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Potter and Barker Grain Elevator LaFox, ILPhoto: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Blackberry Township

Blackberry Township has 1,596 acres of parks, 91 for every 1,000 residents

13% of Blackberry Township’s land is conserved, about 2,850 acres. 32 miles of mapped trail cross Blackberry Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Dick Young Forest Preserve (6 mi), Grunwald Farms Forest Preserve (1.7 mi), Elburn Forest Preserve (1.1 mi).

Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #51 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Conserved land
13%
2,850 acres · of 34.9 sq mi of land
Trails
32 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,596 ac
91 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
18 mi
18 mi paths
Highest peak
896 ft
Johnson’s Mound
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch

What kind of outdoors town is Blackberry Township?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

Room to roam91 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild13% of the land is conserved; a typical Illinois town, 4%.A trail town0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 79% of U.S. towns.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Blackberry Township have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Blackberry Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #51 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.

A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Blackberry Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (32 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land91 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,596 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home88% 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 93%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 93%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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.

1234567
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 Dick Young Forest Preserve, with 6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Dick Young Forest Preserve

Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
1,108 acres6 mi of trail
Meadowlark TrailCoyote TrailNelson Lake TrailBobolink Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Grunwald Farms Forest Preserve

Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
232 acres1.7 mi of trail
Woodland Loop TrailLake Loop TrailFishing Pond Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Elburn Forest Preserve

Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
70 acres1.1 mi of trail
North Grasslands TrailSouth Grasslands TrailSouthwoods LoopEastwood Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Blackberry Maples Forest Preserve

Managed by Forest Preserve District of Kane County
155 acres1 mi of trail
Prairie Hill LoopPrairie Cutover Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Johnson’s Mound Illinois Nature Preserve

Managed by Kane County
89 acres0.8 mi of trail
N-S Connector TrailEast Loop Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

West Main Community Park

Park
83 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

South Millcreek Community Park

Park
31 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 24 parks & preserves
Dick Young Forest Preserve1,108 acres · 6 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Directions
Grunwald Farms Forest Preserve232 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Directions
Elburn Forest Preserve70 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Directions
Blackberry Maples Forest Preserve155 acres · 1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Directions
Johnson’s Mound Illinois Nature Preserve89 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Kane County
Directions
West Main Community Park83 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Directions
South Millcreek Community Park31 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Directions
Lake Run Forest Preserve170 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Directions
Hathaway Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Geneva Park District
Bennett Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Batavia Park District
Levi Newton Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Geneva Park District
Shannon Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Geneva Park District
Mill Creek Greenway177 acres · Forest Preserve District of Kane County
Lion's Park24 acres
Directions
Tanner Trails Park20 acres
Somerset Park6 acres · Geneva Park District
Remington Landing Park4 acres · Fox Valley Park District
Praire Park4 acres
Directions
Washburn Park3 acres · Geneva Park District
Weaver Park2 acres · Geneva Park District
Grengs Woods2 acres
Directions
Veterans Memorial Park1 acres
Directions
Preston Park1 acres · Geneva Park District
Terney Park1 acres · Geneva Park District
Who protects it

2,850 conserved acres

13% of Blackberry Township’s land. Who manages Blackberry Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

Regional agency2,611 ac
Private owners213 ac
State conservation178 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits23 ac
Town or city4 ac
Unknown · 967 acLocal Other or Unknown · 957 acState Conservation Area · 579 acConservation Easement · 180 acLocal Conservation Area · 162 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 39 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Nelson Lake Marsh
State Conservation Area
Regional agency391Closed
Dick Young Forest Preserve 8
Local Other or Unknown
Regional agency309Unknown
Grunwald Farms
Unknown
Regional agency235Open
Johnson's Mound Forest Preserve 4
Local Other or Unknown
Regional agency204Unknown
Johnson's Mound Forest Preserve 3
Local Other or Unknown
Regional agency188Unknown
Mill Creek Greenway
Unknown
Regional agency173Open
Hughes Creek Golf Course
Unknown
Regional agency172Open
Johnson's Mound Forest Preserve 5
Local Other or Unknown
Regional agency169Unknown
Lake Run
Unknown
Regional agency163Open
Unnamed Property
Unknown
Regional agency152Open

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

33 places to go in Blackberry Township

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Playgrounds in Blackberry Township
Bennett Park PlaygroundIn Bennett Park
Directions
Lion's ParkIn Lion's Park
Directions
Preston Park PlaygroundIn Preston Park
Directions

Plus 23 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.

Trails & water

20 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miUnpaved · 12.8 mi
Meadowlark Trail1.9 mi
Coyote Trail1.6 mi
North Loop Trail1.3 mi
Nelson Lake Trail1.3 mi
Prairie Hill Loop0.8 mi
Woodland Loop Trail0.7 mi
Lake Loop Trail0.6 mi
North Grasslands Trail0.5 mi
North Prairie Trail0.4 mi
Bobolink Trail0.4 mi
10 more trails
South Grasslands Trail
0.4 mi
N-S Connector Trail
0.3 mi
Fishing Pond Trail
0.3 mi
Cutback Trail
0.3 mi
East Loop Trail
0.2 mi
Southwoods Loop
0.2 mi
Prairie Cutover Trail
0.2 mi
Lake Run Connector Trail
0.1 mi
West Overlook Trail
0.1 mi
Eastwood Trail
0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Nelson LakelakeBlackberry Creek
Biking & sports

18 miles of bike routes

Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.

18 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Basketball
10Baseball
9Pickleball
4Tennis
3Soccer

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

3 places on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).

History →
Stearns-Wadsworth HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About it
Potter and Barker Grain ElevatorStructure · listed 2016
About it
George M. Crego FarmDistrict · listed 2022
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Blackberry Township: April 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.410.511.813.314.515.214.913.812.411.09.79.1
High (°F)303547607181848276634835
Rain (in)1.81.72.23.84.74.53.94.03.33.32.52.0

February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Blackberry Township →

Next door

Blackberry Township and its neighbors

Blackberry Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Blackberry Township32 miCampton Township32 miGeneva Township28 miBatavia Township17 miSugar Grove Township13 miKaneville Township4.9 miNorth Aurora2.9 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Blackberry Township13%0.99188%A
Sugar Grove Township13%0.49995%A
Kaneville Township16%0.11042%B
Campton Township13%0.911479%A
Batavia Township7%0.91898%A
Geneva Township14%1.75999%+A+
North Aurora5%0.41699%A−

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Blackberry Township

Where can I hike in Blackberry Township?

The longest trail networks: Dick Young Forest Preserve, 6 miles; Grunwald Farms Forest Preserve, 1.7 miles; Elburn Forest Preserve, 1.1 miles; Blackberry Maples Forest Preserve, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Blackberry Township is conserved land?

13% 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 Blackberry Township’s trails?

OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Johnson’s Mound Illinois Nature Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in Blackberry Township?

18 miles of bike routes are on the map: 18 of off-road paths.

Is there public land near Blackberry Township?

23,347 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Blackberry Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,394 of them inside the town line.

How much outdoors does Blackberry Township have?

Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #51 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 Blackberry Township neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →