Forest Park
Managed by Peoria Park District
110 acres1.9 mi of trail
Wilderness TrailValley TrailBee TreeValley Loop+1
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Grand View Drive · Photo: Blututh at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Peoria Heights
24% of Peoria Heights’ land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
24% of Peoria Heights’ land is conserved, about 371 acres. 4.2 miles of mapped trail cross Peoria Heights, 1.7 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Forest Park (1.9 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #11 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
371 acres · of 2.5 sq mi of land
Trails
4.2 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
173 ac
30 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.9 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 1.7 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Peoria Heights?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Peoria Heights have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Peoria Heights is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #11 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Peoria Heights’ overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land30 acres of park per 1,000 residents (173 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 97%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)#11 of 768
Water is 13% of Peoria Heights’ area (0 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
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 Forest Park, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Forest Park South
Managed by Peoria Park District
32 acres0.2 mi of trail
Pimiteoui
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hillside Park
Managed by Peoria Park District
23 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bielfeldt Park
Managed by Peoria Park District
14 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Forest Park110 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Peoria Park District
DirectionsForest Park South32 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Peoria Park District
DirectionsBielfeldt Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Peoria Park District
DirectionsTower Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Village of Peoria Heights
DirectionsHillside Park23 acres · Peoria Park District
DirectionsPoplar Lane Park10 acres · Village of Peoria Heights
DirectionsEndres Park9 acres · Peoria Park District
DirectionsWho protects it
371 conserved acres
24% of Peoria Heights’ land. Water is left out: Peoria Heights has 2.5 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Peoria Heights’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation198 ac
Town or city156 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits108 ac
Regional agency90 ac
Private owners9 ac
State Conservation Area · 251 acConservation Easement · 198 acLocal Park · 55 acLocal Other or Unknown · 29 acLocal Recreation Area · 28 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Park South Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Town or city | 143 | Open |
| Forest Park Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 108 | Open |
| Forest Park Riverfront - Longshore Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 29 | Open |
| Rock Island Greenway Trail Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
| Hillside Park Local Park | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
| Bielfeldt Park Local Park | Regional agency | 15 | Open |
| Poplar Lane Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Endres Park Local Park | Regional agency | 9 | Open |
| Country Club of Peoria Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 9 | Open |
| Tower Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Peoria Heights
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Peoria Heights
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Peoria Heights
Duryea Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Peoria Heights
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Peoria Heights
Peoria Heights Observation TowerIn Tower Park
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Peoria Heights
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.8 mi
Pimiteoui Trail0.7 mi
Wilderness Trail0.5 mi
Valley Trail0.4 mi
Pimiteoui0.3 mi
Bee Tree0.2 mi
Valley Loop0.2 mi
Possum Path0.2 mi
Biking & sports
1.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
6Tennis
1Football
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Grand View DriveDistrict · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Peoria Heights: 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 51 | 64 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Peoria Heights →
Next door
Peoria Heights and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Peoria34 miPeoria City Township34 miRichwoods Township4.3 miPeoria Heights4.2 miSpring Bay Township3.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peoria Heights | 24% | 1.7 | 30 | 99% | A+ |
| Richwoods Township | 21% | 1.4 | 30 | 99% | A+ |
| Peoria City Township | 17% | 0.8 | 42 | 89% | A |
| Peoria | 16% | 0.7 | 37 | 88% | A |
| Spring Bay Township | 5% | 0.3 | 73 | 59% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Peoria Heights
Where can I hike in Peoria Heights?
The longest trail networks: Forest Park, 1.9 miles; Forest Park South, 0.2 miles; Bielfeldt Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Peoria Heights is conserved land?
24% 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 Peoria Heights’ trails?
Forest Park and Forest Park South don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Peoria Heights?
1.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes, 1.7 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Peoria Heights?
12,714 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Peoria Heights or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 173 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Peoria Heights have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #11 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 Peoria Heights 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 →