Mike Rylko Community Park
Managed by Buffalo Grove Park District
79 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: YourJudge · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Buffalo Grove
8% of Buffalo Grove’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 8% of Buffalo Grove’s land is conserved, about 495 acres. 3.4 miles of mapped trail cross Buffalo Grove, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #239 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
495 acres · of 9.6 sq mi of land
Trails
3.4 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
532 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
23 mi
0.7 mi lanes · 23 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Buffalo Grove?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Buffalo Grove have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Buffalo Grove is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #239 of 768 in Illinois. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Buffalo Grove’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (532 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 77%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 69%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to 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.
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 Mike Rylko Community Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Willow Stream Park
Managed by Buffalo Grove Park District
59 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 39 parks & preserves
Mike Rylko Community Park79 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsMirielle Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsMill Creek Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Buffalo Grove Park District
Bison Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Buffalo Grove Park District
Willow Stream Park59 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsChurchill Park21 acres
DirectionsGreen Lake Park20 acres
DirectionsEmmerich Park18 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsPrairie Park17 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsVillage of Buffalo Grove Open Space16 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsOld Farm Park11 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Highland Point Park11 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Lions Park11 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Veterans Park10 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsWestchester Park10 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Twin Creeks Park9 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsParkchester Park8 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Ivy Park7 acres
Rolling Hills Park7 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Cambridge Park7 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsApple Hill Park7 acres
Canterbury Park6 acres
Cherbourg Park6 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Nicole Park6 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsWindsor Ridge Park6 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Children's Park5 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsRolling Hills North Park4 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsWeidner Park4 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsTartan Park4 acres
Raupp Memorial Park3 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsNorthwood Park3 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Aptakisic Park3 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsCrossing Pond Park2 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsMartha Weiss Park2 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
Prairie Grove Park2 acres
DirectionsCahokia Flatwoods Forest Preserve1 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsNickol Knoll Park1 acres
Oxford Park1 acres · Buffalo Grove Park District
DirectionsCommons Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
495 conserved acres
8% of Buffalo Grove’s land. Who manages Buffalo Grove’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency410 ac
Town or city72 ac
Private owners12 ac
Local Park · 443 acUnknown · 41 acState Conservation Area · 8 acLocal Recreation Area · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Rylko Community Park, Fitness Center, And Spray 'N Play Local Park | Regional agency | 75 | Open |
| Willow Stream Pool & Park Local Park | Regional agency | 57 | Open |
| Aquadome Indoor Pool at BGHS Unknown | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Emmerich Park Local Park | Regional agency | 24 | Open |
| Churchill Park Local Park | Regional agency | 23 | Open |
| Green Lake Park Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
| Twin Creeks Park Local Park | Regional agency | 21 | Open |
| Prairie Park Local Park | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
| Highland Point Park Local Park | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
| Woodland Park Local Park | Regional agency | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
42 places to go in Buffalo Grove
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Buffalo Grove
Child Play GroundIn Apple Hill Park
DirectionsPrairie Elementary School Playground
Directions40 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Picnic areas in Buffalo Grove
Picnic AreaIn Apple Hill Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Buffalo Grove
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Avalon Path0.2 mi
Biking & sports
23 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
23 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
43Tennis
32Baseball
14Soccer
14Basketball
5Pickleball
4Volleyball
3Beach volleyball
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Buffalo Grove
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 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 35 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Buffalo Grove →
Next door
Buffalo Grove and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Long Grove15 miRiverwoods11 miArlington Heights10 miLincolnshire9.9 miVernon Hills6.2 miWheeling4.0 miBuffalo Grove3.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Grove | 8% | 0.4 | 12 | 99%+ | A− |
| Wheeling | 3% | 0.5 | 6 | 95% | B |
| Long Grove | 6% | 1.2 | 53 | 88% | A |
| Lincolnshire | 7% | 2.2 | 13 | 97% | A |
| Arlington Heights | 5% | 0.6 | 8 | 99% | B+ |
| Vernon Hills | 12% | 0.8 | 28 | 99% | A |
| Riverwoods | 13% | 2.6 | 62 | 74% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Buffalo Grove
Where can I hike in Buffalo Grove?
The longest trail networks: Mike Rylko Community Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Buffalo Grove is conserved land?
8% 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 Buffalo Grove’s trails?
Mike Rylko Community Park and Willow Stream Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Buffalo Grove?
23 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of painted or protected lanes and 23 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Buffalo Grove?
18,718 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Buffalo Grove or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 560 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Buffalo Grove have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #239 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 Buffalo Grove 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 →