Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0Wood River has 169 acres of parks, 16 for every 1,000 residents
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.7 miles of mapped trail cross Wood River, 0.1 per square mile of land. 4% of Wood River’s land is conserved, about 161 acres.
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns · #449 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Wood River?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Wood River have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wood River is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns, #449 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull 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
The longest trail network is Sixth Street Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Wood River Central Park
Camp DuBois
All 7 parks & preserves
161 conserved acres
4% of Wood River’s land. Who manages Wood River’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Camp Du Bois Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Wood River Soccer & Skate Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Sixth Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| East End Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Benbow Soccer Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| West End Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Brushey Grove Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Dwiggins Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
4 places to go in Wood River
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
5 lakes & rivers
1.6 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.
The walking year in Wood River
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 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 45 | 55 | 67 | 76 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Wood River →
Wood River 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood River | 4% | 0.1 | 16 | 92% | B |
| Rosewood Heights | 2% | under 0.1 | 6 | 53% | C− |
| East Alton | 2% | 0.2 | 10 | 82% | C+ |
| Roxana | 3% | 0.2 | 95 | 94% | B+ |
| Bethalto | 3% | 0.4 | 19 | 91% | B+ |
| Hartford | 10% | 0.1 | 246 | 97% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wood River
Where can I hike in Wood River?
The longest trail networks: Sixth Street Park, 0.4 miles; Wood River Central Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wood River 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 Wood River’s trails?
Sixth Street Park and Wood River Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wood River?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Wood River?
10,660 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wood River or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 169 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Wood River have?
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #449 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 Wood River 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 →