Hartford has 328 acres of parks, 246 for every 1,000 residents
97% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 10% of Hartford’s land is conserved, about 324 acres. 0.6 miles of mapped trail cross Hartford, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Hartford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Hartford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hartford is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold 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 Hartford Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
324 conserved acres
10% of Hartford’s land. Who manages Hartford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis & Clark State Historic Site State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 304 | Open |
| Hartford Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Woodrow Wilson Memorial Park Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
7 places to go in Hartford
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 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
3.7 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.
The walking year in Hartford
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 | 67 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hartford →
Hartford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford | 10% | 0.1 | 246 | 97% | A− |
| Roxana | 3% | 0.2 | 95 | 94% | B+ |
| Granite City | 4% | 0.1 | 17 | 90% | B− |
| Wood River | 4% | 0.1 | 16 | 92% | B |
| South Roxana | 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 95% | C |
| Madison | 46% | 0.5 | 1,465 | 99% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hartford
Where can I hike in Hartford?
The longest trail networks: Hartford Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hartford 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 Hartford’s trails?
Hartford Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hartford?
3.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes and 3.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hartford?
17,291 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hartford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 328 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hartford have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Hartford 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 →