Cornelius Flagg Farmstead · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainSherman has 103 acres of parks, 24 for every 1,000 residents
4.9 miles of mapped trail cross Sherman, 1.6 per square mile of land. 84% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Sherman’s land is conserved, about 60 acres.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #218 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Sherman?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Sherman have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sherman is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #218 of 768 in Illinois. Trail miles hold 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.
Carpenter Park
All 5 parks & preserves
60 conserved acres
3% of Sherman’s land. Who manages Sherman’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waldrop Park Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Private owners | 5 | Open |
| Carpenter Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
12 places to go in Sherman
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
2.0 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.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
August is the best month for walking in Sherman
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 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 52 | 65 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 52 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Sherman →
Sherman 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman | 3% | 1.6 | 24 | 84% | A− |
| Fancy Creek Township | 2% | 0.2 | 48 | 65% | B− |
| Springfield | 6% | 0.8 | 19 | 72% | B+ |
| Springfield Township | 4% | 0.2 | 16 | 82% | B |
| Capital Township | 6% | 0.8 | 19 | 73% | B+ |
| Williams Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 23 | 51% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sherman
How much of Sherman is conserved land?
3% 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 Sherman’s trails?
Village Park and Waldrop Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sherman?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Sherman?
2,328 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sherman or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 103 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sherman have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #218 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 Sherman 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 →