Regional Park At Bristol Bay
Park
50 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Montgomery Mom · CC BY 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Bristol Township
97% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Bristol Township
The biggest trail networks: Regional Park At Bristol Bay (0.8 mi). 2% of Bristol Township’s land is conserved, about 395 acres. 460 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #376 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
395 acres · of 28.4 sq mi of land
Trails
9.7 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
460 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
40 mi
40 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Bristol Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bristol Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bristol Township is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #376 of 768 in Illinois. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bristol Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (460 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home97% 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 63%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 51%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. 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 Regional Park At Bristol Bay, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Blackberry Creek Forest Preserve
Managed by Kendall County Forest Preserve District
176 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 31 parks & preserves
Regional Park At Bristol Bay50 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBlackberry Creek Forest Preserve176 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Kendall County Forest Preserve District
DirectionsSteven G. Bridge Park56 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsClark Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · United City of Yorkville
DirectionsBeecher Community Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Yorkville
DirectionsBlackberry Crossing Park19 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBlackberry Trail Park18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGrande Reserve Park B9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Yorkville
Huntington Chase Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Mundsinger Woods6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Oswegoland Park District
DirectionsCannonball Ridge Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Yorkville
Balmorea Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTown Square2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Yorkville
DirectionsLakewood Creek Park25 acres
DirectionsBristol Station Park14 acres · City of Yorkville
Stepping Stones Park13 acres
DirectionsFox Hill West Park13 acres · City of Yorkville
Tuscany Trail Park13 acres · Oswegoland Park District
Rotary Park12 acres
DirectionsCannonball Sedgemeadow Forest Preserve10 acres · Kendall County Forest Preserve District
Wheaton Woods Park8 acres · City of Yorkville
DirectionsRiemenschneider Park7 acres · City of Yorkville
Green's Filling Station Park6 acres · City of Yorkville
DirectionsJaycee Pond6 acres · City of Yorkville
Junior Women's Club Park at Heartland Circle5 acres · Yorkville Parks & Recreation
Grande Reserve Park A5 acres · City of Yorkville
Fox Hill East Park4 acres · City of Yorkville
DirectionsSchessler's Fen Forest Preserve3 acres · Kendall County Forest Preserve District
Hiding Spot Park2 acres · Yorkville Parks & Recreation
DirectionsBristol Bay Park A2 acres
DirectionsAutumn Creek North1 acres · City of Yorkville
Who protects it
395 conserved acres
2% of Bristol Township’s land. Who manages Bristol Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city264 ac
Regional agency81 ac
State natural resources46 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits6 ac
Local Park · 308 acUnknown · 43 acState Conservation Area · 43 acConservation Easement · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Bay Park D Local Park | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Steven G. Bridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Glen D. Palmers State Game Farm State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 43 | Open |
| Blackberry Creek Greenway South Unknown | Regional agency | 24 | Open |
| Beecher Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Fox Hill West Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Blackberry Trail Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Lakewood Creek Park Local Park | Regional agency | 14 | Open |
| Bristol Station Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Tuscany Trail Park Local Park | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
61 places to go in Bristol Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Bristol Township
Playgrounds in Bristol Township
Hiding Spot PlaygroundIn Hiding Spot Park
DirectionsJunior Women's Club PlaygroundIn Junior Women's Club Park at Heartland Circle
DirectionsKangaroo Falls
DirectionsLakewood Creek Playset
Directions55 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Bristol Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Bristol Township
Blackberry Creek Camp & Conference Center
DirectionsPNA Youth CampHours: Mon–Fri 8 am – 6 pm; Sat–Sun 9 am – 6 pm
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
40 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
40 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
36Basketball
36Baseball
20Soccer
9Football
8Tennis
4Beach volleyball
3Skate park
3Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bristol 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
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 Bristol Township →
Next door
Bristol Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Little Rock Township29 miOswego Township23 miKendall Township13 miBristol Township9.7 miYorkville6.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Township | 2% | 0.3 | 14 | 97% | B |
| Oswego Township | 5% | 0.6 | 22 | 95% | A− |
| Kendall Township | 2% | 0.3 | 62 | 83% | B+ |
| Little Rock Township | 3% | 0.8 | 53 | 91% | A− |
| Yorkville | 3% | 0.3 | 19 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bristol Township
Where can I hike in Bristol Township?
The longest trail networks: Regional Park At Bristol Bay, 0.8 miles; Blackberry Creek Forest Preserve, 0.2 miles; Steven G. Bridge Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bristol Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Bristol Township’s trails?
Regional Park At Bristol Bay and Blackberry Creek Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bristol Township?
40 miles of bike routes are on the map: 40 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bristol Township?
15,572 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bristol Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 501 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bristol Township have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #376 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 Bristol Township 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 →