Baker Park
Park
65 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Peru
Peru has 152 acres of parks, 16 for every 1,000 residents
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Baker Park (1.2 mi). 2% of Peru’s land is conserved, about 146 acres.
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns · #411 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
146 acres · of 10.4 sq mi of land
Trails
2.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
152 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.6 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Peru?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Peru have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Peru is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns, #411 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 Peru’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (152 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home95% 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 60%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 47%
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 Baker Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
28th Street Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Baker Park65 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Washington Park12 acres
DirectionsCentennial Park11 acres
Directions28th Street Park2 acres
Sunset Park2 acres
Baker Memorial Park1 acres
Who protects it
146 conserved acres
2% of Peru’s land. Who manages Peru’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city145 ac
Local Park · 107 acLocal Recreation Area · 38 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Park Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Veteran'S Memorial Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Washington Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Centennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Mckinley Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| 28Th Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| American Nickeloid Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Market Square Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Peru
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Peru
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Peru
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Biking & sports
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
4Tennis
2Basketball
1Pickleball
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).
Westclox Manufacturing Plant Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Peru: April, 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 36 | 48 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Peru →
Next door
Peru 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peru | 2% | 0.2 | 16 | 95% | B |
| LaSalle | 1% | 0.3 | 4 | 90% | C+ |
| Peru Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| LaSalle Township | 1% | 0.2 | 7 | 91% | B− |
| Dimmick 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 Peru
Where can I hike in Peru?
The longest trail networks: Baker Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Peru 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 Peru’s trails?
Baker Park and Washington Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Peru?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Peru?
8,670 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Peru or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 152 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Peru have?
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #411 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 Peru 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 →