Best Parks in Illinois, United States
The top-ranked park in Illinois is Shawnee National Forest with a ParksRanked Score of 0 (49% data coverage). ParksRanked tracks 120 parks in Illinois, United States, ordered by our own ParksRanked Score only.
120 places · 69 ranked · ranked honestly, never by who pays.
This page ranks every park and protected place we track in Illinois, United States by our own ParksRanked Score — including 86 state/regional parks, 7 national wildlife refuges, 6 national monuments, 4 national recreation areas, 4 state forests. Places without enough data yet are shown with an Insufficient ranking data marker rather than a guessed score.
The top-ranked is Shawnee National Forest with a ParksRanked Score of 0 (49% data coverage).
- Shawnee National Forest
- Millennium Park
- Grant Park
- Lincoln Park
- Starved Rock State Park
- Edward "Ted" and Pat Jones Confluence Point State Park
- Humboldt Park
- Jackson Park
- Maggie Daley Park
- Mines of Spain State Recreation Area
- Lincoln Home National Historic Site
- Matthiessen State Park
- Wildlife Prairie Park
- Walnut Point State Park
- Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
- Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park
- Clinton Lake State Recreation Area
- Rock Cut State Park
- Hidden Springs State Forest
- Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve
- Giant City State Park
- Lowden-Miller State Forest
- Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area
- South Shore State Park
- Kankakee River State Park
- Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
- Pere Marquette State Park
- Moraine Hills State Park
- Ferne Clyffe State Park
- Fort Massac State Park
- Mississippi Palisades State Park
- White Pines Forest State Park
- Pullman National Historical Park
- Johnson Sauk Trail State Recreation Area
- Millennium Monument
- National India Hub
- Lewis and Clark (Camp River Dubois) State Historic Site
- Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site
- Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation Area
- Moraine View State Park
- Big Rock Forest Preserve
- Buffalo Rock State Park
- Volo Bog State Natural Area
- Channahon Parkway State Park
- Weldon Springs State Park
- Bell Smith Springs Scenic Area
- Apple River Canyon State Park
- Fort Defiance State Park
- Illini State Park
- Sand Ridge State Forest
- Fox Ridge State Park
- Jubilee College State Park
- Morrison-Rockwood State Park
- Wolf Creek State Park
- Beaver Dam State Park
- Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge
- Lake Murphysboro State Park
- Red Hills State Park
- Matthiessen State Park Fort
- Siloam Springs State Park
- Mill Creek County Park
- Dixon Springs State Park
- Washington County State Recreation Area
- James "Pate" Philip State Park
- Beall Woods State Park
- Spitler Woods State Natural Area
- Franklin Creek State Natural Area
- Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Randolph County State Recreation Area
- Aikman Wildlife Adventure
- Lincoln Monument Association
- Rim Rock National Recreation Trail
- Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
- Pullman National Historical Park Visitor Center
- Chicago Portage National Historic Site
- Gebhard Woods State Park
- Lodge County Park
- Eagle Creek State Park
- Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park
- Weinberg-King State Park
- Nippersink Canoe Base County Park
- Delabar State Park
- Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
- Lincoln Trail State Park
- New Philadelphia National Historic Site
- Winston Tunnel State Natural Area
- Modoc Rock Shelter National Historic Site
- Argyle Lake State Park
- Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
- Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area
- Rall Woods State Natural Area
- Spoon River State Forest
- Black Crown Marsh State Natural Area
- Sielbeck Forest State Natural Area
- Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
- Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge - Cameron Unit
- Controlled Unit
- East Open Unit
- Eldon Hazlet State Park
- Garfield Park
Showing the top 100 of 120. See all on the live map →
Common questions
How many parks does ParksRanked track in Illinois?
We track 120 places in Illinois, United States, of which 69 have enough data to be ranked.
What is the top-ranked park in Illinois?
Shawnee National Forest leads with a ParksRanked Score of 0 (49% data coverage).
Are these rankings influenced by advertising?
No. Rankings reflect our own ParksRanked Score only. Every place is shown, sparse-data places are clearly marked, and no advertising or partnership ever influences the order.