Reed Turner Woodland
Managed by Lake County Forest Preserves
21 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Ela Township
Ela Township has 25 miles of mapped trails, 0.7 for every square mile of land
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Reed Turner Woodland (1.1 mi), Paulus Park (1 mi), Bridlewoods Park (0.6 mi). 8% of Ela Township’s land is conserved, about 1,783 acres.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #138 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,783 acres · of 34.4 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,065 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
29 mi
2.3 mi lanes · 26 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
15
3 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Ela Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ela Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ela Township is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #138 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 Ela Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IL town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · IL 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,065 acres) · IL 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home93% 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 82%
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 Reed Turner Woodland, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Old Mill Grove Park
Park
24 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Oak Ridge Marsh Nature Park
Nature preserve
44 acres0.4 mi of trail
Oak Ridge Marsh TrailOak Ridge March Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 38 parks & preserves
Reed Turner Woodland21 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsPaulus Park30 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBridlewoods Park12 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsOld Mill Grove Park24 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Charles E Brown Park16 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsOak Ridge Marsh Nature Park44 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBristol Trails Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsManor Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRichard E Staples Youth Sports Complex30 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Heatherleigh Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEla Township Soccer Fields9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsIndian Trails Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve748 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsHeron Creek Forest Preserve222 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsBuffalo Creek Forest Preserve142 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
DirectionsEgret Marsh Forest Preserve117 acres · Lake County Forest Preserves
Heritage Oaks Park58 acres
DirectionsChestnut Corners/Hunters Creek Park17 acres
DirectionsCountryside West Park13 acres
Knox Park13 acres
DirectionsRambling Hills Park9 acres
Kuechmann Park9 acres
DirectionsQuail Run Park8 acres
Long Grove Soccer Park7 acres
DirectionsHighview Park6 acres
Countryside West Soccer Park4 acres
Countryside East Park4 acres
Breezewald Park4 acres
DirectionsBraemar Park3 acres
DirectionsMichael D'Angelo Park3 acres
Sparrow Ridge Park3 acres
Copperfield Park3 acres
Three Corners Park3 acres
DirectionsLion's Park3 acres
DirectionsOrchards Park3 acres · Village of Lake Zurich Park and Recreation Department
Zurites Park2 acres
DirectionsNorman Field1 acres
Lutrell Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,783 conserved acres
8% of Ela Township’s land. Who manages Ela Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency892 ac
State conservation823 ac
Town or city580 ac
County204 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits37 ac
Private owners4 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,107 acConservation Easement · 826 acLocal Park · 520 acState Conservation Area · 70 acUnknown · 13 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 68 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 731 | Open |
| Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 138 | Open |
| Egret Marsh Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 120 | Open |
| Village Of Lake Zurich Open Space Local Conservation Area | County | 49 | Open |
| Reed-Turner Woodland Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Paulus Park Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Heritage Oaks Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Land Conservancy Of Lake County Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 34 | Open |
| Village Of Kildeer Open Space Local Conservation Area | County | 31 | Open |
| Hawthorn Woods Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
55 places to go in Ela Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Ela Township
Whitney Shores Private Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Ela Township
2 public pools without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Ela Township
Bristol Trails Park PlaygroundIn Bristol Trails Park
DirectionsHeron Creek PlaygroundIn Heron Creek Forest Preserve
DirectionsJonquil Park
DirectionsOld Mill Grove Park PlaygroundIn Old Mill Grove Park
DirectionsWarwick Park (Tot Lot)
Directions44 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Scenic views in Ela Township
Bird Observatory
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Ela Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Ela Township
Elaine Frank Apachi Day Camp
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.8 mi
Oak Ridge Marsh Trail0.3 mi
Oak Ridge March Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
29 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
26 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
41Tennis
26Baseball
20Soccer
17Pickleball
15Basketball
2Beach volleyball
2Football
2Equestrian
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 Ela Township
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) | 30 | 34 | 46 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 47 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 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 Ela Township →
Next door
Ela Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Vernon Township44 miFremont Township28 miEla Township25 miCuba Township11 miNorth Barrington6.6 miHawthorn Woods1.9 miBarrington1.8 miDeer Park0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ela Township | 8% | 0.7 | 23 | 93% | A− |
| Cuba Township | 9% | 0.5 | 31 | 72% | A− |
| Fremont Township | 17% | 0.8 | 66 | 90% | A |
| Hawthorn Woods | 4% | 0.2 | 24 | 95% | B+ |
| Barrington | 10% | 0.4 | 14 | 90% | B+ |
| Deer Park | 20% | 0.2 | 41 | 99%+ | A |
| Vernon Township | 18% | 1.2 | 47 | 97% | A+ |
| North Barrington | 3% | 1.4 | 22 | 67% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ela Township
Where can I hike in Ela Township?
The longest trail networks: Reed Turner Woodland, 1.1 miles; Paulus Park, 1 miles; Bridlewoods Park, 0.6 miles; Old Mill Grove Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ela Township 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 Ela Township’s trails?
Reed Turner Woodland and Paulus Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ela Township?
29 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.3 of painted or protected lanes, 26 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ela Township?
29,896 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ela Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,071 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ela Township have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #138 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 Ela 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 →