Madison Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Brown Shoe Company Factory · Photo: Adt1982 · CC BY-SA 3.0COutdoors
Outdoors in Litchfield
Litchfield has 43 acres of parks, 6.2 for every 1,000 residents
77% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.1 miles of mapped trail cross Litchfield, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns · #644 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
38 acres · of 9.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.1 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
43 ac
6.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Litchfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Litchfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Litchfield is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns, #644 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Litchfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4CPark land6.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (43 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13CParks close to home77% 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 30%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 16%
Water is 18% of Litchfield’s area (2 of 11 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read under 1%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. 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.
Who protects it
38 conserved acres
1% of Litchfield’s land. Water is left out: Litchfield has 9.0 square miles of land and 2.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Litchfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency24 ac
Town or city14 ac
Local Park · 35 acLocal Recreation Area · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walton Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Davis Park Local Park | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
| Echlin Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Plummer Memorial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
| Schalk Baseball Fields Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
| Madison Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| Litchfield Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Litchfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Litchfield
Milnot Beach
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Litchfield
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Public pools in Litchfield
Litchfield Memorial Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Litchfield
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Litchfield
Scenic views in Litchfield
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Litchfield
Lowry Horse Camp
DirectionsRainmaker Campground
DirectionsPlus 3 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
7Soccer
7Baseball
2Tennis
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Samuel Moody Grubbs HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itLitchfield Elks Lodge No. 654Building · listed 1995
About itLitchfield Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1999
About itAriston CafeBuilding · listed 2006
About itBrown Shoe Company FactoryBuilding · listed 2006
About itBelvidere Cafe, Motel and Gas StationBuilding · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Litchfield
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 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 53 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Litchfield →
Next door
Litchfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litchfield | 1% | 0.1 | 6 | 77% | C |
| North Litchfield Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 1 | 56% | D |
| Butler Grove Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Litchfield
How much of Litchfield 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 Litchfield’s trails?
Madison Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Litchfield?
620 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Litchfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 43 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Litchfield have?
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #644 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 Litchfield 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 →