoe Lake State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Granite City?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Granite City?
23,797 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Granite City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 450 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Granite City have?
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #466 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 Granite City 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 →