Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Berkeley
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 15 acres are parks and preserves, 2.8 per 1,000 residents. 1% of Berkeley’s land is conserved, about 11 acres.
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns · #635 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Berkeley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Berkeley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Berkeley is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns, #635 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
11 conserved acres
1% of Berkeley’s land. Who manages Berkeley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley Park Local Park | Regional agency | 9 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Lind Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
3 places to go in Berkeley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
0.5 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 best walking months in Berkeley: April, July 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 59 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Berkeley →
Berkeley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 99%+ | C |
| Hillside | 2% | 0.4 | 5 | 99%+ | B |
| Bellwood | 2% | 0.2 | 2 | 99%+ | B− |
| Northlake | 3% | 0.6 | 6 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Melrose Park | 2% | 0.1 | 2 | 99%+ | C+ |
| Proviso Township | 3% | 0.8 | 2 | 99%+ | B |
| York Township | 6% | 1.0 | 11 | 94% | A− |
| Elmhurst | 6% | 0.7 | 9 | 99% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Berkeley
How much of Berkeley is conserved land?
1% 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 Berkeley’s trails?
Berkeley Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Berkeley?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Berkeley?
11,049 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Berkeley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 15 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Berkeley have?
Ahead of 32% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #635 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 Berkeley 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 →