Wolf Oak Woods Preserve
Nature preserve
30 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Andy McMurray · CC BY 2.5BOutdoors
Outdoors in Bull Valley
9% of Bull Valley’s land is conserved: 539 acres
The biggest trail networks: Wolf Oak Woods Preserve (0.9 mi), Boloria Meadows (0.6 mi). 42% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 19 acres are parks and preserves, 15 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
539 acres · of 9.8 sq mi of land
Trails
2.9 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
19 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
42%
of residents within ½ mile
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bull Valley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bull Valley is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bull Valley’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (19 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home42% of residents within a half mile of a park · IL 88% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 55%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Wolf Oak Woods Preserve, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Boloria Meadows
Managed by The Land Conservancy of McHenry County
36 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Boger Bog Conservation Area
Managed by McHenry County Conservation District
23 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Boone Creek Conservation Area
Managed by McHenry County Conservation District
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
539 conserved acres
9% of Bull Valley’s land. Who manages Bull Valley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits376 ac
State conservation169 ac
Private owners113 ac
Regional agency34 ac
State natural resources9 ac
Conservation Easement · 553 acState Conservation Area · 93 acLocal Conservation Area · 34 acPrivate Conservation · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 391 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 32 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone Creek Fen Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 45 | Closed |
| Boloria Fen and Sedge Meadow Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 41 | Closed |
| Boger Bog Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 34 | Open |
| Parker Fen Private Conservation | Private owners | 20 | Restricted |
| Gladstone Fen Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 7 | Closed |
Things to do
3 places to go in Bull Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bull Valley
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Bull Valley
Still Farm Dog Park
DirectionsBiking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
12Tennis
4Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
George Stickney HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Bull Valley: 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 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 29 | 34 | 45 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bull Valley →
Next door
Bull Valley and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
McHenry Township21 miWoodstock12 miGreenwood Township9.3 miMcHenry7.7 miWonder Lake6.7 miBull Valley2.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bull Valley | 9% | 0.3 | 15 | 42% | B |
| Wonder Lake | 3% | 1.3 | 15 | 83% | B+ |
| Woodstock | 9% | 0.9 | 23 | 94% | A |
| McHenry | 3% | 0.5 | 22 | 90% | B+ |
| Greenwood Township | 9% | 0.3 | 122 | 82% | A− |
| McHenry Township | 5% | 0.5 | 18 | 81% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bull Valley
Where can I hike in Bull Valley?
The longest trail networks: Wolf Oak Woods Preserve, 0.9 miles; Boloria Meadows, 0.6 miles; Boger Bog Conservation Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bull Valley is conserved land?
9% 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 Bull Valley’s trails?
Wolf Oak Woods Preserve and Boloria Meadows don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bull Valley?
17,624 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bull Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 19 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bull Valley have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Bull Valley 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 →