Meadow Valley Park
Managed by Washington Park District
87 acres2.9 mi of trail
BD
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Meadow Valley Park West Access
Photo: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Washington
Washington has 200 acres of parks, 13 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Meadow Valley Park (2.9 mi), Weaver Park (0.5 mi). 82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3.8 miles of mapped trail cross Washington, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #388 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
197 acres · of 8.6 sq mi of land
Trails
3.8 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
200 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
13 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Washington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Washington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Washington is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #388 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Washington’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (200 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home82% 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 62%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 50%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be B. 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 Meadow Valley Park, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Weaver Park
Managed by Washington Park District
7 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Washington Park
Managed by Washington Park District
58 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Westgate Park
Managed by Washington Park District
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 11 parks & preserves
Meadow Valley Park87 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Washington Park District
DirectionsWeaver Park7 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Washington Park District
Washington Park58 acres · Washington Park District
DirectionsWestgate Park5 acres · Washington Park District
DirectionsHarry LaHood Park5 acres · Washington Park District
Candlewood Park5 acres · Washington Park District
DirectionsSweitzer Park3 acres
DirectionsGrant Park2 acres · Washington Park District
Railroad Park2 acres · Washington Park District
DirectionsBirchwood Park2 acres · Washington Park District
Recreation Facility Park1 acres · Washington Park District
DirectionsWho protects it
197 conserved acres
4% of Washington’s land. Who manages Washington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency104 ac
Town or city93 ac
Local Park · 191 acUnknown · 6 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Valley Park Local Park | Regional agency | 86 | Open |
| Washington Park Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Washington City Hall Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Glendale Memorial Gardens Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Future Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Weaver Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Harry Lahood Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Washington Recreational Trail Unknown | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Westgate Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| Sweitzer Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in Washington
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Washington
14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Washington
Washington "Bark" DistrictIn Meadow Valley Park
DirectionsScenic views in Washington
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Disc golf in Washington
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.9 miUnpaved · 3.6 mi
B0.5 mi
D0.3 mi
Path to Baker Cemetery0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
13 mi
off-road bike paths
1.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
13Baseball
11Tennis
4Basketball
4Pickleball
3Soccer
1Football
1Beach volleyball
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
The best walking months in Washington: August and 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Washington →
Next door
Washington and its neighbors
Washington has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 4% | 0.4 | 13 | 82% | B |
| East Peoria | 7% | 0.3 | 40 | 76% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Washington
Where can I hike in Washington?
The longest trail networks: Meadow Valley Park, 2.9 miles; Weaver Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Washington 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 Washington’s trails?
Meadow Valley Park and Weaver Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Washington?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 13 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Washington?
8,956 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Washington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 205 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Washington have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #388 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 Washington 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 →