Small Memorial Park
Managed by Kankakee Valley Park District
26 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: MrHarman at English Wikipedia · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Kankakee
Kankakee has 687 acres of parks, 29 for every 1,000 residents
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Small Memorial Park (1.2 mi), Bird Park (0.6 mi), River Road Park (0.5 mi). 5% of Kankakee’s land is conserved, about 500 acres.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #247 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
500 acres · of 15.1 sq mi of land
Trails
5.2 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
687 ac
29 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.9 mi
0.8 mi lanes
What kind of outdoors town is Kankakee?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kankakee have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kankakee is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #247 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.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Kankakee’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land29 acres of park per 1,000 residents (687 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A−
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 Small Memorial Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bird Park
Managed by Kankakee Valley Park District
31 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
River Road Park
Managed by Kankakee Valley Park District
251 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
LaVasseur Park
Managed by Kankakee Valley Park District
15 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Alpiner Park
Managed by Kankakee Valley Park District
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park
Managed by Kankakee Valley Park District
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Marycrest Park
Managed by Kankakee Valley Park District
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 25 parks & preserves
Small Memorial Park26 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Kankakee Valley Park District
DirectionsBird Park31 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Kankakee Valley Park District
DirectionsRiver Road Park251 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Kankakee Valley Park District
DirectionsLaVasseur Park15 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Kankakee Valley Park District
Alpiner Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Kankakee Valley Park District
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Kankakee Valley Park District
Marycrest Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Kankakee Valley Park District
Gar Creek Trail and Prairie Restoration73 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve District
Splash Valley Aquatic Park116 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
DirectionsGar Creek at River Road40 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Beckman Park15 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Old Fair Park14 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Pioneer Park11 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
DirectionsCobb Park10 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Legion Park9 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Riverside Community Sports Park7 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
McBroom Park6 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Schuyler Park5 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Washington Park4 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Pierson Park4 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
DirectionsJeffers Park3 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Pine Park3 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Kensington Park2 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Helgeson Park1 acres · Village of Bradley
Snow Memorial Park1 acres · Kankakee Valley Park District
Who protects it
500 conserved acres
5% of Kankakee’s land. Who manages Kankakee’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency450 ac
Town or city45 ac
Private owners3 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Local Recreation Area · 232 acLocal Park · 144 acLocal Conservation Area · 78 acUnknown · 40 acPrivate Conservation · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Splash Valley Aquatic Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 112 | Open |
| Biver Road Ball Fields Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 94 | Open |
| Gar Creek Trail and Prairie Restoration Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 78 | Open |
| Gar Creek at River Road Unknown | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Bird Park Local Park | Regional agency | 32 | Open |
| Small Memorial Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
| Lavasseur Park Local Park | Regional agency | 16 | Open |
| Beckman Park Local Park | Regional agency | 15 | Open |
| Old Fair Park Local Park | Regional agency | 15 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Kankakee
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Kankakee
22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Kankakee
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Kankakee
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
22Baseball
17Tennis
13Basketball
3Football
3Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Warren Hickox HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itMilk, Lemuel, Carriage HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itCharles E. Swannell HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itRiverview Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itKankakee State Hospital Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1995
About itIllinois Central Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 2000
About itKankakee County CourthouseBuilding · listed 2007
About itHunter-Hattenburg HouseBuilding · listed 2008
About itB. Harley Bradley House and StableBuilding · listed 2009
About itPope Brace Company BuildingBuilding · listed 2021
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Kankakee
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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 37 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Kankakee →
Next door
Kankakee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kankakee | 5% | 0.3 | 29 | 94% | A− |
| Bradley | 4% | 0.2 | 14 | 96% | B |
| Kankakee Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Aroma Township | 1% | 0.2 | 37 | 54% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kankakee
Where can I hike in Kankakee?
The longest trail networks: Small Memorial Park, 1.2 miles; Bird Park, 0.6 miles; River Road Park, 0.5 miles; LaVasseur Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kankakee is conserved land?
5% 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 Kankakee’s trails?
Small Memorial Park and Bird Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kankakee?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Kankakee?
5,829 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kankakee or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 693 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Kankakee have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #247 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 Kankakee 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 →