Forest Park
Park
175 acres3.6 mi of trail
General Dacey Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Shelbyville
Shelbyville has 6.9 miles of mapped trails, 1.7 for every square mile of land
380 acres are parks and preserves, 87 per 1,000 residents. 13% of Shelbyville’s land is conserved, about 345 acres. The biggest trail networks: Forest Park (3.6 mi), Shelbyville Dam West Access Area (1.4 mi), Shelbyville Dam East Access Area (1.2 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #41 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
345 acres · of 4.2 sq mi of land
Trails
6.9 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
380 ac
87 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Shelbyville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 90% of U.S. towns.Room to roam87 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild13% of the land is conserved; a typical Illinois town, 4%.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shelbyville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shelbyville is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #41 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Shelbyville’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land87 acres of park per 1,000 residents (380 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home79% 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 93%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 95%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Forest Park, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shelbyville Dam West Access Area
Park
98 acres1.4 mi of trail
General Dacey Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Shelbyville Dam East Access Area
Park
70 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
345 conserved acres
13% of Shelbyville’s land. Who manages Shelbyville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Federal Land296 ac
Town or city48 ac
National Public Lands · 296 acLocal Park · 47 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Park National Public Lands | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 103 | Open |
| Shelbyville Lake Park National Public Lands | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 98 | Open |
| Shelbyville Dam West Access Area National Public Lands | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 95 | Open |
| Shelbyville Sunken Garden Aquatic Center Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Ball Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Shelbyville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Shelbyville
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Shelbyville
Shelbyville Aquatic CenterIn Forest Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Shelbyville
6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Shelbyville
Lake ShelbyvilleIn Shelbyville Dam West Access Area
DirectionsLake ShelbyvilleIn Shelbyville Dam West Access Area
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Shelbyville
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Shelbyville
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.9 mi
General Dacey Trail2.9 mi
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Baseball
5Tennis
2Football
2Beach volleyball
1Skate park
1Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Shelbyville
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 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 41 | 52 | 65 | 75 | 84 | 87 | 85 | 80 | 67 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Shelbyville →
Next door
Shelbyville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelbyville | 13% | 1.7 | 87 | 79% | A |
| Shelbyville Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Okaw 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 Shelbyville
Where can I hike in Shelbyville?
The longest trail networks: Forest Park, 3.6 miles; Shelbyville Dam West Access Area, 1.4 miles; Shelbyville Dam East Access Area, 1.2 miles; Spillway Access Area, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shelbyville is conserved land?
13% 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 Shelbyville’s trails?
Forest Park and Shelbyville Dam West Access Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Shelbyville?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Shelbyville?
3,472 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shelbyville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 388 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Shelbyville have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #41 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 Shelbyville 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 →