Rocky Glen Park
Managed by Peoria Park District
137 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
AOutdoors
Outdoors in West Peoria
12% of West Peoria’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
12% of West Peoria’s land is conserved, about 159 acres. 177 acres are parks and preserves, 42 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Rocky Glen Park (1.2 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #68 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
159 acres · of 2.1 sq mi of land
Trails
1.3 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
177 ac
42 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
1.4 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is West Peoria?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Peoria have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Peoria is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #68 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Peoria’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land42 acres of park per 1,000 residents (177 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home99% 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 92%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 91%
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
The longest trail network is Rocky Glen Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Franciscan Recreation Complex
Managed by Peoria Park District
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
159 conserved acres
12% of West Peoria’s land. Who manages West Peoria’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency146 ac
Private owners13 ac
Local Park · 136 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 13 acLocal Conservation Area · 10 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Glen Park Local Park | Regional agency | 124 | Open |
| St. Mary's Cemetery Hill Prairie Natural Heritage Landmark Private Historic or Cultural | Private owners | 13 | Closed |
| Franciscan Recreation Complex & Park Local Park | Regional agency | 11 | Open |
| Lembeck Parcel Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in West Peoria
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in West Peoria
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
2Baseball
1Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in West Peoria: 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 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in West Peoria →
Next door
West Peoria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Peoria | 12% | 0.6 | 42 | 99% | A |
| Peoria City Township | 17% | 0.8 | 42 | 89% | A |
| Peoria | 16% | 0.7 | 37 | 88% | A |
| Limestone Township | 3% | 0.1 | 49 | 51% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in West Peoria
Where can I hike in West Peoria?
The longest trail networks: Rocky Glen Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Peoria is conserved land?
12% 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 West Peoria’s trails?
Rocky Glen Park and Franciscan Recreation Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in West Peoria?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near West Peoria?
13,380 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Peoria or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 177 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does West Peoria have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #68 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 West Peoria 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 →