Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
30 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Anonymous · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Downers Grove
10% of Downers Grove’s land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
13 miles of mapped trail cross Downers Grove, 0.9 per square mile of land. 10% of Downers Grove’s land is conserved, about 955 acres. The biggest trail networks: Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve (1.3 mi), Hidden Lake Forest Preserve (1.1 mi), McCollum Park (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #135 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
955 acres · of 14.7 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
645 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.3 mi
1.7 mi lanes · 3.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Downers Grove?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Downers Grove have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Downers Grove is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #135 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 Downers Grove’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (645 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 85%
LessMore
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 83%
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 Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hidden Lake Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
329 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
McCollum Park
Managed by Downers Grove Park District
47 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Walnut Park
Managed by Downers Grove Park District
18 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Whitlock Park
Managed by Downers Grove Park District
22 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Maple Grove Forest Preserve
Managed by Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
69 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ruth K. Powers Park
Managed by Downers Grove Park District
9 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hoopers Hollow Park
Managed by Downers Grove Park District
10 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 42 parks & preserves
Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve30 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHidden Lake Forest Preserve329 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsMcCollum Park47 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsWalnut Park18 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsWhitlock Park22 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsMaple Grove Forest Preserve69 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
DirectionsRuth K. Powers Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsHoopers Hollow Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
Patriots Park28 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsEbersold Park19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsOrchard Brook Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsMemorial Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsSpring Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsDoerhoefer Park33 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsO'Brien Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
Dunham Place Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
Concord Square Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Downers Grove Park District
Belmont & Curtiss Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMilness Famey Memorial Park19 acres
DirectionsWallingford Park15 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Hummer Park11 acres · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsMar-Duke Farm Park10 acres · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsSterling North Park7 acres
Gilbert Park6 acres
DirectionsLee and Grant Park5 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Washington Park5 acres · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsStonewall & Concord Park5 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Randall Park5 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Deer Creek Park4 acres
Northside Park4 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Carroll Park3 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Ned Bell Park3 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Constitution Park2 acres · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsLoy Park2 acres · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsFishel Park2 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Directions2nd & Cumnor Park2 acres
Prince Park1 acres · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsMaple & Sherman Park1 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Blodgett & Elmwood Park1 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Directions62nd & Brookbank Park1 acres · Downers Grove Park District
62nd & Carpenter Park1 acres · Downers Grove Park District
Bending Oaks Park1 acres
Who protects it
955 conserved acres
10% of Downers Grove’s land. Who manages Downers Grove’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency843 ac
Town or city120 ac
State conservation23 ac
Local Park · 469 acLocal Other or Unknown · 313 acUnknown · 91 acLocal Conservation Area · 80 acConservation Easement · 23 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 50 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidden Lake 1 Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 313 | Unknown |
| Lyman Woods Local Park | Regional agency | 123 | Open |
| Downers Grove Golf Club Unknown | Town or city | 83 | Open |
| Maple Grove 1 Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 80 | Restricted |
| Mccollum Local Park | Regional agency | 49 | Open |
| Patriot Park/ Barth Pond Local Park | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
| Burlington & Walnut Local Park | Regional agency | 25 | Open |
| Northern Il Gas Easment Local Park | Regional agency | 21 | Open |
| Whitlock Local Park | Regional agency | 20 | Open |
| 59Th & Main Sea-Spar Office Local Park | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
55 places to go in Downers Grove
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Downers Grove
49 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Downers Grove
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Downers Grove
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Downers Grove
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Downers Grove
O'Brien Park Disc GolfIn O'Brien Park · Downers Grove Park District
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.4 mi
off-road bike paths
4.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
53Tennis
31Baseball
14Basketball
9Soccer
6Tracks
6Football
2Pickleball
1Volleyball
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Coonley, Avery, SchoolBuilding · listed 2007
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Downers Grove: April, 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) | 9.5 | 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 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Downers Grove →
Next door
Downers Grove and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lisle Township51 miDowners Grove Township51 miLisle29 miDowners Grove13 miWestmont9.1 miDarien8.8 miWoodridge8.0 miLombard7.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downers Grove | 10% | 0.9 | 13 | 97% | A |
| Westmont | 6% | 1.8 | 9 | 99% | A− |
| Darien | 6% | 1.4 | 7 | 99%+ | A− |
| Woodridge | 10% | 0.8 | 15 | 97% | A |
| Lisle | 8% | 4.1 | 21 | 99% | A |
| Downers Grove Township | 13% | 1.0 | 26 | 99% | A |
| Lisle Township | 11% | 1.4 | 19 | 96% | A |
| Lombard | 7% | 0.8 | 11 | 90% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Downers Grove
Where can I hike in Downers Grove?
The longest trail networks: Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, 1.3 miles; Hidden Lake Forest Preserve, 1.1 miles; McCollum Park, 1.1 miles; Walnut Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Downers Grove is conserved land?
10% 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 Downers Grove’s trails?
Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve and Hidden Lake Forest Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Downers Grove?
9.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of painted or protected lanes, 3.4 of off-road paths and 4.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Downers Grove?
21,724 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Downers Grove or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 648 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Downers Grove have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #135 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 Downers 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 →