Bob Mays Park
Park
72 acres2 mi of trail
Cedar Creek TrailBob Mays Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Quincy
Quincy has 13 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
9% of Quincy’s land is conserved, about 961 acres. The biggest trail networks: Bob Mays Park (2 mi), Moorman Park (1.4 mi), Bill Klingner Trail (1 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #130 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
961 acres · of 15.9 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
953 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.7 mi
0.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Quincy?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Quincy have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Quincy is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #130 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Quincy’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (953 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home89% 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 86%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 83%
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 Bob Mays Park, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bill Klingner Trail
Park
23 acres1 mi of trail
Cedar Creek Trail - 24th Street ExtensionBill Klingner TrailBill Klingner Trail Extension
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Parker Heights Park
Park
51 acres0.9 mi of trail
Bill Klingner Trail Extension
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
South Park
Park
92 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Clat Adams Bicentennial Park
Park
5 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 30 parks & preserves
Bob Mays Park72 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsMoorman Park74 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBill Klingner Trail23 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsParker Heights Park51 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Park92 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Wavering Park54 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsReservoir Park15 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsClat Adams Bicentennial Park5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Berrian Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Indian Mounds Park45 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsKesler Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLorenzo Bull Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWashington Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPaul Dennis Soccer Complex43 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsQuinsippi Island Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMadison Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Lynn Deer Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJohnson Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsEdgewater Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverview Park26 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAll America City Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLincoln Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWestview Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Gardner Park46 acres
Bob Bangert Park29 acres
Sunset Park23 acres
DirectionsQuincy Memorial Park19 acres
DirectionsVilla Kathrine Park4 acres
DirectionsLenane Park3 acres
DirectionsLeon Bailey Memorial Park1 acres
Who protects it
961 conserved acres
9% of Quincy’s land. Who manages Quincy’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency566 ac
Town or city360 ac
Army Corps of Engineers47 ac
Other state land24 ac
Local Park · 612 acUnknown · 315 acRecreation Management Area · 47 acState Park · 24 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westview Golf Course Unknown | Town or city | 165 | Open |
| Quinsippi Island Unknown | Town or city | 149 | Open |
| Gardner Park Local Park | Regional agency | 103 | Open |
| South Park Local Park | Regional agency | 94 | Open |
| Progress Park Local Park | Regional agency | 80 | Open |
| Bob Mays Park Local Park | Regional agency | 61 | Open |
| Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 47 | Open |
| Wavering Park Local Park | Regional agency | 47 | Open |
| Indian Mounds Park Local Park | Regional agency | 45 | Open |
| Boots Bush Park Local Park | Regional agency | 45 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Quincy
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Quincy
Bob Mays PlaygroundIn Bob Mays Park
DirectionsKiwanis Centennial PlaygroundIn Lincoln Park
DirectionsMadison Park PlaygroundIn Madison Park
DirectionsMoorman PlaygroundIn Moorman Park
DirectionsWavering PlaygroundIn Wavering Park
DirectionsPlus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Quincy
Driftwood Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.3 mi
Cedar Creek Trail0.8 mi
Bob Mays Trail0.7 mi
Cedar Creek Trail - 24th Street Extension0.6 mi
Bill Klingner Trail0.3 mi
Spring Valley Trail0.2 mi
Bill Klingner Trail Extension0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
26Tennis
22Baseball
16Pickleball
14Soccer
6Football
5Basketball
4Volleyball
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →19 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
John Wood MansionBuilding · listed 1970
About itMorgan-Wells HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itU.S. Post Office and CourthouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itVilla de KathrineBuilding · listed 1978
About itWilliam S. Warfield HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itState Savings Loan and TrustBuilding · listed 1979
About itRobert W. Gardner HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itRichard F. Newcomb HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itErnest M. Wood Office and StudioBuilding · listed 1982
About itDowntown Quincy Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itOne Thirty North Eighth BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itQuincy East End Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About it7 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Quincy
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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 66 | 52 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
January is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Quincy →
Next door
Quincy and its neighbors
Quincy has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Quincy13 miQuincy Township13 miMelrose Township2.3 miRiverside Township2.0 miEllington Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quincy | 9% | 0.8 | 24 | 89% | A |
| Quincy Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Melrose Township | 3% | 0.1 | 13 | 5% | C− |
| Riverside Township | 28% | 0.1 | 6 | 36% | C+ |
| Ellington Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 6% | D− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Quincy
Where can I hike in Quincy?
The longest trail networks: Bob Mays Park, 2 miles; Moorman Park, 1.4 miles; Bill Klingner Trail, 1 miles; Parker Heights Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Quincy is conserved land?
9% 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 Quincy’s trails?
Bob Mays Park and Moorman Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Quincy?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Quincy?
14,049 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Quincy or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,100 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Quincy have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #130 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 Quincy 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 →