Coady Park
Managed by Paxton Park District
10 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Dual Freq · CC BY 2.5BOutdoors
Outdoors in Paxton
99% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Paxton
2% of Paxton’s land is conserved, about 43 acres. 1.0 miles of mapped trail cross Paxton, 0.3 per square mile of land. 44 acres are parks and preserves, 11 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #397 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
43 acres · of 3.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.0 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
44 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Paxton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Paxton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Paxton is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #397 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Paxton’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (44 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home99% 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 61%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 48%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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
The longest trail network is Coady Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pells Park
Park
8 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
43 conserved acres
2% of Paxton’s land. Who manages Paxton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city43 ac
Local Park · 43 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool Side Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| James E Bixby Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Pells Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Paxton Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Howard Thomas Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Fulton Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Belson Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Paxton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Paxton
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Paxton
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Paxton
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
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
9Tracks
5Basketball
4Baseball
3Soccer
2Pickleball
2Tennis
2Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The walking year in Paxton
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 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Paxton →
Questions about parks and trails in Paxton
Where can I hike in Paxton?
The longest trail networks: Coady Park, 0.2 miles; Pells Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Paxton is conserved land?
2% 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 Paxton’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Coady Park (on leash) and Westlawn Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Paxton?
2,511 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Paxton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 44 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Paxton have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #397 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 Paxton 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 →