Spring Lake Park
Park
912 acres11.5 mi of trail
Fox TrailRat TrailDeer TrailFox A Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lamoine Hotel · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Macomb
Macomb has 15 miles of mapped trails, 1.4 for every square mile of land
1,295 acres are parks and preserves, 87 per 1,000 residents. 92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Spring Lake Park (11.5 mi), Veterans Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #70 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
384 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,295 ac
87 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.6 mi
0.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Macomb?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Macomb have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Macomb is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #70 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Macomb’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land87 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,295 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home92% 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 91%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 91%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Spring Lake Park, with 11.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 23 parks & preserves
Spring Lake Park912 acres · 11.5 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Park79 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsChandler Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLakeview Nature Area73 acres
DirectionsEverly Park44 acres
DirectionsPatton Park28 acres
DirectionsGumbart Woods23 acres
DirectionsGlenwood Park21 acres
DirectionsVince Grady Field18 acres
DirectionsCampus Mall13 acres
DirectionsDowning Park;Downing Ball Park8 acres
DirectionsSouth Campus Commons7 acres
DirectionsSipolt Memorial Disc Golf Course7 acres
DirectionsCompton Park6 acres
Wetzel Hall Park5 acres
DirectionsSherman Commons5 acres
DirectionsLake Ruth Nature Area3 acres
DirectionsW. M. Walter Natural Area2 acres
DirectionsWigwam Hollow1 acres
Macomb Skate Park1 acres
Mavis Park1 acres
RPTA Honor Grove1 acres
DirectionsThorpe Park1 acres
Who protects it
384 conserved acres
5% of Macomb’s land. Who manages Macomb’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency191 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits98 ac
Town or city95 ac
Local Recreation Area · 159 acLocal Park · 109 acConservation Easement · 97 acUnknown · 19 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 97 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 81 | Open |
| Veterans Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 77 | Open |
| Glenwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Patton Park Local Park | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
| Gumbart Woods Unknown | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Downing Park Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| Compton Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Derry Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Chandler Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Wigwam Hollow Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Macomb
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Macomb
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Macomb
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Macomb
Camp Chic-a-GamaIn Spring Lake Park
DirectionsPrimitive North CampgroundIn Spring Lake Park · Spring Lake Park
DirectionsPrimitive South CampgroundIn Spring Lake Park · Spring Lake Park
DirectionsPrimitive Trail Site 1In Spring Lake Park · Spring Lake Park
DirectionsPrimitive Trail Site 2In Spring Lake Park · Spring Lake Park
DirectionsPrimitive Trail Site 3In Spring Lake Park · Spring Lake Park
DirectionsSpring Lake Park CampgroundIn Spring Lake Park
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.5 mi
Fox Trail2.9 mi
Rat Trail2.6 mi
Deer Trail2.1 mi
Fox A Loop1.2 mi
Baby Rat Trail0.8 mi
Eagle Trail0.5 mi
West Extension0.2 mi
Bunny Trail0.1 mi
The Boot Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
23Tennis
18Baseball
15Soccer
2Football
2Volleyball
2Pickleball
1Basketball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
McDonough County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itWestern Illinois State Normal School BuildingBuilding · listed 1998
About itLamoine HotelBuilding · listed 2010
About itWilliam S. Bailey HouseBuilding · listed 2012
About itMacomb Courthouse Square historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2013
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Macomb
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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Macomb →
Next door
Macomb and its neighbors
Macomb has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Macomb15 miMacomb City Township15 miEmmet Township4.2 miChalmers Township2.5 miMacomb Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macomb | 5% | 1.4 | 87 | 92% | A |
| Macomb City Township | 5% | 1.4 | 87 | 92% | A |
| Emmet Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Macomb Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Chalmers 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 Macomb
Where can I hike in Macomb?
The longest trail networks: Spring Lake Park, 11.5 miles; Veterans Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Macomb 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 Macomb’s trails?
Spring Lake Park and Veterans Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Macomb?
0.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Macomb?
3,288 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Macomb or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,298 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Macomb have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #70 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 Macomb 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 →