John T McNaughton Park
Managed by Pekin Park District
755 acres14.7 mi of trail
Horse TrailPotawatomiShared Use TrailPotawatomi Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
St. Louis, Peoria and Northern Railroad Depot · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Pekin
Pekin has 26 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
20% of Pekin’s land is conserved, about 2,000 acres. 1,204 acres are parks and preserves, 38 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: John T McNaughton Park (14.7 mi), Everett McKinley Dirksen Park (7 mi), Mineral Springs Park (0.9 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #51 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
2,000 acres · of 16.0 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,204 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.8 mi
5.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Pekin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pekin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pekin is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #51 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pekin’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,204 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home79% 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 93%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 93%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 John T McNaughton Park, with 14.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Everett McKinley Dirksen Park
Nature preserve
385 acres7 mi of trail
SpineCliff TrailRapidoChickenhawk+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Mineral Springs Park
Managed by Pekin Park District
89 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pekin Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
250 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 15 parks & preserves
John T McNaughton Park755 acres · 14.7 mi of trail · Pekin Park District
DirectionsEverett McKinley Dirksen Park385 acres · 7 mi of trail
DirectionsMineral Springs Park89 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Pekin Park District
DirectionsPekin Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area250 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Coal Miners Park51 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverfront Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKiwanis Park North8 acres
Kiwanis Park South7 acres
DirectionsRailsplitters Park3 acres
DirectionsJames Park2 acres
DirectionsRotary Park2 acres
Southside Business Association Park2 acres
DirectionsSunken Garden1 acres
DirectionsWillow Park1 acres
DirectionsBlenkiron Park1 acres · Pekin Park District
DirectionsWho protects it
2,000 conserved acres
20% of Pekin’s land. Who manages Pekin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency1,307 ac
State conservation813 ac
Town or city308 ac
Other state land243 ac
Private owners79 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits47 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government4 ac
Local Park · 1,236 acConservation Easement · 813 acLocal Recreation Area · 332 acState Recreation Area · 243 acUnknown · 177 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John T Mcnaughton Park Local Park | Regional agency | 746 | Open |
| Dirksen Park Local Park | Regional agency | 380 | Open |
| Pekin Lake State Recreation Area | Other state land | 243 | Open |
| Lick Creek Golf Course Unknown | Town or city | 168 | Open |
| Pekin Park District Golf Courses Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 124 | Open |
| Mineral Springs Park Local Park | Regional agency | 86 | Open |
| Pekin Park Youth Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 82 | Open |
| Sunset Hills Country Club Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 51 | Open |
| Shade Park Baseball Camp Local Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 47 | Open |
| Soccer Fields Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 18 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
45 places to go in Pekin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Pekin
Williamsburg Townhouses Playground
Directions36 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Pekin
Happy Tails Dog ParkIn Mineral Springs Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Pekin
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Pekin
3 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Pekin
Riverfront SquareIn Riverfront Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
20 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.0 mi
Spine2.1 mi
Cliff Trail1.3 mi
Horse Trail1.1 mi
Rapido0.6 mi
Chickenhawk0.5 mi
Scott's Extension0.5 mi
Archery Range0.5 mi
Potawatomi0.4 mi
Alt Kevlar0.4 mi
Tarpaper0.3 mi
10 more trails
Shared Use Trail
0.3 miPotawatomi Trail
0.3 miFlying W
0.3 miWhite
0.1 miKevlar
0.1 miPrairie Crossing
0.1 miConnector
0.1 miSeasonal Trail
0.1 miArchery Range Trailhead
0.1 miYellow
0.1 miBiking & sports
5.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
31Baseball
16Soccer
13Basketball
8Tennis
7Beach volleyball
3Football
3Volleyball
3Tracks
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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Pekin
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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Pekin →
Next door
Pekin and its neighbors
Pekin has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Groveland Township27 miPekin26 miPekin Township13 miElm Grove Township1.6 miNorth Pekin1.2 miMarquette Heights1.2 miCincinnati Township0.8 miHollis Township0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pekin | 20% | 1.6 | 38 | 79% | A |
| North Pekin | 2% | 0.9 | 12 | 99%+ | A− |
| Pekin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hollis Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 145 | 47% | B− |
| Marquette Heights | 7% | 1.2 | 9 | 99%+ | A |
| Elm Grove Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 48 | 32% | C |
| Cincinnati Township | 8% | under 0.1 | 161 | 13% | B− |
| Groveland Township | 7% | 0.7 | 31 | 64% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pekin
Where can I hike in Pekin?
The longest trail networks: John T McNaughton Park, 14.7 miles; Everett McKinley Dirksen Park, 7 miles; Mineral Springs Park, 0.9 miles; Pekin Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pekin is conserved land?
20% 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 Pekin’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at John T McNaughton Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pekin?
5.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Pekin?
11,606 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pekin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,208 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Pekin have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #51 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 Pekin 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 →