Hegeler Park
Park
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Imdanielduncan · CC BY 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in LaSalle
LaSalle has 37 acres of parks, 3.9 for every 1,000 residents
90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of LaSalle’s land is conserved, about 93 acres. 3.9 miles of mapped trail cross LaSalle, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns · #579 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
93 acres · of 13.5 sq mi of land
Trails
3.9 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
37 ac
3.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.0 mi
2.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is LaSalle?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does LaSalle have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, LaSalle is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #579 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of LaSalle’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land3.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (37 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13CParks close to home90% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 41%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 25%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mattheissen Park
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pulaski Park
Park
3 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Saint Marys Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Pulaski Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hegeler Park14 acres
Mattheissen Park4 acres
Saint Marys Park2 acres
Baker Park1 acres
Mary Hegeler Carus Park1 acres
Who protects it
93 conserved acres
1% of LaSalle’s land. Who manages LaSalle’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources59 ac
State conservation36 ac
Town or city33 ac
State Conservation Area · 38 acConservation Easement · 36 acLocal Park · 28 acUnknown · 21 acLocal Recreation Area · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail Unknown | State natural resources | 21 | Open |
| Mitchell's Grove State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 20 | Open |
| Pecumsaugan Creek/ Blackball Mines State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 18 | Open |
| Hegeler Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Mary Hegeler Carus Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Mattheissen Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Pulaski Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| St Marys Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| 9Th St Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Baker Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in LaSalle
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in LaSalle
Sadie's Indoor Playground
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
19Tennis
6Pickleball
5Baseball
3Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in LaSalle: April, August and September
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 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 36 | 48 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 1.9 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in LaSalle →
Next door
LaSalle and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Peru Township4.9 miLaSalle Township4.1 miLaSalle3.9 miDimmick Township3.6 miPeru2.6 miUtica Township1.7 miNorth Utica0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaSalle | 1% | 0.3 | 4 | 90% | C+ |
| Peru | 2% | 0.2 | 16 | 95% | B |
| North Utica | 1% | under 0.1 | 13 | 50% | C− |
| Peru Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| LaSalle Township | 1% | 0.2 | 7 | 91% | B− |
| Dimmick Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Utica Township | 2% | 0.1 | 59 | 46% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in LaSalle
Where can I hike in LaSalle?
The longest trail networks: Pulaski Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of LaSalle 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 LaSalle’s trails?
Hegeler Park and Mattheissen Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in LaSalle?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near LaSalle?
6,615 acres of parks and open public land lie inside LaSalle or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 59 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does LaSalle have?
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #579 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 LaSalle 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 →