Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0Pontiac has 108 acres of parks, 9.6 for every 1,000 residents
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.4 miles of mapped trail cross Pontiac, 0.2 per square mile of land. 2% of Pontiac’s land is conserved, about 100 acres.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #514 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Pontiac?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Pontiac have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pontiac is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #514 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chautauqua Park
Play Park
Humiston Riverside Park
All 9 parks & preserves
100 conserved acres
2% of Pontiac’s land. Who manages Pontiac’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rec Plex Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Chautauqua Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Play Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Humiston-Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Westview Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Humiston Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Fell Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Dargan Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Pontiac Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
9 places to go in Pontiac
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
1 lakes & rivers
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
4 places 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.
The best walking months in Pontiac: 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 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 37 | 49 | 63 | 74 | 83 | 85 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Pontiac →
Questions about parks and trails in Pontiac
Where can I hike in Pontiac?
The longest trail networks: Humiston Riverside Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pontiac 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 Pontiac’s trails?
Pontiac Rec-Plex and Chautauqua Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pontiac?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Pontiac?
776 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pontiac or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 108 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Pontiac have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #514 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 Pontiac neighbors.
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 →