Glacial Park Conservation Area
Nature preserve
46 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Lucein Boneparte Covell House · Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Richmond
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Richmond
4.2 miles of mapped trail cross Richmond, 1.0 per square mile of land. 87 acres are parks and preserves, 33 per 1,000 residents. 4% of Richmond’s land is conserved, about 115 acres.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
115 acres · of 4.3 sq mi of land
Trails
4.2 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
87 ac
33 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.5 mi
2.5 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Richmond?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Richmond have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Richmond is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Richmond’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land33 acres of park per 1,000 residents (87 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home98% 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 87%
LessMore
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
North Branch Conservation Area
Managed by McHenry County Conservation District
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
115 conserved acres
4% of Richmond’s land. Who manages Richmond’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency62 ac
Town or city30 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits12 ac
Private owners11 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service6 ac
Local Park · 66 acConservation Easement · 27 acState Conservation Area · 13 acPrivate Conservation · 11 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glacial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 48 | Open |
| State Line Marsh State Conservation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| North Branch of Nippersink Creek Private Conservation | Private owners | 11 | Restricted |
| Nippersink Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Bennett Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 6 | Restricted |
| Cotting Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Richmond
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Richmond
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Biking & sports
2.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
4Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Richmond: July to 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 33 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 61 | 46 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Richmond →
Questions about parks and trails in Richmond
How much of Richmond is conserved land?
4% 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 Richmond’s trails?
Glacial Park Conservation Area and Bennet Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Richmond?
2.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Richmond?
17,909 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Richmond or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 87 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Richmond have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Richmond 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 →