Photo: Paul Sableman from St. Louis, MO · CC BY 2.0Salem has 107 acres of parks, 15 for every 1,000 residents
79% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Salem’s land is conserved, about 86 acres. 1.6 miles of mapped trail cross Salem, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns · #497 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Salem?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Salem have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Salem is ahead of 50% of U.S. towns, #497 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls 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.
Tully Park
Salem Reservoir Park
86 conserved acres
2% of Salem’s land. Who manages Salem’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 63 | Open |
| Tully Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Kells Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Mueller Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
3 places to go in Salem
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
0.0 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.
August is the best month for walking in Salem
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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 44 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 80 | 68 | 54 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.4 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 Salem →
Questions about parks and trails in Salem
How much of Salem 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 Salem’s trails?
Bryan Memorial Park and Tully Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Salem?
910 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Salem or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 107 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Salem have?
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #497 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 Salem 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 →