Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Will County
888 acres6.6 mi of trail
Plum Creek Greenway TrailHigh Point TrailScout TrailOak Ridge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Equestrian Trailer Parking
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Crete Township
Crete Township has 10 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve (6.6 mi). 214 acres are parks and preserves, 9.1 per 1,000 residents. 57% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns · #566 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
887 acres · of 44.2 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
214 ac
9.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
1.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Crete Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Crete Township is ahead of 42% of U.S. towns, #566 of 768 in Illinois. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Crete Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land9.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (214 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home57% 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 42%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 26%
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 Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve, with 6.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Plum Valley Ravines
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Will County
1,005 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Plum Valley Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Will County
460 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Moeller Woods Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of Will County
192 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve888 acres · 6.6 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of Will County
DirectionsCrete Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Crete Park District
Lincolnshire Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Plum Valley Ravines1,005 acres · Forest Preserve District of Will County
Plum Valley Preserve460 acres · Forest Preserve District of Will County
DirectionsMoeller Woods Preserve192 acres · Forest Preserve District of Will County
Black Walnut Creek Preserve107 acres · Forest Preserve District of Will County
Heritage Park40 acres
Veterans Memorial Park11 acres
DirectionsSwiss Valley Park4 acres
Lions Park1 acres
Garret Park1 acres
Who protects it
887 conserved acres
3% of Crete Township’s land. Who manages Crete Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation522 ac
Private owners512 ac
Town or city163 ac
County105 ac
Regional agency89 ac
State Conservation Area · 693 acConservation Easement · 530 acLocal Park · 89 acUnknown · 44 acLocal Conservation Area · 35 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 28 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 512 | Closed |
| Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve 5 State Conservation Area | County | 85 | Restricted |
| Goodenow Grove State Conservation Area | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Unnamed Property Unknown | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| Heritage Park Local Park | Regional agency | 39 | Open |
| Deer Creek Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 35 | Open |
| Swiss Valley Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve 4 State Conservation Area | County | 9 | Restricted |
| Peter Halligan Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in Crete Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Crete Township
Spot’s Nature PlaygroundIn Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Crete Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Crete Township
Pond OverlookIn Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve
DirectionsPeaks in Crete Township
Big HillIn Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve
DirectionsPicnic areas in Crete Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Crete Township
Goodenow Grove CampgroundIn Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.6 miHorses · 3.7 miUnpaved · 0.8 mi
Plum Creek Greenway Trail3.1 mi
High Point Trail0.8 mi
Scout Trail0.8 mi
Horse Track0.5 mi
Oak Ridge Trail0.4 mi
Snapper Pond Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
15Baseball
13Tennis
3Soccer
2Equestrian
1Football
1Softball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Crete 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 48 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Crete Township →
Next door
Crete Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bloom Township29 miSt. John Township16 miCrete Township10 miCrete2.8 miWashington Township1.2 miHanover Township0.6 miWillowbrook0.0 miSteger0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crete Township | 3% | 0.2 | 9 | 57% | C+ |
| Willowbrook | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Steger | 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 83% | C− |
| Bloom Township | 3% | 0.6 | 10 | 92% | B+ |
| Crete | 2% | 0.3 | 10 | 93% | B− |
| Washington Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 7 | 69% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Crete Township
Where can I hike in Crete Township?
The longest trail networks: Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve, 6.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Crete Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Crete Township’s trails?
Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve and Plum Valley Ravines don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Crete Township?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Crete Township?
9,206 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Crete Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 256 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Crete Township have?
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #566 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 Crete 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 →