Deer Run Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
519 acres5.5 mi of trail
Green PathOrange PathBlue PathRed Path+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Cherry Valley
38% of Cherry Valley’s land is conserved: 2,059 acres
1,965 acres are parks and preserves, 524 per 1,000 residents. 17 miles of mapped trail cross Cherry Valley, 2.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Deer Run Forest Preserve (5.5 mi), Oak Ridge Forest Preserve (3.4 mi), Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve (2.3 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #18 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
2,059 acres · of 8.4 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,965 ac
524 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.0 mi
0.1 mi lanes · 7.9 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Cherry Valley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cherry Valley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cherry Valley is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #18 of 768 in Illinois. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cherry Valley’s overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land524 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,965 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home61% 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 96%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 98%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Deer Run Forest Preserve, with 5.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oak Ridge Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
297 acres3.4 mi of trail
Orange TrailGreen TrailBlue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
400 acres2.3 mi of trail
Green TrailOrange TrailRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Kishwaukee River Forest Preserve
Managed by Winnebago Forest Preserve District
222 acres1.8 mi of trail
Maintenance Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rockford Rotary County Forest Preserve
Managed by Winnebago Forest Preserve District
148 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
McKiski Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
40 acres0.9 mi of trail
McKiski FPPath 15 Yellow Connector Path to McKiski FP
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Espenscheid Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
34 acres0.5 mi of trail
Yellow TrailGreen Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
Deer Run Forest Preserve519 acres · 5.5 mi of trail · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
DirectionsOak Ridge Forest Preserve297 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
DirectionsBlackhawk Springs Forest Preserve400 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
DirectionsKishwaukee River Forest Preserve222 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Winnebago Forest Preserve District
DirectionsRockford Rotary County Forest Preserve148 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Winnebago Forest Preserve District
DirectionsMcKiski Forest Preserve40 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
Espenscheid Forest Preserve34 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
Former Elliot Golf Course192 acres · Severson Dells Nature Center
DirectionsIpson Road Conservation Area92 acres · Boone County Conservation District
Southeast Community Park54 acres
DirectionsSwanson Park7 acres
Who protects it
2,059 conserved acres
38% of Cherry Valley’s land. Who manages Cherry Valley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,517 ac
Regional agency551 ac
Town or city259 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits65 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,887 acLocal Recreation Area · 212 acLocal Park · 180 acConservation Easement · 65 acUnknown · 46 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espenscheid Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 739 | Open |
| Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 403 | Open |
| Kishwaukee Greenway Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 268 | Open |
| Earl F. Elliot Park and Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 212 | Open |
| Rockford Rotary Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 180 | Open |
| Kishwaukee River Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 162 | Open |
| Newberg Village Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 102 | Open |
| Baumann Park Local Park | Regional agency | 96 | Open |
| Southeast Community Park Local Park | Regional agency | 78 | Open |
| Magic Waters Unknown | Town or city | 34 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Cherry Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Cherry Valley
Little Lagoon
DirectionsTsunami Bay
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Cherry Valley
Caribbean Cove
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Cherry Valley
Canine Corners Dog Park at Elliot Park
DirectionsCanine Corners Dog Park at Elliot Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Cherry Valley
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
13 named trails
Named trails
Horses · 4.1 miUnpaved · 16.1 mi
Orange Trail2.6 mi
Green Trail2.4 mi
Green Path1.7 mi
Orange Path1.2 mi
Blue Path1.1 mi
Red Path0.8 mi
McKiski FP0.8 mi
Red Trail0.5 mi
Yellow Trail0.3 mi
Yellow Path0.3 mi
3 more trails
Blue Trail
0.2 miPath 15 Yellow Connector Path to McKiski FP
0.1 miMaintenance Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
8.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Pickleball
3Baseball
2Softball
1Beach volleyball
1Tennis
1Skate park
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 Cherry Valley
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) | 29 | 34 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
January is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Cherry Valley →
Next door
Cherry Valley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Valley | 38% | 2.1 | 524 | 61% | A+ |
| Rockford | 6% | 0.5 | 17 | 87% | B+ |
| Belvidere | 19% | 1.8 | 47 | 92% | A+ |
| Cherry Valley Township | 14% | 1.2 | 138 | 63% | A |
| Rockford Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cherry Valley
Where can I hike in Cherry Valley?
The longest trail networks: Deer Run Forest Preserve, 5.5 miles; Oak Ridge Forest Preserve, 3.4 miles; Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve, 2.3 miles; Kishwaukee River Forest Preserve, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cherry Valley is conserved land?
38% 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 Cherry Valley’s trails?
Deer Run Forest Preserve and Oak Ridge Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cherry Valley?
8.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 7.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cherry Valley?
13,986 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cherry Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,011 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cherry Valley have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #18 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 Cherry 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 →